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Dog Boarding | Dog Walking | Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen Love Dogs Tue, 14 Feb 2017 15:44:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Clearly spending too much time in the company of dogs! Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:48:18 +0000 Continue reading ]]> Instead of doing some real work I found myself speculating upon and waxing lyrical about the love lives of dogs.  Yes, very evidently spending way too much time in their company … and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Four Car Fleabag

 Scurrilous mongrel from Four Car Manor,

Thinks she’s best in breed in that blinkin’ bandanna.

Beaten us to the woods three days on the trot,

Legs won’t leave house til’ there’s no coffee in the pot.

I sneeze in her ear, she just says “God Bless You”,

What am I? Some poncy little shih-Tzu?

The war of wills: staring and sighing

Isn’t love   devoted and undying.

GET UP, GET UP!  Must beat that terrier,

Oh, why can’t Legs suffer insomnia.

Now on the trail of Four Car Fleabag,

But Legs has to stop for another chinwag,

“Who’s this walk for?” I often ponder,

Oooh!  Goody, there’s the pond yonder.

Scattering ducks with my belly-flop entry.

A swim, a shake and straight to the forestry.

A roll in fresh fox poo, a chase with a rabbit.

Not out of malice, more out of habit.

Stop dead! What’s that?  Scent vaguely familiar.

Four Car Fleabag at a spaniel’s paraphernalia.

My name’s in the air but a feeling is rising,

Not unpleasant but a wee bit surprising.

What is it today with that stuck-up mutt?

Why’s her tail in the air? Has she had a new haircut?

The spaniel’s scampered.  Is that a … ‘come on’?

Fleabag’s looking a bit, what’s that word … wanton? (cue groan)

Oh, that scent!  Our names float above us,

It’s too late, by now we’re oblivious.

I’m confused yet turned on.  She’s usually the enemy.

Today she’s yer regular canine Salome,

Legs is running – it’s now or never,

Before they’re upon us to dampen our fervour,

No time to think.  Who cares what the reason.

Put it down to the month … or maybe the season!

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Swanwick specialities: writing and propriety unshackling Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:15:16 +0000 Continue reading ]]> That was close!  Correcting myself in the nick of time, I was about to begin this blog by indicating that instead of my dog lover hat I would be writing this with my writing hat on.  However, my dog lover bonnet is perpetually perched upon my head so let’s just say that I’m writing this with my writer’s gloves on as well.

That rambling preamble, a pre-ramble if you will, is merely to warn that what you’re about to read  a) does not contain dogs and  b) isn’t for the faint hearted.

Now that I have your attention I’ll begin.

For the past 12 years I have attended a 6 day writers’ summer school in Derbyshire. Having taken a reluctant break from Love Dogs, I have recently returned from this year’s frivolities … ahem, this year’s week of studious creativity and sobriety.

The school is now in its 64th year, the longest running writing school in the world, and is highly addictive which is why there are delegates who have been attending for over 50 years continuously.  I emphasise, more than 50 years without a break!  I am a relative newcomer with my measly dozen attendances.

A whirlwind of a week crammed with workshops, courses, talks, discussion groups, readarounds and writeabouts, Swanwick caters for every kind of writer and every conceivable genre.  Which segues me neatly, in a Freudian sort of way, to a workshop run by the redoubtable *Della Galton.

Bearing in mind the age span of attendees at Swanwick (do the Maths from above) there had been much whispering in certain quarters regarding Della’s Thursday morning class.  Also, much speculating on turnout.

Della needn’t have worried. Writing Erotica filled the Orchard Room.  Commiserations were expressed for The Art of Comedy, Practical Internet Technology and Copywriting which were up against it in the programme.

From the moment Della began, everything appeared to have a double entendre, exploited a pun or was just downright suggestive.  She handled the guffaws and titters with her usual professionalism and aplomb and to eliminate all prepubescent coyness from the outset she set us an exercise: shout out acceptable and non-acceptable terms in literary erotic fiction for female and male parts of the body.

