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My favorite comic strip is called “Pearls before Swine.” I read it in my local newspaper every day. It’s wisdom shared by animal characters.
One asks: “I’m trying to decide who I should vote for to become the leader of the free world.” Another answers: “You have two choices. Only two.” The response? “Where has all the democracy gone?”
So we live in an open society made up of over 340 million people, with extremely bright and knowledgeable people in any number professions, and we’re stuck with two choices. One is a foul mouthed narcissus who calls fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers” and who is labeled a fascist by a number of his former employees. The other is a lady who smiles and laughs continually, but who is unable to articulate what she’s done for the country in the past four years, and what her plans are for the nation’s future.
There should be no way former president Donald Trump wins this election. He is, for all practical purposes, a schoolyard bully. He is enmeshed in a large number of civil and criminal lawsuits with some 90 indictments against him. If he wins, he has vowed to come after his opponents, the press and virtually anyone who disagrees with him. Prosecution and imprisonment for those who have opposed him. And yet, half the voters in the nation support his agenda and have no problem with his rhetoric. Andrew Jackson, who saved Louisiana at the Battle of New Orleans, once said: “I was born for the storm, for the calm did not suit me.” He could not have given a better description of Donald Trump. In fact, Trump is the storm. So for diehard Trump devotees, are Trump’s attacks a reflection of their own feelings, or are they simply picking the lesser of the two evils?
My sense of the race is that a majority of Republicans are moderate conservatives who believe in free trade, smaller government, only legal immigration, and are pro-Ukraine, pro Israel with a few reservations. More traditional old schoolers. They liked and were comfortable with George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Reagan style Republicans. Yes there are many die hard Trump Mega supporters, but to all those more conventional Republicans, Trump is all they’ve got.
There should also be no way Vice president Kamala Harris can win this election. Yes, she certainly is a stronger candidate than Joe Biden, but that’s a pretty low bar. And she is stuck with Biden’s record to defend. But the main criticism of Harris is that she has no vision, expresses no core convictions, and she offers little clarity about her political identity. She was given the job of coming up with an immigration plan that made sense and could not step up to the challenge. Harris’ message seems to be that Trump is really, really bad and that “you need to vote for anybody but Donald Trump. And I’m anybody.” Voters deserve a better missive.
So who’s going to win? Las Vegas betting odds are heavily in favor of Trump winning. And these odds-makers are pretty good at picking football winners. But political races? Not much history here. The Vantage polling group, headed up by Jim Kitchens, favors Harris. Kitchens polled for me in three different Louisiana elections, and was always right on the money. So take your pick. Reliable oddsmakers or a highly accurate pollster.
Several takeaways here. First of all, American presidential elections are way too long. Voters are exhausted. Congress needs to change the parameters so elections take place over a much shorter period. And finally, we can only hope that whoever wins next week, the rest of the world needs to know that America is still a nation of decency, compassion, morality and humanity.
If this can happen, then it’s a bit of a victory for everyone, regardless of who you vote for.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

Halloween is a fun celebration for many, but the holiday can become a little too scary for pets if precautions aren’t taken.
Dr. Erin Ray, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, shares some cautionary advice to help pet owners best celebrate the spooky season with their furry friends.
Haunting howls
Halloween enthusiasts wandering into haunted houses, cemeteries, and horror movie theaters may crave the adrenaline rush that the season offers, but the loving pets by their sides don’t always agree with their owners’ affinity for the frightening.
“Pets can exhibit signs of fear in new, crowded, or loud situations, which would include places like haunted houses, hay mazes, and even loud movies in their normal home,” Ray said. “They can often mirror their owner’s emotions, too, so if an owner is scared, nervous, or anxious, the pet can show similar signs.”
Ways that pets exhibit fear and anxiety can include: 
--Ears back and tail tucked
--Dilated pupils
--Hiding or cowering
--Trying to run away
--Hair on backor tail erect
Dogs may also show fear by barking or biting, while cats may hiss or swat.
