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Thursday, August 24, 2006PlanetsWell, it's official. Pluto is no longer a planet. The IAU voted this to truth earlier today in Prague. The definition of a planet and other things are below.I'm disappointed, mostly because I was looking forward to the solar system having 12 planets! The original resolution the IAU was presented with would have made Pluto and Charon (Pluto's "moon" which shares Pluto's orbit around the Sun instead of orbiting Pluto itself) double or paired planets, Ceres (the object in the asteroid belt that accounts for one quater the total mass of the asteroid belt - now that's large) a new planet, and 2003 UB313 (aka. Xena, the object larger than Pluto but much further out) a new planet also. But apparently too many astronomers baulked at the idea of letting Pluto stay a planet. "That plan proved highly unpopular, splitting astronomers into factions and triggering days of sometimes combative debate that led to Pluto's undoing" says CNN.com. So Pluto is now a dwarf. Charon is nothing special it seems (though really, both are because of their shared orbit). Ceres is still just a really large asteroid. And 2003 UB313 is just a really large asteroid as well, since it lives in what is called the Kuiper belt, which is actually another asteroid belt around the Sun out beyond Neptune. From the IAU's 2006 result of resolution votes:
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Monday, August 21, 2006Too LateOnly 45 minutes. It took me that long to get back on the phone on his behalf. And I was already too late.(If you haven't already ready the previous post, go do that before continuing this one.) The decision to put him down was not only made, but was signed off on, and was in progress - if not already done. I was reminded that even if I decided to take KitKat, it wouldn't work. My schedule wouldn't allow for me to care for him. I'm not home enough. Probably not even for a healthy cat am I home enough. I'm frequently gone for weekends, and there are frequently days I'm only home long enough to sleep and maybe eat breakfast. Recently have been gone from home even more than that. But no matter that, I couldn't provide the care KitKat would need, everyday. It was also explained to me that I had misunderstood some about the biopsy. In order to even get one done correctly, would involve having to go deep into KitKat, possibly opening him up (?), because the growth was so far down. And that could potentially cost up to thousands. I hate the word humane. It's a word people use to make themselves or an act sound noble and nice, when it's completely not that. People also say it's better to die than to live constantly in pain or suffering. Not me. I would rather live in pain. I guess that puts me in a very small minority. So be it. But don't anyone ever pull the plug on me. That all said, I feel better now. I think it's because the decision was made, and I couldn't stop it. And I tried. Somewhat like last time. Now I move on, saddened by the loss, wishing things could have been different, but able to think it wasn't my fault and go on okay. Thank You, Burdened One. Well, we have calls to make. Can You Hate Morals?Is a human's life more important than an animal's?If I was sick with something that couldn't be cured, but wouldn't kill me, I would want to live. But a pet, who no one would want to take, why isn't it allowed to? I would take him, but I know I'd resent it at some point. As much as I liked having helped KitKat, at the same time when I had him I didn't like the responsibility, I didn't want it. Kevin can't keep him. I don't know if he'd even want to. And then there's the problem that no one knows what's wrong with KitKat's ear. They could find out if its cancerous with a biopsy. But it's more than likely that the best chance procedure to fix his ear it would cost thousands of dollars. Which we don't have. But if it was a person, I'd find the money. When I called the no kill shelters around here last month, they said they were full. Not that anyone would adopt a cat with paws that will for the rest of his life bleed occasionally, even if we could fix his ear issues. The decision isn't mine (thankfully). The decision to put him down, that is. And Honestly, I only care about KitKat as much as I care about any life. The difference is this time I have a chance to stop a life from being ended. For the second time.... The first time the decision was not mine at all. All I could do was make a pitch, offer everything I could. I had no control. I lost that one, to someone who was better at painting pictures with words than I am. This time I could have control. But I don't want him. .... What an awful thing to say. I could save him, but I don't want him. "then why did you want to help him in the first place like this jen? you could have found a shelter down there to give him over to... you've put a lot more effort into this cat than i've seen for most things" I tried to find a shelter down there. Spent hours doing so. No one would take him. So we brought him up here, with the idea that we'd get him to a vet, fixed up, and then adopt him out to someone who'd actually want him. We even, through a friend, found someone to adopt him. "but the plan isnt working is it?" No... |
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