PORQUE LOS PERROS VIVEN MENOS QUE LAS PERSONAS ?

En ocasiones la inocencia de los ninos nos deja una ensenanza mayor a la de cualquier sabio.

Siendo un veterinario, fui llamado para examinar a un sabueso irlandes de 10 anos de edad llamado Belker.
Los duenos del perro, Ron, su esposa lisa y su pequeno Shane, estaban muy apegados a Belker, y estaban esperando un milagro. examine a Belker y descubri que estaba muriendo de cancer.
Le dije a la familia que  no podiamos hacer ya nada por Belker, y me ofreci para llevar el proceso de eutanasia en su casa.

Hicimos los arreglos necesarios, Ron y Lisa dijeron que seria buena idea que el nino de 6 anos Shane observara el suceso.  Ellos sintieron que el nino podria aprender algo de la experiencia.
Al dia siguiente, senti la familiar sensacion en mi garganta cuando Belker fue rodeado por la familia.
Shane se veia tranquilo, acariciaba al perro por ultima vez, y yo me preguntaba si el comprendia lo que estaba pasando.
En unos cuantos minutos Belker se quedo dormido pacificamente para ya no despertar.  El pequeno nino parecio aceptar la trancision de Belker sin ninguna dificultad o confusion.
Nos sentamos todos por un momento preguntndonos el porque del lamentable hecho de que la vida de las mascotas sea mas corta que la de los humanos?
Shane que habia estado escuchando atentamente dijo: " yo se porque" sorprendidos, todos volteamos a mirarlo.
Lo que dijo a continuacion me maravillo, nunca he escuchado una explicacion mas reconfortante que esta. Este momento cambio my forma de ver la vida.

El dijo: " la gente viene al  mundo para poder aprender como vivir una buena vida, como amar a los demas todo el tiempo y ser buenas personas, verdad? ....Bueno, como los perros ya saben como hacer todo eso, no tienen porque quedarse tanto tiempo como  nosotros "

Si quisieramos encontrarle una moraleja a esta tierna historia, esta seria:
Si un perro fuera tu maestro, aprenderias:

- Cuando tus seres queridos llegan a  casa, siempre corre a saludarlos.
- Deja que la experiencia del aire fresco y del viento en tu cara sea de puro extasis.
- Toma siestas
- Estirate antes de levantarte.
- Corre, brinca y juega a diario
- Mejora tu atencion y deja que la gente te toque
- Evita morder cuando un simple grunido sea suficiente
- En dias calidos recuestate sobre tu espalda en el pasto, patas abiertas.
- Cuando haga mucho calor, toma mucha agua y recuestate bajo la sombra de un arbol
- Cuando estes feliz, baila alrededor, y mueve todo tu cuerpo
- Deleitate en la alegria simple de una larga caminata
- Se leal
- Nunca pretendas ser algo que no eres
- Si lo que quieres esta enterrado, escarba hasta que lo encuentres
- Cuando alguien tenga un mal dia quedate en silencio, sientate cerca y suavemente hazles sentir que             estas ahi

- " la felicidad no es una meta sino un camino .....disfrutala mientras la recorres "


Disfrutala como lo haria Belker, corriendo hacia tus seres queridos y disfrutando de todo lo bueno que te da la vida todos los dias.... y si tienes un poquito de sentido del humor hasta pudieras decir, gua! gua!

-    

MI PAIS

Mi pais es un pais

con alas de colores
que algunos de sus pintores a veces pinto de gris
sin embargo mi pais
piensa que es solo una pintura
una simple travesura de un inexperto aprendiz.

Que inocente es mi pais

mi pais es un pais
de nido sombra y aroma
mas deja que lo carcoma
le coma hasta la raiz
sin embargo mi pais
piensa que es solo una herida
que ha de curarse enseguida
sin dejarle cicatriz
pobrecito mi pais
que inocente es mi pais

Mi pais es un pais
con vocacion de extranjero
que siempre lo forastero
lo lleva de la nariz
sin embargo mi pais
piensa que es buena la pista
hay que seguir al flautista
hacia su mundo feliz
que inocente es mi pais
que inocente es mi pais

ORARE DE ESTA MANERA

Ho creador de todas las cosas:
voy hacia el exito por un camino lleno de dificultades y un mundo lleno de peligros. Necesito que tu mano me lleve y tu voz me vaya guiando, si tu guias mis pasos no temere aunque tenga que atravesar valles obscuros, porque tu, callado protector me defenderas. No te pido lujos ni vanidades pero te suplico que yo adquiera la habilidad que mi profesion requiere para que sepa aprovechar hasta el maximo todas las oportunidades de triunfo que tu has puesto en mi camino.