For pets that do not share their owners’ enthusiasm for this spooky season, it is important for owners to stay cognizant of any signs of discomfort. By simply turning off that horror movie marathon or leaving pets at home during spooky outings, you can help ease your furry friend’s fright.
Tricking treats
Because Halloween is often celebrated with an excess of candies and other sweet treats, owners have the responsibility to be exceedingly particular about what treats their animals can indulge in.
“It is vital to be careful with any candy and food that could be potentially toxic for your pet to ingest throughout this holiday season,” Ray said.
The ingredients most commonly known to be harmful for pets include:
--Chocolate
--Onion
--Garlic
--Xylitol (an artificial sweetener)
--Any fatty or rich food
“Pet treats are a fun thing to give them as long as they aren’t too rich, don’t contain toxic ingredients, can’t pose a choking hazard, or aren’t too hard,” Ray said.
Another way to celebrate with your companion is investing in a new toy.
“Toys that can’t be ripped apart, broken into pieces, or have pieces taken off of them, especially string toys for cats, are a great thing to give your furry friend during the holidays, with owner supervision,” Ray said.
Creepin’ it real
Just as some people prefer to casually carve pumpkins while others prefer to be chased through a corn maze, pets’ love of the Halloween festivities can vary, with a pet’s comfortability with specific elements of Halloween often being personality-dependent. 
“Many animals do not appreciate large, new decorations that could scare them or make them nervous, while others may enjoy playing with them or trying to chew them,” Ray said. “Any decorative items lying around that could be chewed on or swallowed have the opportunity to become foreign body risks.
“Parties and trick-or-treating also can be fun for some animals, such as well-socialized dogs or cats who enjoy the attention, but these activities can be stressful for others because of the scary shapes and sounds, like the doorbell ringing,” she said. “Costumes can also scare pets if they are big, elaborate, or not something that the animal has seen before.”
With this in mind, Ray strongly recommends caution to be taken around parties where a pet could come across unsuspecting threats. If people are visiting, it’s also important to communicate which treats can and cannot be shared with pets.
Halloween is meant to bring on adrenaline rushes, laughs, and a scare or two, and with some simple adjustments, it can be a fun holiday for the entire family.
Celebrating your black cat or bringing your furry friend along for the spooky ride is bound to create lifelong memories full of veterinarian-approved treats and toys.
Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson spoke Tuesday at a St. Mary Outreach fundraiser. He wasn’t here to talk about subtracting from the change-up or getting the bat on Uncle Charlie.
Johnson, speaking at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City, talked about team-building. And the full-house audience had reason to listen to a coach who has won nearly two-thirds of his games over a 12-year career and brought home a national championship for LSU in 2023.
On Tuesday, Johnson was part of the St. Mary Outreach team at an event that raised money with the dinner and an auction of sports memorabilia and other items.
Outreach is now in its 40th year as “a private, nonprofit, emergency service agency,” according to the event’s program. Founded as a food bank, it now offers “a clothing closet, hygiene, cleaning supplies, baby diapers and formula, adult diapers, and rental and utility assistance.”
At 47, Johnson is only a little older than St. Mary Outreach. His head coaching career includes two years at Nevada, six at Arizona and the last three at LSU. The 2023 LSU national championship followed two College World Series appearances by Johnson teams while he was at Arizona.
Johnson’s 2023 team had some flashy talent, including pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews. They were the first two players chosen in the 2023 draft, a first for college teammates. Skenes signed with Pittsburgh and Crews with Washington, and they both advanced quickly to the majors.
But the ’23 team wasn’t a group of big heads. Johnson said the team was a no-drama outfit full of hard workers, fulfilling his first key to success: surrounding yourself with good people.
“You’re only as good as the players surrounding you,” he said.
The second rule is developing each player, and that means spending time with him to come up with a plan to make him successful. And that can take 10,000 hours of deliberate practice and training.
“Can we get 1% better on a daily basis?” Johnson said.
Next is staying focused on now instead of getting carried away by dreams of championships.
“We all do a bad job of projecting a path into the future,” Johnson said.
And then comes repetition, being consistent with a program.
