If you’re in the market for a pet, please adopt from a local shelter

The Southern family with Ginny.

Not to be cliché, but this is puppy love.

Last Friday we added a new member to our family. After much debate, we finally decided to name her Ginny. She is a golden retriever puppy estimated to be about five or six months old.

We found Ginny at the Fort Bend County Animal Shelter. My wife, Sandy, saw a post on social media that said the shelter was overcrowded and they were waiving adoption fees. A quick check of dogs up for adoption showed that a golden retriever puppy had just arrived from Needville. The listing was so new they didn’t even have a picture up yet. Sandy called and placed a hold. We were first on a very long list for her.

That evening I stopped by on my way home to check her out. She was shy but snuggled right up to me. I was immediately smitten. Because she had just been picked up, we had to wait three days before she became adoptable. Those days seemed to pass very slowly. On the second day of our wait I paid a visit with the rest of the family and even brought along Bella, our little chaweiner dog (half Chihuahua and half dachshund). The two dogs were indifferent to each other, so we took that as a good sign.

Finally on Friday at 12:30 p.m. the waiting period ended. I took a long lunch break, picked Ginny up, and took her home. Our two cats have remained aloof and Bella is still trying to assert dominance, but other than that, she’s been a great fit. We have a large, fenced yard and Ginny loves to run outside.

While the process of adopting Ginny was simple and we were able to cherry-pick a premier breed, I still can’t help but think of all the other dogs and cats that are still at the shelter awaiting their forever home. I thank God that Fort Bend County and local cities have the animal shelters that we do and am forever grateful to the staffs and volunteers who make them work. They’re a huge improvement over life as a stray on the streets, but it’s still not a healthy place for a pet to be.

Walking through the kennels was heartbreaking. Seeing all the dogs begging and pleading for love and attention and hearing their barks and whines made me want to take all of them home. I can’t imagine how hard it is for the staff and volunteers who are around the dogs and cats all day, watching some of the less desirable ones get passed over time and again while people like me skip over them for the popular ones – the ones that rarely come in and are quickly adopted when they do.

We couldn’t help it. We used to have a golden retriever named Shelby. She passed away four years ago. We’ve wanted another ever since. Ginny represented our golden opportunity.

We take great pride in having rescued two dogs and two cats. They are all loving and contented members of our family. Our lives are richer for having them with us and vice versa.

Unfortunately there are too many people out there who do not take pet ownership seriously or responsibly. Someone dumped or abandoned each of our four pets along with the hundreds of dogs, cats and other pets crowding the shelters across Fort Bend County. It takes a very cruel and cold-hearted person to abandon a family pet. I shudder to think that there are people like that living among us in our own neighborhoods. They are and it’s despicable.

To be sure there are a lot of pets that wind up in shelters because they have been unintentionally separated from their owners. More often than not, however, the animals that do arrive have been abandoned and many show signs of abuse.

That makes me all the more thankful that there are people who dedicate their careers and their free time to helping stray pets get off the streets and into good homes. It takes a special person with a heart of gold to do what they do and my hat is off to them.

Although pet ownership isn’t for everyone, those that are so inclined are strongly urged to rescue a shelter animal versus buying one from a breeder. A shelter pet will be spayed or neutered, checked by a vet, microchipped, and given all its shots. It’s those things that most adoption fees cover.

If you’re not an animal person, by all means do not consider adopting. If you do adopt from a shelter and the pet proves to be a bad match for your family, please bring it back; don’t turn it loose. If you want and are able to care for a pet but don’t want to adopt, please consider fostering a pet. That helps free space in the shelters, especially this time of year. Shelters can also use donations of pet food, kitty litter, blankets, and other pet supplies. Of course, there is also a need for volunteers to help clean kennels, walk dogs, and perform other simple tasks. These are all great ways you can help your community and animals in need.

To learn more about pet adoptions, volunteering, shelter locations, and more, visit www.fortbendpetsalive.org. You’ll be glad you did and so will your future companion.