Tu has ensenado al leon y al aguila como aprovechar las oportunidades y no dejar escapar la presa. Tu has ensenado al zorro y al raton como huir los peligros que podian llevarlos al desastre. Ensename a no dejar huir ninguna ocasion de tener exitos en las labores. Pon en mis labios las palabras apropiadas agradables y eficaces que atraigan para mis empresas y labores los corazones de los demas. Pon en mi la inteligencia, la prudencia que me lleve a evitar todos aquellos pasos que me puedan llevar al abismo y a las garras del fracaso.

Ayudame a permanecer humilde y valiente en los obstaculos y fracasos pero no dejes nunca de recordarme los grandes triunfos que tienes reservados para los que confian en tu bondad y en tu poder.
Abre mis labios para decir palabras que ayuden  animen y llenen de alegria la vida de los demas y cierralos con siete sellos cuando quieran proferir insultos o maldiciones o traten de esparcir chistes o murmuraciones,  ensename a paracticar y repasar la ley de los promedios ( o sea cuantas veces de cada diez he fracasado en tal o cual asunto ? ) para que adquiera un corazon prudente y no ver solo fracasos
donde tambien he cosechado triunfos, ni me encapriche a seguir por caminos y ocasiones que ya me han demostrado ser fatales. Fortalece mi voluntad para que aprenda  a no cansarme nunca y a no pronunciar jamas la frase paralizadora que a tantos detuvo cuando hiban a alcanzar el exito: es inutil insistir!  

Dame la gracia de insistir e insistir como la madre que que te pedia la curacion para su hijo y al fin la obtuvo, como la gota de agua que cae dia tras dia sobre la roca y al fin la logra atravesar.
Llename de buenas costumbres y has que las costumbres malas que he adquirido se mueran pronto en mi. Sin embargo concedeme compasion para con los demas porque dejar de ser malos y hacerse buenos es algo mil veces mas complicado de lo que me habia imaginado, y en los momentos duros recuerdame esto tambien pasara! y hoy y siempre ensename a recordar tus innumerables bendiciones y favores.  Haz que cada dia haga yo una lista de las razones que tengo para ser feliz y bendecirte.  con eso ensancharas mi corazon y daras nobleza a mi caracter y alegria a todo mi existir.

CONCEDEME O DIOS QUE YO LLEGUE A SER TODO AQUELLO QUE TIENES PLANEADO QUE YO SEA.

Que aquella personalidad agradable y poderosa que en tu inteligencia has deseado que yo llegue a poseer lo logre yo muy pronto conseguir.
Amen.

XELA

Soy un extrano afortunado que pasa como Juan por su casa, porque la estrechez de tus calles me parecen los caminos del alma.

Esas piedras talladas que resisten el tiempo son las joyas que adornan tus limpios espacios , donde el turista camina extasiado y se llena los ojos de historia y encanto.

Ese aroma romantico arrimado a las paredes que se mezcla con la dulzura de tus calles inclinadas, como rindiendo homenaje a tu pujante belleza o bajando a descansar en tus plazas hermosas.

El calor de tu gente que se esmera a diario, porque propios y extranos se sientan en casa; me fascina tu encanto paseando tus calles y al fondo el volcan Santa Maria vigilando tu urbe.

Los monumentos se yerguen con sus patios y arboles, con costumbres ruidosas y en el cerro la grata comida; caminando se miran las casas con flores milenarias y el Templo a Minerva es un sitio sagrado.

Me he extasiado mirando las aves sus montes de siempre, los hoteles que cruzan la universidad y el colegio de todos, los edificios de piedra donde descansan tus heroes y en silencio el Teatro Municipal como patrimonio de todos.