We could have heard a foil wrapper drop … but for only a moment then the floodgates drew back and a veritable outpouring of anatomical synonyms came rushing out.  Many of them from the most quintessential of little old ladies sitting directly behind me.  And when queried these same ladies had most definite ideas into which categories their barrage should fall.

All the usual c***s, f*****s and p*****s flew around the room with “valley of pleasure”, “furry cup” and “lady garden” (all big in 1912 no doubt) thrown in for good measure culminating in a lengthy debate as to where “member” would fit … in the list.

It was as if these septuagenarians and octogenarians had been waiting their entire lives to scream out obscenities in a packed room and Swanwick had helped unshackle them from propriety.  I wonder if right now they’re at the check out at Sainsbury’s bellowing out “TITS” like they’ve contracted late onset Tourette’s.

It was a most surreal morning in anyone’s book.  And it was a two-parter with the second session that afternoon.  I won’t even go there.

As these same lovely ladies tottered into the dining room later some of us admitted to seeing them with different eyes, not a little respect and a vow to emulate their chutzpah in our 50th year at Swanwick.

Dog willing!

*Della Galton is editor of Xcite Books and writes erotic fiction under the name Antonia Adams.  She’ll shoot me for divulging that.

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Scarlett the Starlet Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:52:08 +0000 Continue reading ]]> With such a rash of doggie movie stars around at the moment never has the question of who is Hollywood’s top dog been so hotly debated.

In the satin lined kennel we have Uggie, the amazing Jack Russell who saves his master’s life in The Artist (my particular favourite) and who scooped the top canine award at the Cannes Film Festival by winning the Palm Dog and Best Dog in the Golden Collar awards.

In the studded and chained kennel we have Blackie, the ferocious Doberman guard dog who terrorises children (shouldn’t he be my favourite then?) in Martin Scorsese’s film Hugo whose omission from the Golden Collar shortlist has caused a bit of a hullabaloo.

And in the kennel with the bobbing corks there is Koko, the ginger Kelpie who unites a warring community in the Australian Outback road movie, Red Dog, and won Best Dog in a Foreign Film in the Golden Collar.

However, there is now a new contender:  Scarlett, who will make her stage debut this Thursday in His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen in Puccini’s Parisian opera, La Boheme.  Scarlett will play … well, herself actually as a sort of metaphor for her owner’s treatment of her paramour: a lapdog.

Scarlett, is an extremely charismatic,  8 year old orange roan Cocker spaniel with definite star quality  … who also happens to belong to me.

A week or so ago I was contacted by Danny Blythe, the Promotions Director of Derek Block Concert Promotions in London who saw Scarlett’s photograph on this very website and showed it to the production’s Director who decided she was the dog they’d been looking for.

A little hesitant at first about letting her get mixed up with ‘theatrical types’ as she’s already a bit of a diva, I was finally persuaded by Danny to let her have her moment in the spotlight as she would only have to walk on, sit at a cafe in the carnival scene in Act II then walk off again.  “She could do that” thought I.

“So someone would have her on the lead then?” my next question to which reply came “Yes, you!”

I’m only hoping there are no embarrassing accidents on stage.  And I’m not talking about Scarlett.  I can just see the headlines the next day “Impeccably Behaved Dog Disgraced by Owner in Popular Opera”.

From what I gather, I play Musetta, maid to tragic leading lady, Mimi.  Musetta has an admirer whom she treats as a lapdog and the producer of this particular show has run with the idea of using an actual dog.  This is where Scarlett comes in.  Although my costume has barely been mentioned there has been much toing and froing of emails regarding choices of lead for Scarlett.  It is as it should be.

Danny advised I not mention that Scarlett has a tendency to spontaneously sing (ok, howl) to random pieces of music.  She will also do it to my Sybil Fawlty impressions.  Danny then changed his mind and proposed that I do my Sybil in the dressing room just before we go on as it would make a much better story for the papers.  He also said not to tell anyone he suggested that.  Oops!

