Letters to the Editor

Finding peaceThe Chinese government continues to display an unreasonable and unworthy suspicion of freedom of conscience and restricts independent religious expression. We hear alarming reports of the detention of worshipers and religious leaders, with churches and mosques vandalized or demolished. Traditional religious practices in Tibet have long been the target of especially harsh and unjust persecution. For the past 10 years adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual movement have been singled out for arrest and abuse.

China aspires to national strength and greatness,but these acts of persecution are acts of fear and weakness. This persecution is unworthy of all that China has been — a civilization with a history of tolerance — and unworthy of all that China should become — an open society that respects the spiritual dignity of its people. This July marks exactly 10 years since the Chinese Communist Party began a campaign of imprisonment, propaganda, torture, murder and organ harvesting to eradicate Falun Gong, a practice of meditation and spiritual cultivation based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. It is time for China to become accountable and stop this persecution.

A way to help is to sit, meditate, or pray in your way. Think about the principles that guide your life or what freedom of belief means to you, and then simply donate those minutes of meditation to help stop the persecution by logging it on line at www.millionminutesofmeditation.org. If you find the experience rewarding, do it again and ask a few friends to do the same.

Katherine Combes

Kalispell

Dehydrate food

Bright sunshine, hot days — great for swimming! Also a good time to use that energy to dehydrate some food with a solar dehydrator. Come join ESP on Wednesday, July 22, 7 p.m. for a presentation by Fran Wade. Topics include: "How to make and use a solar dryer for preserving fruits, berries and vegetables;" "Preserving meats with cures, salt brine and jerking;" and "General overview of canning, pickling and jam making."

Bring your ideas and favorite preserving methods, and join in a discussion of Putting Food By Without Refrigeration.

This event, to be held at Clementine's in Bigfork (265 Bridge St), is free and open to the public, but donations are welcome. Coffee and tea are provided; desserts, beer and wine are available for purchase. Visit our website at essentialstuff.org, or contact Edd Blackler (edd@essentialstuff.org, 837-5196) or Fran Wade (tashina816@yahoo.com, 837-1002) for more information.

Catherine Haug

Bigfork

Be careful with pets during summer

Summer is a time to enjoy many fun activities with our pets. It is also a time that can endanger our pets due to hot temperatures. The Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA offers the following guidelines to help keep our pets safe and healthy during summer's hot months:

* Don't leave your dog or cat in a parked vehicle. The inside of your vehicle can reach 120 degrees in a matter of minutes, even if you are parked in the shade and the windows or sunroof are partially open.

* Dogs and cats can't perspire/sweat and can only release heat by panting and through the pads of their paws. Pets left in a parked vehicle even briefly or in direct sunlight can suffer from heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke, brain damage, and even death. If you see a pet in a vehicle alone during the hot weather, alert the management of the store where the vehicle is parked. If the owner does not return promptly, call animal control or the police immediately.

* The signs of overheating are: heavy panting, glazed eyes, unsteadiness or staggering, vomitimg, deep red or purple tongue, rapid pulse, elevated body temperature and/or loss of consciousness. Move your pet to a cool place away from the sun and apply cool (not cold) water gradually over his/her body or cold towels/ice packs (wrapped in a cloth or towel) to your pet's head, neck and chest only. If conscious, let your pet drink small amounts of water or lick ice cubes. And get your pet to a veterinarian immediately.

* Provide plenty of shade and fresh drinking water for your pet when outside. Schedule walks and other exercise for the cooler times of the day. Hot asphalt or cement can burn your pet's paws, so it is best for your pet to walk on the grass or in the shade. Cats and dogs with short, light colored fur and exposed areas of white or pink skin around nose, ears and paws are vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer. Keep these pets out of the sun, and only use a sun block if it is labeled safe for pets and/or recommended by your veterinarian.

* Pets need supervision around pools and other bodies of water to avoid accidents and drowing.

* Rabbbits particularly do not tolerate heat well, so keep pet rabbits in a cool, preferably air-conditioned inside area, with plenty of cool drinking water, and have a cold pack (wrapped in a cloth or towel) available so the rabbit can choose to lie on or next to it.

* Some fertilzers, mulches, insecticides and insect repellents are toxic to pets. Consult with your veterinanrian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 as to which products are pet safe.

Cindie K. Jobe

Kila