Exhumations reveal dark chapter in Sugar Land’s past

Exhuming the graves at the historic cemetery discovered at the construction site of the Fort Bend ISD’s James Reese Career and Technical Center has unearthed a dark side of Sugar Land’s history.

Although it is no secret that much of Sugar Land and most of early Texas was built upon the backs of black slaves, little is known or acknowledged about the continued use of slave labor following the Civil War. These skeletons in Sugar Land’s closet are crying out with ghost stories of their own.

Edward H. Cunningham and Littleberry Ellis formed a partnership that led to the creation of the Imperial Sugar Company. They built their empire by buying up local plantations from owners who could no longer make a go of it after the end of the war and slavery in 1865. Although the war was over, slavery was not – at least not for the owners of Imperial Sugar.

From 1878 to 1910 they utilized the state-sanctioned use of leased convict labor to work their sugarcane crops and do much of the hard labor involved in bringing sugar to market. Almost all of the convicts were black and former slaves. Many of them were incarcerated for minor offenses and trumped up charges.

The leased convict system was designed as a way to keep slavery going long after it had been made illegal. The convicts got little or nothing (usually the latter) for their work while the state pocketed a tidy sum from their efforts. The plantation owners got cheap labor and higher profits.

In 1910 the state put an end to the dubious practice, but by then the damage had been done. There are 95 bodies testifying to the crimes committed against them in the cemetery. As of July 16, the day the school district invited the media to see and learn about the exhumations, the experts had removed 48 of the bodies. Of those that had been analyzed, all were black, one was female, and they ranged in age from 14 to approximately 70 years. All showed signs of extreme stress and hard labor.

Among the artifacts found that were not related to the individual burials but were related to the time period were chains, the heads of hoes, and other tools. That means children worked alongside the elderly, bound by chains as they performed ungodly tasks in the relentless Texas heat and humidity.

They didn’t have such modern conveniences as insect repellant or sunscreen. Despite the hard labor and long hours, no one provided for them or their families.

The state and the sugar company benefitted greatly from this atrocity. The laborers in this particular case only received an early death and burial in an unmarked pauper’s grave. Had it not been for the accidental discovery of bones while a water line was being trenched to service the new building, these individuals would remain undiscovered, paved over and forgotten for all time.

There is one person who hadn’t forgotten. Reginald Moore has been studying Sugar Land’s prison history and had a pretty good idea there was an unmarked cemetery at the site. At first no one took him seriously. They do now. Because of his persistence, the school district did keep an archeologist on site during construction.

Once the foundation was set and no human remains found, the archeologist left and was about to file a report when the discovery was made. The graves are not under the building nor the parking lot, so most of the construction could continue once the perimeter of the cemetery had been determined.

One of the things I’ve learned and appreciated about the Texas Historical Commission over the years is its commitment to honoring the slave population. I was working in Hempstead when Bernardo Plantation was discovered. The archeologists there were just as determined to discover and document the artifacts of the slave quarters there as they were the plantation house.

Later, when I was working in Sealy, I did a lot of reporting on the archeology being done at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. There, too, an extra effort was being made to document artifacts associated with slaves. Now here in Sugar Land, this entire project is focused on slaves. The artifacts and evidence are painting a new picture in this dark chapter of Texas history.

This presents a great opportunity to right some wrongs and play long overdue tribute and honor to these men, women, and children who contributed so very much to the success of the state and this city. We will re-write the history books with the things we are now learning. We can never repay the debt owed them but we can now pay them tribute, dignity, and honor.
By literally digging up the past we have a chance to forge a new future enlightened by the stories these bones have to tell us. This is a chance to better understand our past and our prejudices, and to work for a future together where everyone’s contributions are acknowledged and appreciated and none are forced. This is an opportunity to come together, heal generational wounds, and to move forward in a unified future. This part of our past is hideously ugly and brutal. Our future is what we make of it. Let’s make it a good one.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired? Get a bioenergetic scan

Sometimes I use words like “life-changing” and “paradigm shift” a little to loosely.