There has also been much toing and froing of communication with the theatre by my friends who have suddenly become opera buffs and want seats right up front in order to photograph and video Scarlett’s big moment.  A problem here on two counts: the production is pretty much sold out and photography and videoing is absolutely verboten – normally, but apparently there may be an exception with some relaxation of the rules in this case.  Everyone involved may well rue the day they ever set eyes on Scarlett!

On the other hand this could be the start of a wonderful new career for ‘Scarlett the Starlet’.  Next time, a woofing part?  Perhaps not.  Never mind the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood.  Scarlett will always be top dog to me.

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Licensed … to love dogs! Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:24:51 +0000 Continue reading ]]> As with my first blog of 2012, this, my second, isn’t what I had in mind at all.  It’s better!
I’m delighted to announce that I have now been awarded my Home Dog Boarding license from Aberdeenshire Council.  I am now one of only three approved and licensed home boarders in Aberdeenshire.
Quite an honour.

Gillian Abel, my local Dog Warden, who has been so helpful and supportive, and Neil Cockburn, my own vet to whom I trust implicitly with the care of my girls, carried out the last inspection on Tuesday.  They were both very happy with my home, my levels of safety, security and comfort and general standards of care.  So much so that upon leaving Neil asked when he might be able to book himself in!
It has involved a great deal of thought, work and, in many cases, expense, but it’s been worth it for the dogs’ sakes.  Right from the start I wanted to do this properly and with the welfare of my “guests” paramount.
Dougal, my adorable regular Friday guest leaves at 4.30 this afternoon and my next guest arrives tomorrow at 2.30 which means it’s just my three gorgeous girls and me tonight. I reckon the cork from a bottle of Bolly might be heard reverberating around my newly plastered and decorated walls this evening.
I’d like to say thank you to all my friends and neighbours who have encouraged, supported and helped me promote Love Dogs.  To Anne who helped me with my website, to Yvonne who helped me with my flyers, to everyone who spread the word by distributing my flyers and telling all their doggie friends about me especially Claire and Rosie who never seem to leave their houses without a wad of flyers in their hands and regularly accost people innocently walking their dogs to tell them about me!  To my already burgeoning list of clients who in turn recommend me to their friends.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I couldn’t have done it without you.
Of course, I must thank every single one of my clients over the past 7 months who have entrusted their precious doggies to me, and in particular those who have come back time and time again.  Whether it be for long stays, doggy day care or regular walking I have loved getting to know each and every one of your beloved pets and look forward to watching them develop, mature and grow to ripe old age over the years.
My fantastic neighbours too have been incredibly supportive, always interested to meet new guests and surprisingly tolerant of the cacophany of barking which precede each “walkies”.  Thank you … and sorry!
As if I wasn’t enough in awe of dogs before I began Love Dogs, I certainly am now.  They blow me away.
This is most definitely the time to say also how absolutely amazing my three, truly wonderful girls have been throughout this whole process.  They have accepted, welcomed and (in the vast majority of cases) enjoyed having a vast range of dogs sharing their home, walks … and, most importantly, their Mum.  To them I want to say how much I love them for making this so much easier for me.
They have my unequivocal and devoted love always.

I will receive my license certificate in due course and it will be proudly displayed.  Please ask to see it.

And Neil … you’re welcome any time!

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Dog-Crate Gate Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:59:40 +0000 Continue reading ]]> I had imagined my first blog of 2012 to be a gentle round up of events: a chatty catch-up if you will.  Instead, I have been jolted out of my elongated blogging torpor (reasons for which will follow in a future post) by indignation and incredulity.

Having lived in the US for a few years while working on a degree I retain a keen interest in the colourful carnival that is US politics.  Much more so than our grey, homespun variety I’m ashamed to confess.  So naturally, I’m following the current presidential nominations closely although having no particular allegiance to the Republicans or the Democrats.  It’s the process and the personalities in US politics which are fascinating.  The electoral college (an overly complicated voting system if there ever was); the presidential debating; the National Conventions; the no-hoper Congressmen; the lobbying; the scandals; the financial irregularities; the adulterous affairs – basically the meat of Presidential contest – I love it all.

