It's that time again! Time to meet the people who will be in Pittsburgh
for the 2008 Symposium. We begin with an interesting man many of you
know little about. So, sit back and relax while you can because after
you meet David Gaines, who won't have time for relaxation!
Many years ago I found myself on the winning end of an auction, and was
presented with an autographed photo and a CD. However, I had absolutely
no idea as to the identity of the artist! Imagine my surprise as I
learned more about ferrets and realized that this man, David Gaines,
was a ferret warrior.
As happens so commonly in the ferret community, David met his first
ferret when a former girlfriend brought home a ferret as a surprise
birthday gift. The year was 1999 and the ferret was an albino they
named Humphrey. A couple of weeks later, Humphrey was joined by a
standard sable, Calvin. Being the responsible ferret owner "I decided
to learn everything I could about ferrets and that led to a desire to
spend my time & energy helping ferrets who needed help, as well as the
ferret community in general, rather than just enjoy them as house
pets."
And help he has! Director of Legal & Legislative Affairs for the
American Ferret Association and also, at the local level, focus on
doing trainings for municipal and county animal shelters in the
Washington, D.C. region on proper ferret husbandry in a shelter
environment.
David's most memorable ferret experience is bittersweet. Working as a
volunteer at the local municipal shelter, he was finishing a volunteer
shift when "eight emaciated ferrets ... were brought (in)." This
"became an abuse case with the police getting involved," but "all of
the eight ferrets mentioned above were rehabilitated and adopted."
David took "the worst of them home with me and rehabilitat(ed) him,
only to lose him a couple of months later to a coccidia invasion at
the local ferret shelter."
For fun, David spends time "Do(ing) interviews with journalists about
ferret legalization issues." Or you might find him perusing either
"Crashing The Party" by Ralph Nader or "So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll
Star" by Jacob Slichter. These "are two books that I've read several
times and enjoy for very different reasons." His music is eclectic,
though. David says, "I'm a composer and prefer contemporary classical
music, progressive rock music, and a variety of what might be called
soft rock or classic rock & pop, as well as a lot of music from Brazil,
Afghanistan, Iran, Bulgaria, Ireland, and other places." And, "playing
with ferrets is pretty relaxing."
Apparently, they are also a professional inspiration. David explains.
"I'm a composer and I publish my music under the name Verda Stelo
Music. ... one of my recent compositions, a short piece from 2005 for
euphonium and piano called "Jubilee," was inspired by that crazy dance
ferrets do. I would be interested to hear from ferret people if
listening to it reminds them of their own ferrets playing and jumping
around." A demo version can be found inside the jukebox on David's
MySpace page (www.myspace.com/davidgainesmusic).
While ferrets may seem to have never-ending energy and provide
inspiration, there are other influences in his life. Given the
opportunity to spend 24 hours with anyone, David was able to narrow it
down to two men. It would be "either the Dalai Lama, whom I admire, or
Norman Thomas, a mid-20th century American political figure, whom I
also admire."
Ah, heroes! David hedged a bit, but not because the answer is no. Quite
the opposite, in fact! David stated that he has "an endless list.......
I'm a fairly radical person and radicals always have lots of heroes.
LOL I admire profound displays of moral or personal courage under
the most devastating circumstances and people who spend their lives
demonstrating that are heroes and heroines of mine. The Dalai Lama and
Norman Thomas are two examples."
Another person of importance in David's life is also one of his most
memorable non-ferret memories. While it could be one of numerous
experiences, proposing to his fiancee, Alaina, is at the top. By the
time we see him again, David will have enlarged his family to include
her and, hopefully, more ferrets. David has also shared his life with
several other furry friends, most recently Wooly, an albino dwarf
hamster who "passed away quietly but unexpectedly in his sleep while
we were in Europe last month for a recording session."
David would like to be remembered as someone who "did his best to
dispel ignorance and educate people, because fighting ignorance is
the great work of human beings on earth." Someone as versatile and
talented as David will surely be remembered in numerous ways.
Join us at the Pittsburgh Symposium to meet David and make your own
memories. You will be inspired and educated as to how to make a
difference in the political arena. And, perhaps he will play his
ferret-inspired composition for us. Anybody out there play the
euphonium?
To learn more about this multi-faceted man, check out his professional
website at:
http://www. davidgaines.org
and his personal sites at
http://www.myspace.com/davidgainesmusic
and
http://www.animalattraction.com/ferretdude
--
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
[log in to unmask]
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
[Posted in FML 6003]
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