A WICKED AND IGNORANT AWARD

It is absurd and it is embarrassing. It would even be infuriating if it were not such a declaration of emptiness.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has embarrassed itself and cheapened a great award that had real meaning.
It was a good thing, the Nobel Peace Prize. Every year the giving of it was a matter of note throughout the world, almost a matter of state. It was serious. It mattered that it was given to a woman like Mother Teresa in 1979. She had lived for 30 years with the poorest of the poor; she and her Missionaries of Charity dressed their wounds, healed their illnesses, and literally carried them from the streets to mats and beds in a home where they would at least have in death the thing they had not had in life, someone to care for them. She didn't just care for them, she did the hard thing: She loved them. Her life was heroic, epic, and when she was given the Nobel Peace Prize, it was as if the world were saying, "You are the best we have. You are living a life that should be emulated."
Nelson Mandela was unjustly imprisoned for 27 years, and he came out without bitterness. There's a hero for you. He preserved his faith and that of his countrymen that together they could make their nation better, more decent and humane. He lived a life of moral and political struggle, broke the old chains that had bound South Africa. At the end he was a literal inspiration to the world.
Some Peace Prizes have been more roughly political, or had a political edge, and were of course debatable. Woodrow Wilson, self-infatuated after World War I, had little patience with those who foresaw that the Peace of Versailles would lead to more war, and did not understand or know the political realities and deeper nature of his own countrymen. And so his League of Nations flopped in America, the one place where it absolutely had to succeed. But--well, he helped end "the war to end all wars," issued his Fourteen Points, did try to make the world better. Ferocious Teddy Roosevelt, that progressive and bloody-minded man, worked hard to forge a truce and a peace between the czar's Russia and Japan.
More deeply into the political life of the 20th century, there were Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, and their Peace Prizes were what they were. But each man had a body of work; each had devoted considerable time and effort to a great issue. It was always absurd that Ronald Reagan, whose political project led to the end of the gulag and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and who gambled his personal standing in the world for a system that would protect the common man from annihilation in a nuclear missile attack, could not win it. But nobody wept over it, and for one reason: because everyone, every sentient adult who cared to know about such things, knew that the Nobel Peace Prize is, when awarded to a political figure, a great and prestigious award given by liberals to liberals. NCNA--no conservatives need apply. This is the way of the world, and so what? Life isn't for prizes.
Yet even within that context, the giving of the peace prize to President Obama is absurd. He doesn't have a body of work; he's a young man; he's been president less than nine months. He hopes to accomplish much, and so far--nine months!--has accomplished little. Is this a life of heroic self-denial, of the sacrifice of self for something greater, of huge and historic consequence, of sustained vision? No it's not. Is this a life marked by a vivid and calculable contribution to the peace of the world? No, it's not.
This is an award for not being George W. Bush. This is an award for not making the world nervous. This is an award for sharing the basic political sentiments and assumptions of the members of the committee. It is for what Barack Obama may do, not what he has done. He hasn't done anything.
In one mindless stroke, the committee has rendered the Nobel Peace Prize a laughingstock, perhaps for as long as a generation. And that is an act of true destruction, because it was actually good that the world had a prestigious award for peacemaking.
The members of the committee have also put the young American president in a terrible place. They make it look like all the talk of "The One," the heartthrob of the European elite, the darling of the international left, is true. They make him look prefabricated and inauthentic, an empty structure held up by essentially silly people. Which puts him at a disadvantage in his own country, because Americans don't really like it when flaky European politicians tell them how they ought to see him or the world.
And you have to wonder how the truly self-sacrificing professionals who are attempting to create a sound American policy on Afghanistan are going to experience this. Hmm, can a president who just won the left's great peace prize decide to increase American troop strength and presence in a foreign war? What impact will this have on larger geopolitical considerations?
Assuming the White House did nothing to encourage or lobby for the award, it is not Barack Obama's fault that he has been embarrassed by this honor. And it may possibly hold for him an unanticipated benefit. It may give him pause: Look what idiots my biggest international supporters are. I may have to rethink a few things.
How to redeem this? That is a hard question, but here is one idea. The president will deliver a big speech in Oslo Dec. 10: white tie and tails, a formal, bound statement. The world, as they say, will be watching. He should deflect the limelight. (Can he?) He should make his subject bigger than himself. (Is there a subject bigger than himself?) He has been accused of traveling through the world on an extended apology tour. That isn't fair, but the tag is there. How about an unapologetic address, a speech, with the world's elites leaning forward and listening, about the meaning of America? A speech that shows a grounded and sophisticated love for his country and its great traditions and history. Not a nationalistic speech, not a prideful one, but a loving one.
For instance: The Peace Prize judges won't see it this way, but America has gone to Europe twice in the past century to fight for peace. This is an old concept, and has to do with killing killers so they can't kill anymore. It cost America a lot to do this, and we kept no territory, as they say, beyond the graves where our soldiers lie. America then taxed itself and gave its wealth not only to its allies but to its former adversaries, to help them rebuild. We didn't actually have to do this. We did it to make the world better. We did it to foster peace. (They should give us a prize.)
America hasn't just helped the world, it literally lit the world with its inventions, which are the product of its freedoms. The lights under which the Peace Prize judges read, and rejected, the worthy nominations? Why, those lights were invented by an American. The emails the committee members sent to each other, sharing their banal insights on leadership? They came through the Internet. Who invented the Internet? It was a Norwegian bureaucrat with a long face and hair on his nose and little plastic geometric eyeglasses? Oh wait, it was Americans. The members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee are healthy because they have been inoculated against diseases such as polio. Who invented the polio vaccine, an enfeebled old leftist academic in Oslo? Nah, it was a man named Jonas Salk. He was an American.
Europe's elites experience Mr. Obama as a historical accident that needs and deserves their encouragement. Actually he was elected with 69.5 million votes, and you know, they were cast by Americans. Go figure.
Mr. Obama should get the spotlight off himself and put it on the great thing that yielded him up and made him possible. America is misunderstood these days, and he could perform a public service by helping people understand it better.
Love, after all, never harms the world, and as an added practical bonus such a speech would obscurely embarrass the committee, which won't be able to criticize the thoughts of its hero. That would be pleasurable for Americans, and therefore helpful to Mr. Obama.
This might to some degree redeem this wicked and ignorant award, this mischievous honor.