However, it’s gone beyond the pale this time.

Entire forests have been felled and pulped it seems in order to fully disclose Republican hopeful, Mitt Romney’s 2010 Tax Return.  I defy anyone in either continent to not know that he earned $42.5 million (£27 million) in the past 2 years  – 14 years after retiring from the private equity firm, Bain Capital which in itself begs questions of his understanding of the tightly squeezed middle classes in America, and that despite being one of the richest men ever to run for the Presidency he is only paying 14% tax.  US mailmen pay more tax than that … heck, his own secretary probably pays income tax at 25-35%.  This, and ironically his sizeable charitable contributions which have drawn attention to his Mormon faith which he has been reluctant to shout about, has seen him roundly censured by his rivals as an out of touch plutocrat who grew rich as a “corporate raider” at the expense of jobs.

Now, there are different ways of looking at this in my opinion – Cayman Island accounts aside.  He is legally paying the taxes he’s owed because of a capital gains tax rule in the US.  He pays what he’s due and not a penny more as you or I would most likely do.  However, it doesn’t seem quite right that middle class workers are paying more tax than those making fifty or a hundred million dollars a year, does it?  But then there’s a niggle I have that it is decidedly “un-American” to knock success and should we not say good luck to him for making hay while the “Buffett rule” is still floating.

So, where is this going? Well, actually nowhere in terms of finance.  What has really irked me, especially as he now has a double digit lead in the polls and looks to be storming towards an easy cruise towards the nomination, is something he did in 1983.

I couldn’t care less about his half a million dollar speaking fees, his $4 million deductions or his tax havens.  Like I say, good luck to him.  What I think is reprehensible is how he treats the family dog.  I’m sure this has been disclosed in the US yet it is looking very possible that he will still win the Republican nomination and then, perish the thought, even the Presidency.

Personally, I have always found that how people behave towards animals, just as how they behave under pressure, is a pretty good indicator of what kind of a person they actually are.  Judge for yourselves.

Almost 30 years ago, Mitt Romney and his family set off on a 12 hour journey to Canada in the family station wagon.  Oh, the family pet, a lovely Irish setter called Seamus came too … but travelling in a box on the roof of the vehicle!

Challenged on this recently, Romney claims that Seamus liked it.  Really?  I think Seamus would beg to differ were he still alive today – and could talk obviously – because not long into the journey one of the sons noticed brown liquid seeping down the back window.

So what does “Mitt” do to his mutt?  He stops at the next gas station to check on the situation, of course.  But does he make the family bunch up and bring the poor traumatised Seamus into the car?  No.  He makes for the garage hose (not the jet variety, please God), sluices down both car and dog and stows poor Seamus back on the roof until they reach Canada.

One can only imagine what the remaining 10 or so hours were like for poor Seamus.  It also begs the question as to what is wrong with Mrs Romney.  Why didn’t she volunteer to drive the rest of the way, take the poorly dog into the car and stick Mitt in the crate … unwashed?

With the verb “to Romney” meaning “to defecate in terror” gradually entering popular usage let’s hope it gains enough momentum to derail this despicable man’s pursuit of the White House.

Rant over.  Blog backlog over.

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Taking the ‘Mickey’ Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:08:20 +0000 Continue reading ]]> I thnk I tempted fate in a previous blog, “The best laid schemes o’mice an men …”.  The notoriety has turned the heads of the little blighters.  The mice that is.  Not the men.  The latter’s being already warped.

I’m with Cyril Connolly when, in The Unquiet Grave, he said “It is only in the country that we can get to know a person or a book” and I could never live anywhere else, but it does have its minor downsides.  Uninvited guests.

As the glitterati take off to ‘winter’ in St. Tropez or Florida, field mice here in the North East of Scotland go in search of a cosy loft full of sumptuous insulation, squishy sleeping bags and a daily supply of peanut butter in which to hunker down until Spring.

I must be getting fab reviews on the rodent equivalent of Trip Adviser as they’re checking into my loft at an alarming rate.

