Pushing the wrong button

A group of behavioral scientists carefully gathered two sets of pigeons and put them in separate cages. Each cage was equipped with one green button and one red button. In one of the cages if the birds pecked the green button they received a generous portion of food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to receive their share of food. In both cases; pecking the red button did absolutely nothing. Surprisingly both sets of birds found out what worked and what didn’t! In both cases they thrived; both sets of pigeons were smart enough to learn very quickly to avoid the red button that produced absolutely nothing.

Now I already know what you are going to ask me. You are thinking, “Dr. J what has this have to do with us or anything spiritual?” It has a lot to do with us and those that we come in contact with every day as we travel the pathway of life. Why aren’t we or the people we observe as smart as those pigeons? What do I mean by that last statement? Why can’t we or those that we see every day of our lives able to avoid the red button issues in their life? Why are people still smoking when they know that it causes cancer? Smoking is a red button issue and yet I see young and old who refuse to heed the warnings. It blows my mind! Years down the road they will regret every cigarette that they have ever smoked. But do you know what? It will be too late. Therefore they continue to hit “the red button” while all the while knowing that sooner or later the “repo man” will arrive!

What about the red button of drugs and those in our community and around the world who are addicted to them? How many public service announcements have been aired over the years and yet the drug addicted keep “hitting the red button” hoping for a different outcome. How many times has the rescue squad been called to the scene of a drug overdose only to give the person a shot to bring them back around only to give them another opportunity to do it again and again!

Too many of us have other issues in our lives that we know that are harmful spiritually and yet we invest our lives in empty, meaningless or even harmful activities. We have a way of continually hitting red buttons that always result in a negative outcome.

Listen, Christians are not exempt! We as children of the King of kings need to eliminate our own red button issues. We need to learn through experience and hard work to accept personal responsibility for every area of our life. True, we were not responsible for our upbringing and early training, but as adults we are totally responsible for our recovery, our actions, and our well-being! We cannot fault find by blaming others. That is the plague that is engulfing our society; no one wants to take responsibility for their actions! It is time to take personal responsibility! Quit playing Adam and Eve blaming everyone except the one who is to blame and take a personal stand for integrity and righteousness.

Please understand that we need to remind ourselves that we are not only responsible for ourselves and what we do, but we are also responsible before God. Never forget that life is short and one day we will meet the Creator face to face. Remember we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. So with that in mind; start hitting “the green button” taking personal responsibility while making a difference in our community and the Church of Jesus Christ!

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)

Pigeon buffs vaccinate birds ahead of racing season

BEIJING: Guarding against avian flu, which has forced a mass cull of birds in China, pigeon fancier Wang Jincang paid out nearly US$400 (RM1,760) to get his 200 racing pigeons vaccinated and fortified for the onset of the spring racing season.

“I normally choose imported medicine, which is several times more expensive than some local brands,” Wang said as he lined up to enter birds for contests that begin this month.

The cost of vaccination is small change compared with how much pigeon enthusiasts pay to buy prized breeds.

An egg can cost a few hundred dollars, while the price for a full-grown bird with a coveted bloodline can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 2013, a Chinese businessman paid €310,000 (RM1.48mil) for a Belgian-bred ra­­cing pigeon, whereas local birds can be bought for less than US$100 (RM440).

Wang does not want to say how much he has invested in his birds, though he spends almost US$1,500 (RM6,600) a month looking after their health, and describes his pastime as wagering time and money.

“Pigeon racing is essentially gambling. We are betting our time and fortune on the birds, similar to horse-betting,” Wang said.

Any form of gambling is banned in China, but pigeon races, which are flown over hundreds of kilometres, fall under the grey category of social sports.

Prize money has been rising. A club in Beijing is set to award 70 million yuan (RM44mil) in total prize money at its autumn championship. — Reuters

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)

Egypt’s pigeons soar above wooden towers, away from the dinner plate

CAIRO, March 18 — Pigeons are a delicacy in Egypt, traditionally served roasted and stuffed with fragrant rice. But for Cairo’s pigeon fanciers, their prized birds are nobody’s next meal.

Pigeon lofts, towering structures made of wood, balance atop hundreds of buildings in poorer neighbourhoods across the city. They house thousands of highly trained birds that would have otherwise found a home at a butcher’s.