I don’t think I can emphasize them enough when talking about Dr. Ferryl McClain, a bioenergetic pharmacist I interviewed a couple weeks ago for a story. Going into the interview I had only a vague idea of what she did. To be honest, it sounded like some far out, new age, Asian mystic hoodoo to me. Energy waves? Acupressure points? Yeah, whatever.

As Dr. McClain started explaining it to me, I began to grasp the concept. Then she demonstrated her BioScan machine on me. The results were stunning; they freaked me out! Without knowing anything about me or my medical conditions, she accurately detected every single problem I was having and even found some I didn’t know about.

To do the scan, she attached a small device to my shirt so it touched my chest. She then wet a paper towel, wrapped it around a brass rod, which I held in my hand. Taking out a small probe, she touched it to different points on each of my fingers and toes. That was it. The computer did the rest of the work.

Looking at the results, she said I had a skin infection. That was true, I was fighting a rash after apparently coming into contact with poison ivy or something. Next she said I had an infection in my lungs and ears. It turns out I was battling a nasty cold. I knew she could have picked those things up just visiting with me since I have a cough and there were remnants of the rash still showing on my arms.

What she could not have seen are my struggles with sleep and depression. The BioScan found them. What was really the life-changing moment was when she discovered the cause. For the last 13 years I’ve been going to psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, and my doctor for my depression. I’ve been on numerous anti-depressants over the years. My head has been examined ad nauseam. My brain, she discovered, is not the problem. She said my depression is physiological, not psychological. Apparently my adrenal glands are in critical condition.

She also knew I have a problem with sleep. I’m always tired, no matter how much rest I get. I have no problem getting to sleep or staying asleep (other than environmental noises that wake me). My brain just doesn’t complete its cycle at night. I’ve known that for years but never knew why.

Now I know.

After further testing she discovered I’m highly sensitive to electromagnetic frequencies (also called EMF, electromagnetic radiation, Tesla waves, and Scalar waves). These are naturally occurring energy waves that radiate from everything, but are intensified in electronic devices such as microwave ovens, cell phones, computers, etc. They have a crippling affect on my adrenal glands. So does my abuse of caffeine, but I’ll address that shortly.

As we talked, I quickly made the connection of the timing of my sleep problem with the advent of microwaves and personal computers and my family getting our first one of each. My battle with depression began after a series of highly negative stressful events in my life. They also happened to coincide with me getting my first cell phone. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought to make those connections.

Compounding this problem is my addiction to caffeine. In order to help me stay awake, I started drinking huge volumes of coffee and colas. For decades I was consuming the equivalent of a pot of coffee a day plus several soft drinks. That overdose, coupled with the EMF, has wreaked havoc on my adrenal glands and kidneys. The adrenal glands, by the way, sit on top of the kidneys like little caps. With an imbalance of adrenaline and other hormones in my body, my brain cannot properly complete the sleep cycle and perform other necessary functions.

I had already given up sodas last fall after doing a story on Dr. Kota Reddy, who tested me with his Fibroscan machine and found my liver in poor condition. He recommended I cut sugar and starches from my diet. I’m still working on that, but cutting sodas was a good place to begin.

Coffee is a little harder to quit. I’ve weaned myself down to two cups a day and hope to be down to one by the time this goes to press. I plan to be caffeine-free by the end of the month.

As for the EMF, Dr. McClain’s BioScan recommended EMF blockers, which I just purchased. One is a patch that you put on your electronics and the other is a stone you wear like a pendant. They have naturally occurring properties that form a field around you and/or the electronic device that neutralizes the radiation. I am very anxious to see how well they work. Results will take time. In the meantime, I’ve visited with my doctor and also have appointments scheduled with an allergist and an endocrinologist.

There were other issues that Dr. McClain found that can be corrected with proper diet and exercise. Honestly, those are going to be the hardest parts for me to do. It’s going to mean saying goodbye to hamburgers, pizza, and ice cream and hello to veggies and salads.

The bottom line to all of this is that I would still be suffering from these maladies and being misdiagnosed if it were not for Dr. McClain. I am now a firm believer in bioenergetics. I now have hope for a future where I am not tired all the time and I can once again feel positive emotions and energy. That is a life-changing paradigm shift if I’ve ever experienced one.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact McClain at www.bioeworks.com, bioenergeticworks.as.me, call 832-628-6894, or visit her at Haeckerville Pharmacy, 9402 Highway 6, Suite 400, Missouri City.