Being an advocate of ‘catch and release’ I went the humane trap route.  I would catch the bl…, ahem, blighter, walk to the top of the 30 acre field across from my house,  oversee an honourable discharge and come home to find him practically waiting at the door, tiny paw on hip, tapping his foot as if to say “What took you?”.

I put a tiny drop of nail polish (Jessica Ruby Red 293 no less) on one when I first suspected they were following me home.  I released him in the shelter belt at the top of the field and yes, you guessed it, two days later he was in the trap sporting a metallic crimson dot on his back.

Puts a whole new perspective on Horace’s observation that “The mountains will be in labor, and a ridiculous mouse will be brought forth.”

Suffice it to say, I’m a little ashamed to confess I then went the inhumane route.

I’ve been catching one every day now for the past 29 days … until this weekend when the trap was empty.  Yee-hah! Break out the bubbly! “I’m mouse free”, I thought, until I noticed the peanut butter was gone as was one whole side of the trap.  The varmints could now get to the peanut butter without activating the trap.  To add insult to injury they had dragged a massive wadge of insulation into the box to make a nest … IN THE MOUSE TRAP.

I thought they were having a laugh before, but they’re really taking the ‘Mickey’ now.

If anyone has a mouse-catching dog please go on holiday soon.  Special rate available.

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Surrey surreal dogfight Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:57:39 +0000 Continue reading ]]> Played hookey for a couple of hours last Saturday and joined a few fellow writers at our hallowed Cliff Cottage for lunch hosted by the wonderful Elizabeth.  She’ll hate me for saying this, (and will let me know in no uncertain terms as she is a subscriber) but she truly is generosity and philanthropy personified.

In the course of our spirited and diverse conversation it came up that a writer friend of ours was ghosting an autobiography.  There’s nothing too remarkable about that as a lot of autobiographies are “ghosted” to some degree.  However, for an autobiography to be successful the subject should be well known or at the very least their name needs to be recognisable.  The subject of this one was unfamiliar and curiosity got the better of me.

Imagine my surprise when a veritable dogfight unfolded before my eyes.

Lizette Roux, whose life is to be documented in print, recently set up a dog magazine called Surrey Dog Life and in doing so has become embroiled in a particularly bitchy battle with the editor and publisher of the well established, also Surrey based, Dogs Today.

Beverley Cuddy started Dogs Today 20 years ago and has taken great exception, not surprisingly really, to Lizette Roux’s masthead strapline which reads “Surrey’s first and only dog magazine”.  To add insult to injury Roux has also called her home the “Dog House” which is just happens to be the name of Cuddy’s home.  I can’t help but think either one of them could have come up with something more original but hey-ho that seems to be the house moniker of choice in the Home Counties.

At this point you’re probably thinking that a minor publishing dispute isn’t really enough upon which to base an entire volume and you’d be right.

Roux, who, until recently went by the name of Liz Hoad, is a former Page 3 girl and is no stranger to controversy and the law courts.

A professional golfer when she left school, clothes sponsorship led to modelling which then led to topless modelling – a more lucrative career at that time than chasing birdies on the PGA circuit.  As seems to be the way of it, she then embarked upon well documented affairs with James Hunt, Lord Lichfield and the much loved and late Seve Ballesteros to name but a few … allegedly.

Despite these obvious distractions, her penchant for putters, fervour for fairways and great weakness for gimmies never left her and in 2004 her membership application, under the name of Beth White, to the elite golf club at Wentworth was accepted … until her colourful past became known and the powers that be withdrew it.  Needless to say, a fight ensued.

Those who know me might be tempted to think my over-active and over-vivid imagination has come into play and either I’m making this all up or the punchline is immiment.  I wish it was.  Such literary luminaries as Charles Dickens, Daniel Defoe, P. G. Wodehouse, H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, Alfred Tennyson,  J. M. Barrie, George Eliot, Robert Browning, Lewis Carroll, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Conan Doyle, J. M. Barrie, John Galsworthy and John Donne have all lived for a time in Surrey and even they’d be pushed to make this sort of nonsense up.

