Rex, Black Lab Puppy shot by Hoopa Tribal Police

Exit wound on face

Rex's story is getting out there. People are learning the truth. I thank all of you for what you have done and will be doing. Here are some more photos of Rex.

I will keep you posted on Rex's story.

Bullet wound

Exit wound

Black Lab Puppy Escapes from Torture by Hoopa Tribal Police Dispatcher on September 11!

 I write a monthly church article for the St. Alban's Newsletter "Tidings." This is the article for October. I have to share this story here too, because what happened is so cruel and unjust.  People need to know what is really going on, and that this abuse doesn't stop with just the animals.

The Other Side of the Mountain

by Heather Hobson Lewis

            I had a church article all written for this month, but an incident occurred this week that demands attention and has absorbed my thoughts and heart. This article shall run longer then my others and may disturb some.

            Most of you know I teach on the Hoopa Valley Indian reservation. The reservation has its own set of laws and is not under the jurisdiction of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.  The reservation is not bound by most of California’s state laws. They follow their own created Tribal Law that as I have observed tends to favor those in power. That is why state taxes are not charged at reservation gas stations, and that is why we have been told by the Sheriff’s Office can’t assist in the following case.

            On the Hoopa reservation live many stray dogs.  Dogs there are rarely fixed and allowed to roam.  Other dogs are dumped along the river when owners from the city decide they no longer want them. This adds to the population. Rex is one of these dogs.

            Rex is about one year old and a black lab.  About three weeks ago he started visiting the elementary school. Rex would arrive about the same time as the students and make his rounds.  He greeted everyone with a dog grin and a tail wag. He allowed the kids to play roughly, even kick him, and he never harmed anyone.

facial bullet wound on muzzle

            Then on September 11 that all changed. Someone called the Hoopa Tribal Police. According to the police the caller said the dog had bit someone, but that someone can’t be found, and there is no verification of this happening.  The dispatcher was sent to pick Rex up.  Later Rex returned to the school, his safe place. He had two gun shot wounds through his jaw.  His lower jaw was shattered and most of his lower teeth knocked out.  His tongue had almost been completely severed.  He had a shot near his anus that exited out his side leg.  Bullet graze wounds ran along his back and his legs.

            As a teacher rushed Rex to Sunny Brae Medical Center the story began to unfold. Rex had been taken off by the dispatcher to a wooded area.  There had been shot at with a hand gun in what appears to be a target practice torture session. This is a break away from past practices where dogs that bit someone were to be quarantined for ten days observation.

bullet entry

            How Rex managed to escape we will never know, but he did.

            This is not the first incident of dog torture on the reservation.  Several people have confided to me stories of animal torture by the Tribal Police going back as far as twenty years.

            What makes this even more disturbing is there is an animal rescue group on the reservation only about a mile from the school. They are called the Greater Rural Rescue or GRR. They would have taken Rex.

bullet exit

            I also find it amazing that a tribe that has received a Federal settlement of over $20 million dollars, with $16,000 ear marked for each tribal member, can’t afford $50 to drive a dog 10 miles to Willow Creek to a veterinarian to have a dog euthanized properly.

            I and many others who work and/or live in Hoopa are disturbed by this. I have been left filled with anger, disgust, and rage. I want justice for Rex and for all that have suffered before him.

graze wound from bullet

            At this point, as I know some of you must have felt at some point in your life too, I question if I want to be Christian. I don’t want to forgive this injustice, though I know that is what is expected of me as a Christian.  I don’t want to love “my neighbors as myself” if these are the type of neighbors I have.  All I want is justice and safety for the animals.

            Pray for Rex. Pray for me.  Pray for the Hoopa people. We all need it.

P.S. The doctor was able to reattach Rex’s tongue.  He is now healing in a safe foster home.

How to read barcodes

My husband just sent me a wonderful e-mail that includes the list of which barcode indicates which country. I didn't know the codes were set up that way until now.

The very first digits on the far left indicate the country.

This is perfect when a country of origin isn't listed or only a distributor is listed.

 Happy shopping!

---

 00 – 019 U.S. and Canada
020 – 029 Restricted distribution
030 – 039 U.S. drugs (see U.S. National Drug Code)
040 – 049 Restricted distribution (MO defined)
050 – 059 coupons
060 – 099 U.S. and Canada
100 – 139 U.S.