Different breeds, whose speed, colouring and markings vary, can cost thousands of pounds per bird, and in Cairo the market for them is highly competitive.

“We enjoy it, we can stay up there from seven in the morning until midnight, just doing what we love,” Sayed Mohamed, a pigeon fancier, told Reuters.

Mohamed’s loft is four stories high and overlooks a 15th-century complex built by Mameluk Sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbey, a Unesco World Heritage Site. In the afternoon, he releases his pigeons — first his most prized birds, later the entire flock.

The birds understand a complex series of whistles and gestures that signal for them to fly higher or to come home. They fly far and wide, usually making their way back to the loft by nightfall. They often return with other pigeons.

“You can think of it like a shared language. They’re used to certain patterns, so if they land at another loft and notice something unfamiliar, they know it’s not home,” Mohamed said.

In the evening, Mohamed and other fanciers gather around local coffee shops to brag about stealing one other’s birds, each taking pride in the day’s catch.

Mohamed first picked up the hobby in his childhood, going with his uncle to the family pigeon loft and feeding the birds.

“I started doing this out of love … but I later learned that you also have to use it to make profit, you can’t just keep buying more pigeons,” Mohamed told Reuters.

Fanciers carefully breed their birds and often sell young pigeons to traders on a lucrative market.

“When [my brother and I] moved out, we got jobs and we bought houses and the first thing we did, even before getting married, was that we built our loft,” he said. “It makes us feel alive.” — Reuters

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)

Bar fined thousands over dead pigeons and bird droppings

A Nottinghamshire bar has been taken to court after failing to clean up a yard found full of dead birds and droppings.

Mansfield business Pacha Lounge Ltd – which claims to provide “a warm, atmospheric destination for the discerning patron” offering cocktails and sharing platters – has been ordered to pay more than £6,000 for a health and safety offence.

At Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on March 2, the company admitted failing to comply with a council order to clean up its side yard served under the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974.

It was fined £5,000 by the court on March 8 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 plus costs of £1,062. The magistrates also ordered Pacha Lounge Ltd to complete the work required by the Improvement Notice by April 6.

Mansfield District Council took legal action after the company failed to comply with an order requiring the Market Place business to clean its side yard and remove both live and dead pigeons in order to reduce the risk of infection to employees and anyone else who entered the yard.

The court was told council environmental health officers visited Pacha Lounge after receiving a complaint and found damaged bird proofing at the side of the premises, dead pigeons on the yard floor and large amounts of droppings on the floor as well as on items stored there.

Xhetan Bushi, a director of the company, was advised work was required to improve the yard but this was not carried out within a reasonable time so the council then issued an Improvement Notice – but after the company failed to act the council prosecuted.

Portfolio holder for public protection Councillor Mick Barton, speaking after the case, said: “Companies do have a responsibility for health and safety, and the council will act, where necessary, to ensure that companies meet that obligation.”

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)

Pakistan Day Parade: Islamabad declared no fly-zone for drones, kites, pet pigeons

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has been declared a no-fly zone for kites, drone cameras, and pet pigeons as part of security measures for Pakistan Day parade on March 23.

The Islamabad police under the direction of top security forces of the country will be ensuring that the no-fly ban remains intact during the event being held at a time when anti-terror operations are going on across the country.

Over 2,500 personnel of Islamabad police will perform security duties for the parade.

The Capital Territory Police (CTP) have devised an elaborate security plan for the big day. The operations head of CTP, SSP Sajid Kiani held a briefing of SP (City) Zubair Ahmed Sheikh, SP (Rural) Syed Tanveer Mustafa, all SDPOs and SHOs and explained the security detail.

The SSP directed for effective checking and high alert security at all routes leading towards the parade ground.

SSP Kiani has divided the district into four sectors each to be monitored by an officer of SP rank. Similarly, an officer of DSP rank will be deputed in each sub-sector.

Joint pickets have been erected at various points while squads of Eagle, Falcon, Charlie, Rapid Response Force and mobiles are to keep a check on suspicious vehicles and people. Policemen will be deployed at roof tops while Reserve Force will remain on alert to tackle any untoward situation.

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)