This skirmish in Surrey is … well, it’s ‘surreal’.

Having been editor of a golf magazine for several years (golf/dogs … it’s all about chasing balls isn’t it?) I know how much work goes into getting each issue out so Ms Roux/Hoad/White must be a grafter.  She’s clearly also a dog lover and is interested in writing (three important … nay, essential qualities in my book) so my feeling is that with a population of over 1 million England’s most heavily wooded county should be able to sustain two dog magazines … “surrely”.  (Sorry).

As good old Walt Disney, said, “I have been up against tough competition all my life.  I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.”

He’d have loved this fairytale.

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And the winners are … the animals Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:58:04 +0000 Continue reading ]]> All the brain-box Mensa members in Banchory must have been washing their hair the other night.  In a ‘scraping the dog-bowl ‘exercise I was invited to make up a team at an SPCA quiz night.  A sucker for anything involving animals I accepted then immediately panicked.  How to shake up my ever-decreasing little grey cells?

Turns out I needn’t have worried as I was in a team of seasoned quiz-goers who knew the most obscure things.  We were well matched as my knowledge, such as it is, is pretty much confined to obscure things.

Hilary, my friend who put together the dream team of ‘The Baker and his Crumpets’ as we coined ourselves had also invited a couple called Tom and Penny Baker (hence the name) who were enormous fun.  Tom, in particular, was hugely irreverent and had me in stitches the entire evening with his little asides.  The pair of us were threatened with the naughty corner at several points.

In the medical round one of the questions was “What is the term for boring a hole in a person’s skull?”  Quick as a flash, Tom stage whispers “Talking!” The serious ambience evaporated and it took a while for composure to be regained.

‘The Baker and his Crumpets’ held 2nd place right up to the final round when the ‘Banchory Vets’ beat us into 3rd with their highly suspect knowledge of mushrooms.

It was a great night and superbly organised by SPCA supporters, compered with aplomb by  redoubtable dog trainer, Rosemary Pirie, and well attended by local worthies.  More importantly I believe we raised almost £400 for the new SPCA centre in Drumoak which makes the real winners the animals looking for loving homes.

By the way the answer is trepanning, the oldest surgery in the world used to treat anything from headaches, brain disorders, insanity and to let out evil spirits.  Bizarrely, doctors would keep a fragment of the skull as a lucky charm.

We need doctors like that like a hole in the head!

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The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men … an’ dogs Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:32:25 +0000 Continue reading ]]> Who was it who said “Life with dogs is certainly never boring?”  Oh, that’s right.  That would be me … along with a couple of million other dog lovers around the world.

I’ve often thought that Rabbie Burns must have accidentally set fire to the paper on which he wrote “To a Mouse”.  “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men” surely must have had … “an’ dogs” after it originally.

“Gang aft a’gley” they certainly did last week, to quote the Bard further.

How a dog is introduced to me and my girls at the beginning of their ‘dog-liday’ at ‘Love dogs’ should be carefully orchestrated in order that they feel  safe and settled as quickly as possible.  But, of course, with everything else involving dogs things never quite go as planned.  And the arrival of Milo, my current guest, was no exception.

Milo, is a feisty little Chihuahua whom I’ve met on a couple of occasions for “introduction and orientation “ and he was finally coming to stay with me for twelve days while his Mum, Sheila, attended a family wedding in Malaysia.

Sheila arrived promptly as usual and I could see Milo in the passenger seat when she got out to greet me with a hug.  We were about to open the back doors to get his ‘luggage’ when we both heard an ominous “click”.  I could tell by Sheila’s face exactly what had happened.  Milo had stepped over the central console to settle himself on the driver’s seat and in doing so had toggled the lock button.  He was locked in the car – along with the keys which were still in the ignition, Sheila’s handbag with her house keys, phone and usual paraphernalia.