LA CARICIA PERDIDA

Se me va de los dedos la caricia sin causa,

la que por el viento viaja; sin destino ni objeto.....

quien la recogera?

ahora quiero sonar!

con el azul del cielo,

con una mujer divina

que sea de otras tierras y que florezca en sus labios

la palabra perfumada de su nombre

Brillo como un diamante

perdido en la locura

en ningun caso cambiaria

las risas de mi corazon

por las riquezas de las multitudes.

SPINA BIFIDA

What is Spina Bifida?

Spina Bifida occurs within the first month of pregnancy resulting in an incomplete closure of the spinal column. Spina Bifida is the most frequently occurring permanently disabling birth defect affecting approximately one out of every 1,000 newborns in the United States.

What Causes Spina Bifida? The cause of Spina Bifida is not known with certainty, however, scientists believe that genetic and environmental factors may act together to cause Spina Bifida.

Are There Different Types of Spina Bifida? Yes. There are three forms:

Occulta Often called hidden Spina Bifida, the spinal cord and the nerves are usually normal and there is no opening on the back. In this usually harmless form of Spina Bifida, there is a small defect or gap in a few of the small bones (vertebrae) that make up the spine. The underlying neural tube defect is completely covered with skin. Frequently, there are telltale signs on close examination of the back. There may be a defect in the vertebrae of spine bones, or the skin overlying the defect may be dimpled, thickened, pigmented, or hairy. In some cases there may be a soft swelling overlying the spine, composed of fatty tissue (lipoma). Not frequently, the fatty tissue extends into the spinal canal, where it can expand and press on the spinal cord. Although there may be no motor or sensory impairments evident at birth, subtle, progressive neurologic deterioration often becomes evident in later childhood or adulthood.
In many instances, however, Spina Bifida occulta is so mild that there is no disturbance of spinal function at all. The arches of the vertebrae may be incomplete, but the spinal cord itself is normal. Spina Bifida occulta of this sort probably occurs in 3-5 percent of the population and is usually a chance finding that is of no clinical significance. People often don't even know they have it.

Meningocele. The protective coatings (meninges) come through the open part of the spine like a sac that is pushed out. Cerebrospinal fluid is in the sac and there is usually no nerve damage. Individuals may suffer minor disabilities. New problems can develop later in life.