Twin brother with Down syndrome is Giansanti’s ‘biggest hero, biggest supporter’

 The theme for the Sugar Land Skeeters this season is “More than Baseball.”

That was never more evident than it was during the week of June 11-17. Outfielder Anthony Giansanti had his brother visiting for the week and the team went out of its way to make him feel at home. Matthew “Mattie” Giansanti is Anthony’s twin. Mattie was born with Down syndrome.

“He’s actually 10 minutes older than me,” Anthony said.

On Sept. 28 the brothers will turn 30.

While Mattie was here, he got to be a part of the team.

“The Skeeters hooked him up with his own custom jersey and 2016 championship ring,” Anthony wrote on Facebook.

He got to hang out in the clubhouse and dugout. He got to throw out the first pitch and do a number of things the average baseball fan only dreams about.

“Thank you to all my teammates, the fans and the entire Skeeters organization for treating him so well and making him feel like a major leaguer for an entire week. I am forever grateful,” Anthony wrote.

The visit to Sugar Land was Mattie’s second time to visit his brother in Texas.

“I love watching Anthony play,” Mattie said.

Mattie thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It was very, very amazing,” he said.

For Anthony, it meant the world to have his brother with him.

“It’s very humbling; it keeps things in perspective for me,” he said in an interview. “You lose sight of why you do things and the whole grand scheme of things, why you’re out here doing the things you love. He brings me back into that humble position where I’m grateful for being able to do things like this, and to have him out here with a smile on his face just enjoying the simple things in life and it allows me to kinda be able to do the same thing.”

The brothers were born in Connecticut. Mattie and their mother now live in Pennsylvania. Anthony is in his second season with the Skeeters and his third in the Atlantic League. He was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 49th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft out of Sienna College but did not play for the A’s. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs in June 2010 and spent seven seasons in the organization, reaching as high as the Triple-A level.

While with the Cubs in Iowa, Anthony developed a crush on Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Ronda Rousey and famously left tickets for her at each game. Today he is a little more focused on the job, family, and things that are important in life.

In a Facebook post, Anthony called Mattie, “my biggest hero and my biggest supporter.”

Watching the two of them together at Constellation Field was heartwarming. Mattie exuded happiness and love and it touched each person he interacted with. The other players treated him like royalty, like one of the guys. You could see the excitement in Mattie’s face.

I don’t know what their childhood was like, but I imagine is must have been frustrating at times for Mattie to see his brother excel in a sport and reach the professional level, knowing he could never do those things. I also imagine that Mattie was incredibly proud and happy for Anthony because he was good enough to do all those things. I do know that I was very, very envious of the love they share.

I have two younger brothers and I’m not close to either of them. I want to be. It’s hard when you’re more than 1,000 miles apart and have different interests and very different lives. I spent much of my childhood trying to avoid being stuck with my siblings and wanting to hang out with the older, cooler kids. As an adult I’m paying the price for that and it’s one of my deepest regrets.

That doesn’t seem to be the case with the Giansantis. You can see and feel the love and respect they have for each other.

I asked Mattie what he does for a living. He said, “I just finished my college writing. I will get a real job soon.”

If the whole baseball experience wasn’t exciting enough, Mattie got to be there when the Skeeters took a walk-off win against the Road Warriors. Anthony scored the winning run. Seeing the two of them celebrating after the game was amazing.

“My family’s always been such big supporters of me, especially him, and to have him out here and to see how the Skeeters organization and my teammates have been treating him, I can’t ask for anything better and it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it,” Anthony said. “Some things are just bigger than baseball and this is that thing for me.”
Skeeters baseball. More than baseball. Go Skeeters!

Come cheer the Skeeters in their playoff run this week

It may still be June, but the Sugar Land Skeeters are in the thick of a playoff run and they need our help this week.