With a tight time schedule and a plane to catch Sheila was panic-stricken.  I immediately went into damage limitation mode and started firing off solutions: were there spare keys? could I drive her home? who has a key to the house? could we break into the house, etc. whilst also trying to entice Milo back to the passenger seat in the hope he might toggle the switch again and unlock the car.  He did step on it several times but not heavily enough to activate the mechanism.  How could he have been heavy enough 5 minutes earlier to lock it but not heavy enough now to unlock it?  As tiny as he is and with a metabolism that I’ve since discovered could power a small energy sub-station, he couldn’t possibly have lost weight in that short space of time.

With no way to access her house for the spare key the next step was to try to break a window in the car.  It always looked easy in The Sweeney and the windscreens of American cop cars in the James Bond movies appear to be made from the same substance as my liqueur glasses so how hard could it be?

Trying to look as if smashing car windows was a regular and rather tiresome pastime I donned my safety glasses, made a large (and very Christmassy I might say) star with duct tape on the back, passenger side window and aimed my hammer at it.  Striking it right bang in the middle of the star it made a lot of noise but bounced right off.  It did this three more times until I realised something heavier duty was required.  Telling Sheila I had a new plan I went back to my garage, re-emerging with my sledge hammer.  Her gasp of horror was almost as audible as the thwacking of my hammer on her car window.

Absent-mindedly wondering if all my years of weight training were in preparation for this very moment, I stepped back from the car, wielded the hammer over my shoulder and put everything I had into the swing.  The bang reverberated around the valley a couple of times, up and over the Hill o’ Fayre and returned to my drive with an awesome echo but the window held.  When they etch “TOUGHENED” on to the bottom of car windows they’re not kidding.

I wish that I could now report that between us we came up with an ingenious way to free Milo who, incidentally, seemed quite unperturbed by the proceedings, but alas we did not.  Breaking quietly and unobtrusively into cars will never be a handy sideline for us.

I had to resort to calling a local mechanic who arrived superhero-ish (but thankfully not wearing his underpants over his boiler suit) with a nifty piece of kit which miraculously separates the door from the roof allowing for a dexterous bit of fiddling around with a glorified coat hanger.  I would go into more detail, but then I’d have to kill you.

As they say, “All’s well that ends well … so let’s all go to the wedding.”  Oh, no, I’m already in panto mode.  Anyway, Milo was freed, he gave himself a bit of a shake, looked us up and down as if to say “Is my room ready and have my bags gone on ahead” and trotted into the house taking up residence like a canine RuPaul, his minions (us) scuttling behind him. And there, he has remained.

But far from being the archetypal, precious, male diva, Milo is prepared to get down and dirty with my boisterous girls.  He enjoys a two hour walk twice daily on muddy farm tracks and through dense woods, his little legs often a blur of movement, clearing fallen twigs with the poise and resoluteness of Red Rum over Beechers Brook.  In a word, Milo is a trooper.  In between walks, he follows me around wherever I go with no interest in a restorative power nap.  He’s a busy boy and what he lacks in stature more than makes up for in character.

I’m absolutely smitten with him and am feverishly tempted to get glammed up, put on my Jackie O shades, pop him into my ancient (48 seasons ago) Chanel bag and have a wander around town WAG-like.

Alas, despite his diminutive size and all my years of weight training, I fear I couldn’t carry him off!

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No longer a favourite ‘haunt’. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:11:03 +0000 Continue reading ]]> The only thing that I ever thought would frighten me during one of my most tranquil of dog walking trails was the odd Capercaillie.  Until yesterday.

My friend Claire and I took our dogs for a good two and a half hour hike in the autumnal mist around Glen Tanar, the largest surviving remnant of Caledonian Scots pine forest on the south side of the Cairngorms.  Nestling in the heart of Royal Deeside near Aboyne, Glen Tanar covers around 25,000 acres and is a magnificent and majestic wilderness.  I have walked it many times on my own with my dogs and have always felt a particular serenity in the undisturbed landscape … and have always felt safe and at ease.