200 – 299 Restricted distribution
300 – 379 France and Monaco
380 Bulgaria
383 Slovenia
385 Croatia
387 Bosnia and Herzegovina
389 Montenegro
400 – 440 Germany (440 code inherited from old East Germany on reunification, 1990)
450 – 459 Japan
460 – 469 Russia
470 Kyrgyzstan
471 Taiwan
474 Estonia
475 Latvia
476 Azerbaijan
477 Lithuania
478 Uzbekistan
479 Sri Lanka
480 Philippines
481 Belarus
482 Ukraine
484 Moldova
485 Armenia
486 Georgia
487 Kazakhstan
488 Tajikistan
489 Hong Kong SAR
490 – 499 Japan
500 – 509 United Kingdom
520 – 521 Greece
528 Lebanon
529 Cyprus
530 Albania
531 Macedonia
535 Malta
539 Ireland
540 – 549 Belgium and Luxembourg
560 Portugal
569 Iceland
570 – 579 Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland
590 Poland
594 Romania
599 Hungary
600 – 601 South Africa
603 Ghana
604 Senegal
608 Bahrain
609 Mauritius
611 Morocco
613 Algeria
615 Nigeria
616 Kenya
618 Côte d’Ivoire
619 Tunisia
621 Syria
622 Egypt
624 Libya
625 Jordan
626 Iran
627 Kuwait
628 Saudi Arabia
629 United Arab Emirates
640 – 649 Finland690 – 695 China, The People’s Republic700 – 709 Norway
729 Israel
730 – 739 Sweden : EAN/GS1 Sweden
740 Guatemala
741 El Salvador
742 Honduras
743 Nicaragua
744 Costa Rica
745 Panama
746 Dominican Republic
750 Mexico
754 – 755 Canada
759 Venezuela
760 – 769 Switzerland and Liechtenstein
770 – 771 Colombia
773 Uruguay
775 Peru
777 Bolivia
779 Argentina
780 Chile
784 Paraguay
785 Peru
786 Ecuador
789 – 790 Brazil
800 – 839 Italy, San Marino and Vatican City
840 – 849 Spain and Andorra
850 Cuba
858 Slovakia
859 Czech Republic
860 Serbia
865 Mongolia
867 North Korea
868 – 869 Turkey
870 – 879 Netherlands
880 South Korea
884 Cambodia
885 Thailand
888 Singapore
890 India
893 Vietnam
896 Pakistan
899 Indonesia
900 – 919 Austria
930 – 939 Australia
940 – 949 New Zealand
950 GS1 Global Office: Special applications
951 EPCglobal: Special applications
955 Malaysia
958 Macau
960 – 969 GS1 Global Office: GTIN-8 allocations
977 Serial publications (ISSN)
978 – 979 Bookland (ISBN) – 979 formerly used for sheet music
980 Refund receipts
981 – 983 Common Currency Coupons
990 – 999 Coupons

Disneyland tip

Quick Tip:  If you are going to Disneyland in Southern California and go on Star Tours, be aware that there are more than one video scenarios to go through. I discovered this when I went this past week. I went on Star Tours early in the day with my family and enjoyed a hectic ride through Naboo and other places. Then at the end of the day I caught a last ride on Star Tours and this time I was taken through the interior of an asteroid. 

I don't know how to guarantee you catch the different scenarios, but they do exist.

Enjoy.

Reinvention

As I ponder the reinvention of this blog, I have been submitting manuscripts: short stories, novels, and poetry. The later triggered a thought.

Over the years I have written lots of poetry, mostly for person reflection, and most I wouldn't ever bother submitting to a publisher. Yet, it might be fun to share it here. So enjoy the reading.

"Brain Sculpture"
by Heather Hobson


The brain is like a sculpture
in need of careful carving.
Each new experience
is another chiseled line.
Every learned fact,
be it names of planets
or simple math equations,
creates a painstakingly planned detail,
forever engraved upon the sculpture of the mind,
which is only finished
when the sculptor no longer breathes.
The question then remains,
will it be an artistic masterpiece
or the feeble doings of a lunatic?

Contests and Submissions

Another afternoon has been spent researching publishers accepting work and contests. This research is almost a full-time job in itself. I remember when one only had the Writer's Market Guide in hand and that was your guide to the publishing world.

For those interested I have entered a flash fiction story titled "Ancestor Fish" with authorstand.com.  If you sign up, you can read my story and vote on it. This is a new venture for my writing, and I must confess, that "Ancestor Fish" is one of my older stories and I have done nothing with it in more than a decade.  I felt it fair to give it a little fresh air, while at the same time not "risking" my more valuable stories.

Also, this website is free to enter stories and there is a cash prize, so those of you with stories might want to consider it.

I am trying hard in my research to find contests with out fees and paying publishers.  Right now it appears most contests want money and most publishers aren't paying.  At least submitting through the internet means I don't have to pay for stamps and envelopes any more.

P.S. Thank you commenter of my last blog!  I really appreciate some else struggling with blogging too.

Worst Blogger ever and great writing website

I think I'm coming close to being the worst blogger ever. Besides only remembering to blog every three months or so, I don't think I'm blogging about anything terribly interesting, especially since I don't have a fan base yet.

Thus, I'm considering how to reinvent this blog.

Meanwhile, anyone who does stumble on to this page might want to check out www.duotrope.com. This is a free website with great listings of places that are currently accepting submissions in all genres, including fiction, children's, nonfiction, and poetry.  I've started submitting a few manuscripts to the publishers they have listed.  I will let you know what happens.