Johnson may have first realized the place LSU occupies in collegiate baseball when he walked into a press conference room crowded with reporters.
“I talked about providing a level of baseball that everybody in Baton Rouge and our state would be incredibly proud of …,” Johnson said.
“By doing common things in uncommon ways, we’ll capture the attention of the world.”

By JUDE TARVER
Special to the Review
Berwick-Patterson is one of the grittiest rivalries in South Louisiana. To the players on both sides of the field, the game just means more. The winner of the game gets to take home the Brag Rag and a trophy.
Outside the rivalry, a lot was on the line for these two teams. Patterson came into the matchup 0-7 looking for a first win, while Berwick desperately needed a win to keep its playoff chances alive.
Patterson emerged with its first 2024 win, 32-27.
As Patterson kicked the ball off, both teams knew they needed to take care of business.
The Panthers started the game with a statement. Cole Morris carried most of the drive, touching the ball on almost every play, except for a fourth-down pass when Evan Crappell threw it 6 yards to Carter Whipple and moved the chains. Shortly after, Morris ran it in from 25 out to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead.
Patterson responded to Berwick’s opening drive touchdown with one of their own. The Lumberjacks picked up some crucial third downs and capped the drive with a 21-yard Jarrad Williams touchdown run.
Berwick would shut down the Lumberjacks the rest of the half. Patterson struggled to move the ball following the Willams touchdown while the opposite was happening for Berwick. Jason Matthews would score two rushing touchdowns for the Black and Gold, giving them a 21-6 lead at halftime.
This was one of Berwick’s best halves all season. The offense was clicking, the defense was constantly getting stops, and they had a comfortable lead against their biggest rival. The script the Panthers worked on all week was going accordingly, the last thing they needed was for it to be flipped.
Patterson received the second-half kickoff and came out sizzling. Quarterback Hayven Keller completed a rocket down the field which put Patterson on the 2 yard-line. Shortly after they ran it into the endzone from two yards out, making the score 21-12. On Berwick’s first play of the second half, Sampey would fumble, and Patterson would recover.
Not long after the fumble, Keller would throw a 35-yard touchdown to Jamall Pollard, making it a 21-18 game.
Patterson looked like a completely different team to start the third quarter. The offense was playing very well, and while the defense played only one snap, they forced a turnover. It almost seemed like Patterson and Berwick were doing their best impression of “Freaky Friday,” because the two teams just looked the same, just were playing a lot differently in half number two.
Berwick second drive of the half would prove that half No. 2 was indeed a nightmare and not a fever dream as after almost throwing an interception Berwick would get their punt blocked and returned for a touchdown. Patterson would take the lead for the fist time all game, 25-21. Following the blocked punt for a touchdown, Berwick would put together a nice drive on offense. Sampey had multiple 10-plus-yard runs that would position Berwick inside the red zone. Berwick’s good luck would end after Crappell fumbled on a scramble attempt.
Patterson would then score points off the turnover after a long drive that consisted of mostly run plays, and a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Daylan Jones.
The score, which was once 21-6 Berwick, was now 32-21 Patterson.
Berwick, now needing a touchdown more than ever, needed to rekindle the first half offense that scored three touchdowns. After multiple clutch throws from Crappell, Sampey would run it in from 1 yard out to make the game 32-27 and give some late game hope.
With about 2 minutes remaining Berwick still had a chance to reclaim the Brag Rag, just needed a stop from the defense for the first time this half, and that is exactly what they got. Patterson punted the ball away for the first time with less than 2 minutes remaining, but it came at no better time. Now with all the momentum on their side, Berwick had the perfect chance to get their script back on track.
As the Panthers lined up for what they hoped was the last drive of the half, that was the one thing going through their mind. The last thing they even wanted to think about was turning the ball over, but that is what happened.
Crappell threw an interception on the first play of the drive ending the game for the Panthers. Patterson would end up winning 32-27, keeping the Brag Rag in Patterson, its home since 2019.
This Friday, the Panthers play their last home game against the 3-5 Donaldsonville Tigers. Patterson will play at 5-2 St. James.