Myelomeningocele. This occurs when the meninges (protective covering of the spinal cord) and spinal nerves come through the open part of the spine. This is the most serious type of Spina Bifida, which causes nerve damage and more severe disabilities. Hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, often occurs in 70 to 90 percent of children with myelomeningocele. This happens when the cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions and protects the brain and spinal cord, is unable to drain normally because of the spinal defect. Fluid collects in and around the brain, causing the head to become enlarged. Without treatment mental retardation may result. Hydrocephalus also occurs in children who do not have Spina Bifida.

How is Spina Bifida Treated? A child with the most severe form of Spina Bifida usually is operated on within 24 hours after birth. Surgery is generally performed to minimize the risk of infection and to preserve existing function in the spinal cord.

Meningocele, which does not involve the spinal cord, can be repaired surgically, usually with no paralysis. Although most children with meningocele develop normally, affected children should be evaluated for hydrocephalus and bladder problems in order that they may be treated properly.

Spina Bifida occulta, in most cases, usually requires no treatment.

Can Anything Be Done to Prevent Spina Bifida? Yes. Recent studies have shown that if all women of childbearing age were to consume400 micrograms (mcg), also written as 0.4 milligrams (mg), of folic acid prior to becoming pregnant and throughout the first trimester of pregnancy, the incidence of Spina Bifida could be reduced by up to 75%.
With half of the pregnancies in the United States unplanned, SBAA encourages women to take a multivitamin containing 400 mcg of folic acid each day throughout their reproductive years. In addition, women at increased risk for Spina Bifida (women who have a child with Spina Bifida, have had an affected pregnancy, or have Spina Bifida themselves) should take 4000 micrograms (mcg), also written as 4.0 milligrams (mg), of folic acid by prescription for 1 to 3 months before becoming pregnant.

What is Folic Acid?

Folic acid, a common water-soluble B vitamin, is essential for the functioning of the human body. During periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy and fetal development, the body's requirement for this vitamin increases.

What Conditions Are Associated With Spina Bifida?

Special attention is needed to identify and treat condition associated with Spina Bifida. Due to the wide range of neurological damage and mobility impairments, it can be difficult to identify some secondary conditions. Attention should be focused on the psychological and social development of children and young adults with Spina Bifida. Conditions associated with Spina Bifida include mobility impairments, bowel and bladder complications, latex allergy, tendonitis, obesity, skin breakdown, gastrointestinal disorders, learning disabilities, depression, and social and sexual issues.

What Physical Limitations Exist?

Persons with Spina Bifida need to learn mobility skills and often, with the use of crutches, braces, or wheelchairs can achieve more independence. Also, with new techniques, children can become independent in managing their bowel and bladder problems. Physical disabilities like Spina Bifida can have profound effects on the child's emotional and social development. It is important that health care professionals, teachers, and parents understand the child's physical capabilities and limitations. To promote personal growth, they should encourage children (within the limits of safety and health) to be independent, to participate in activities with their non-disabled peers and to assume responsibility for their own care.
Can Spina Bifida Be Detected Before Birth? Yes. There are three prenatal tests that can be done to detect Spina Bifida.
First, most women in the United States have blood drawn during the 16-18 th weeks of pregnancy to check for blood levels of a protein called alpha-fetoprotein (AFP screening test), which is elevated in about 75-80% of women having fetuses with Spina Bifida.
Second, ultrasound (sonograms) of the fetus can detect signs of Spina Bifida such as the open spine.

Finally, maternal amniocentesis, in which a small sample of the amniotic fluid is withdrawn through a thin needle, can detect alpha-fetoprotein or another protein. Unfortunately, there are limitations on any test, and these tests do not identify a child with Spina Bifida in every single case.What is the Long-Term Outlook for Children With Spina Bifida?Fortunately, with the proper medical care, children with Spina Bifida can lead active and productive lives. Most are successful in school and many are actively involved in modified sports activities despite their physical challenges. Due to medical and surgical interventions over the last 40 years, approximately 90% of babies born with Spina Bifida survive into adulthood, approximately 80% have normal IQ scores, and approximately 75% are in competitive sports and recreational activities.