Dog-O'Lanterns

From "National Pit-Bull Awareness Day," Last Week

Pibble "Ruby" Is BOTH A service & A Terapy Dog.

I mainly want to bitch-slap folks who bad-mouth these dogs.

Pitbulls always seem to get a bad rap, which Ruby doesn't deserve. She shines a great light on her breed! Just a clarification on RUBY THE SERVICE AND THERAPY DOG. She is BOTH. In November 2005 she received her TDI therapy dog certification. As the medical needs of her owner changed, Ruby went back to school and was trained thru www.puppyloveinc.org (service dogs). In February of 2009, she then received her credentials as a SERVICE DOG with proper id. Hope this clears up any confusion. Sadly, Ruby is now fighting Cancer. So to clarify, Ruby is DEFINITELY a SERVICE dog and does go into stores, ect.

My friend/vet/pal Laurell, the gypsy-vet in the Mountains, learned sad news yesterday: her 7-yr-old Ausssie cattle dog, Nita, has cancer that has now entered the lungs, and the prognosis is as you'd expect. My heart goes out to both.

Inter-Species Playmates

I totally love this vid....

They Do LOVE to Climb

The Pit-Bull breed get a bad rep, and for (NO GODDAM--W)good reason...there are some good ones out there. Take this dog for example from the Ukraine, looks evil (DOES NOT, fuckwit!) but you'll make an exception once you watch it's amzing Parkour talent.

Jesse, the Jack Russell, at Home...

Note at the end, it describes ALL the training routines as being SR/click, humane methods...

The Great Pumpkins Arrival = Much Feline Joy

If You Didn't Know, You Wouldn't Know It Was There (or: How You Dispose of a Dead Giant)

The following was posted on FaceBook this morning without comment: "The modern spirit is a hesitant one. Spontaneity has given way to cautious legalisms, and the age of heroes has been superseded by a cult of specialization. We have no more giants; only obedient ants." -Roger Lowenstein in "Buffett: The Making of a Capitalist."

I don't weep for any fucking giants, frankly. They're often quite dangerous, obnoxiously willing, even eager to throw their weight around to get what they want.

Because, though their bodies are oversized, they're likely to be stunted, psychologically: immature, violent, and willful.

By way of analogy, I replied:

On my folks' place in a northern New Mexico river valley which had been inhabited for at least a millennium and a half, there were some mostly buried ruins we all knew were there, but had left undisturbed, except for pilfering the occasional pot sherds that emerged after every rain.

Then the county decided to straighten out a particularly deadly curve, and to do it they needed to purchase the corner of the property where the ruins were. We sold 'em the needed acre. But before they could tear it up, the law required they conduct a survey for ruins. Sure enough, they turned ours up. So they hadda excavate, to preserve such artifacts as might be damaged by the construction.

One thing they turned up, and this is where the "giants v ants' thing struck me, was a burial of a (naturally) mummified man, with a cracked skull. They estimated he was about 6' 4-5". When he lived, the average people were about 4' 5-6". This guy was TWO FULL FEET taller than his neighbors. And when he died, they dug him a hole deep enough to accept his VERTICAL carcass, which they buried head first, and stacked stones on his FEET: the archeologists speculated that his neighbors did NOT want him rejoining them.

I cannot think of a single thing Warren Buffett has actually contributed to humanity.

IMHO: Not a "Hoax," An Intentional Slander

Breed-specific laws only began to appear after certain breeds --rotties and pits, mainly-- were adopted as iconic accessories by members of the "Urban/Gangsta" culture and trained to exhibit dangerous behaviors to accentuate their owners' "hostile" personae. All dogs bite; all dogs can be trained to fight. It's NEVER the dogs; it's the people.

Wolf-packs Cruising the Russian Highways

The Dog Files, Episode 12: "Pit Proud"

Pit Bulls… are just dogs. No more, no less.

And like all dogs, they are individuals with individual personalities and temperaments. But because of their intense loyalty and strong form, the pit bull has been singled out amongst lesser men to abuse and kill for their small-minded, cruel entertainment.

You see, the pit bull problem isn’t the dogs, by any means.

The pit bull problem is people.

Dept. Of Your Brain On Drugs: THIS Explains It! Too MANY Brain Cells!

I get confused because there's TOO MUCH information storage available.

Yeah. I like that. (The study cited dates from 2009.)

New Study Proves That Marijuana Increases Brain Cell Formation

How many times have you been hit with the usual jargon about how bad marijuana is for the brain, and how stupid you are going to become if you smoke it.

Yet, some of the most creative minds of our time attribute their unconventional thinking to the effects of this beautiful herb. So does it make you stupid, or does it actually INCREASE innovation?

Well according to a study conducted by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, the effects of marijuana on the brain are everything but detrimental. Let me explain.

Professor Xia Zhang and some of his colleagues at Saskatchewan University decided to test a synthetic form of THC (HU210) on a group of test rats to observe the effects the drug has on neurogenesis (brain cell formation and generation). They gave these rats HIGH DOSES of the THC-like compound twice a day, everyday for a period of ten days to get a good idea of THC’s effects on brain cells.

It turns out, this synthetic THC-like compound actually INCREASED the rate of brain cell formation in the hippocampus (neurogenesis) by a whopping FORTY PERCENT!

Not only did the rate of brain cell formation INCREASE, but the rats also appeared to be less susceptible to observable symptoms of anxiety and depression. The hippocampus is the area of a mammals brain that controls memory, learning, anxiety and depression. So it makes sense that increased brain cell formation in this area of the brain would prove to be beneficial for people suffering from problems associated with these brain functions.

Meanwhile, when you compare these POSITIVE neurological effects of marijuana with the neurological effects of other LEGAL recreational drugs such as nicotine and alcohol, you find that nicotine and alcohol actually DECREASE brain cell formation.

As an activist for legalizing marijuana, it is becoming a bit infuriating to see that such break-through discoveries are being ignored by the medical and legislative communities! Especially when you consider the countless detrimental effects of cigarettes and alcohol, which are sold freely in every store you can find.

This discovery actually explains why some of the most creative minds of our time have attributed their innovation to the effects of marijuana. With every new brain cell that is formed, comes the possibility of a new and interesting thought process, that can break the boundaries of what an individual was previously capable of.
The universities’ findings on the anti-anxiety qualities of THC also explain the peaceful nature of marijuana smokers, and now it is not so hard to understand why marijuana smokers have a “no worries” kind of outlook on life.

Now take a moment to think about how wonderful this plant really is! It is capable of providing clothing (hemp is the strongest fiber in the world), it provides nutrition (cannabis seeds contain the most concentrated nutrients found in any food)! It’s “main ingredient” THC has even been proven to be anti-carcinogenic, eliminating lymphatic tumors in test rats within two weeks.

On top of all of these wonderful benefits, it has now been SCIENTIFICALLY CONFIRMED that it indeed does increase creativity, reduce depression and anxiety, and promote peace.

No wonder half of the population smokes it even though it is still illegal.

I have indulged in marijuana almost every single day since I was discharged from the USAF in Sept., 1968. Since then, I have earned Bachelors', Masters' and Ph.D. degrees from major universities; have taught at two of them; have taught high school; have been a respected journalist, and have been a journeyman carpenter. I don't think weed has hampered my achievements in ANY way.