For those unfamiliar with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, playoff spots are awarded to the winners of the first and second halves of the season in each division. The first half of the season ends on July 5 and, as of Sunday, the Skeeters were in second place in the Freedom Division, just 1.5 games behind the Lancaster Barnstormers. It just so happens that we are in the middle of a seven-game series with the Barnstormers. The winner of the series is likely to win the first playoff spot and home field advantage in the playoffs.

You may not think a playoff run like this would be a big deal, but consider this: Major League teams have purchased the contracts of seven Skeeters so far this year with an eighth going to an international team. That number is high for an entire season and we’re still in the first half! By contrast, the Barnstormers have lost only a single player to the Big Leagues. That’s a real testament to the level of play under first-year manager Pete Incaviglia, who has kept his promise of providing exciting, hard-driving, old school baseball.

Having talked with many Skeeters players over the years, I can tell you that there is a distinct home field advantage here. The players feed off the enthusiasm of the crowd. We need everyone we can get to Constellation Field this week to cheer on our Skeeters. That means you, too!

If fun, exciting playoff baseball isn’t enough motivation to come to the ballpark this week and weekend, consider these promotions. Kids get in free on Wednesday. There are $2 beers and sodas for Thirsty Thursday, Friday features a post-game concert by the Spazmatics as well as a salute to women veterans.

Saturday is Parrothead Night, featuring a very colorful team jersey giveaway and a post-game concert by Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef. Fans can also enjoy a fireworks show after the game. Sunday is Sunday Funday, which includes catch on the field, post-game running the bases and a team autograph session.

The Spazmatics are an incredibly entertaining ’80s cover band. Dressed as nerds, they are as fun to watch as they are to listen to. I’ve seen them several times and have never been let down. These guys are great! As for Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef, I’ve not heard them before, but from what I understand they do a great mix of original music and covers of popular beach music (think Jimmy Buffet, Beach Boys, Eagles, etc.). This is sure to be a really fun evening.

Each game at Constellation Field is filled with fun activities, including the new 50/50 raffle, between-innings games and contests, and all kinds of promotions and special events. Young children are invited to play on the playground or get soaked on the splash pad. Of course you’ll want to catch all the shenanigans of the mascot Swatson, or even take your picture with him. He is, after all, the best mascot in the Atlantic League!

All of this comes at a very affordable price. Grassland seats start at $9 and field box seats are just $15. That’s much less than you’ll spend to park at an Astros game, let alone buy a ticket.

All-star ballot

Another thing you can do to support the Skeeters is to vote for your favorite players on the Atlantic League All-Star Ballot (www.atlanticleague.com/allstarvoting). Voting ends June 30, so get online and vote early and often for your Skeeters!

Free tickets

Here’s a deal for you, my faithful readers. The first person that finds me at Constellation Field during this home stand against the Lancaster Barnstormers and tells me they came to the game because they read this column, I will give them vouchers for two free tickets!

Celebrate 40 years with the Star

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the Fort Bend Star. We’re holding a party and you’re invited! Mark your calendar for Saturday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and plan to be at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land. This will be a family-friendly event and children are very welcome to attend.

This is going to be fun! There will be free admission to the museum for the first 200 guests and discounted admission after that. There will be vendor booths, food trucks, bounce houses, gifts, and more. So far we have food trucks lined up from Il Primo Pizza, That’s My Dog (gourmet hot dogs), and That’s Ice (shaved Italian ice).

At this time we are still taking applications for vendor booths, but don’t wait, space is going quickly! Contact our advertising department at 281-690-4200 for more information. The event is still in the planning stages, so be sure to read the Fort Bend Star for more details as the day draws closer.

Best of Bev’s Burner

I never had the pleasure of meeting Bev Carter, the founder and first publisher of the Fort Bend Star. She passed away in 2013, leaving behind quite a legacy. I want to explore that legacy as we prepare for our 40^th anniversary edition. She used to have a wildly popular column called Bev’s Burner. I’d like to highlight some of those columns and I’m asking our longtime readers to email me at jsouthern@fortbendstar.com with notable columns or topics that stand out for a particular reason. Please put “Bev’s Burner” in the subject line.