Around two-thirds of the way around yesterday, a little way past the Knockie viewpoint, Dinah, my Golden retriever began barking fearfully down towards the heather to our left.  There was nothing to be seen or heard, the ferns and heather weren’t moving which is usually an indication of some creature scurrying away through the undergrowth yet we couldn’t console Dinah.  She continued to bark – ears back, tail down – whilst backing up to the opposite side of the track.  The other dogs ran ahead and as Claire and I passed the spot which was causing Dinah so much unease she ran past me on the far side and away from the spot. We stopped and scoured the area for any sign of activity but could see nothing. A little unsettled and bewildered, we turned to continue on.  As we did so, something to the right caught my eye.  Something I had never noticed before.

A large, flat stone propped crookedly against the hillside just feet from us.  Free from moss, rain marks and other signs of the ravages of time, the stone was strangely pristine which did not sit well with the archaic prose.

Engraved in a crude, gothic style with ‘t’s carved as crosses were the words “lett well alone”.

Startled by the ominous warning, and still a little perturbed by Dinah’s reaction, our strides lengthened and quickened and, although we continued our amiable chattering, both of us found ourselves looking over our shoulders until we were off the hill, out of the pines, on to the more popular track and in sight of the Chapel of St. Lesmo, the mysterious Holy Hermit who lived in Glen Tanar over 1,000 years ago.

‘Lett well alone!’  Is it a simple plea not to disturb some nearby well or mineral spring?  Does it imply a weightier, more philosophical caveat not to tamper with tradition?  Or was it intended to send us swiftly on our way?

On the one hand I’m anxious to return to the spot to reassure myself that the stone remains, despite me never noticing it before.  Perhaps if it’s a bright, sunny day and the light would enhance a photograph.

On the other, I may take a different route.  Especially if the hill is again shrouded in mist.  It would only impair my already rudimentary photography skills you understand!

I’m sure it will remain a much-loved walk close to my heart, but I’ll never call it a favourite ‘haunt’ again.

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Friday, April 1, 2011

Girls Festivals in Budapest

Budapest is for sure the festival city, there is a festival for everything. No matter if it is music, food or drink festivals you can be sure that there is a time in every year where local and international producers or artists come together in Budapest to present themselves, their products and their music. To give an overview about festivals in Budapest and also elsewhere in Hungary here will be a list and a short description about many festivals. I for sure do not know all festivals happening in Budapest and when exactly they will be as there are simply too many. Very popular are festivals about Hungarian food and drinks such as Sausage, Wine or Pálinka but also there are tons of music festivals out of which the Sziget Festival in Budapest is probably the best known.

Even though many festivals tend to be very similar in terms of what is offered there it is very nice to go out and have a few specialities of Hungary from local producers and try different, new things. There are for example several wine festivals, a Pálinka and Wine festival and a Pálinka festival so you will find here many times the same producers with the same offers. But anyways you will not be able to try all wines or all Pálinkas at once. The critics of similarity is rather about what is offered around like the food for example. You have the same sausages on every festival, christmas market and so on which is a bit annoying but on the other hand what else should they offer.

So here come some festivals which you should not miss each year and there are plenty more. So if you know a cool festival, even outside of Budapest let me know in the comments.

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Saturday, January 21, 2012 Find Job, Career, Opportunity in Indonesia Find Job, Career, Opportunity in Indonesia

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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Money for Music

Reading this semi-widely shared piece by Damon Krukowski- I really think the analogy is wrong. Pandora is like having your song played on the radio, not like selling 7" of vinyl. When I buy a piece of vinyl, I can listen to it as many times as I want, or at least until the grooves run down. He tries to compare the royalty for 7,000 plays of a track on Pandora to 7,000 sales of a single?? It's more like a radio station with 7,000 listeners playing it once. How much is Galaxie 500 making in radio royalties? I haven't heard them on the radio for 15 years. They should be comparing their $1.21 to $0.00.

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Monthly Archives: April 2006

comedies & tragedies of fair use

5/3 update: variant version of this post (an older version of the post but marked-up with hyperlinks) + other blog commentary from Joy Garnett @ newsgrist … liveblogging the meeting and this session
@ iptablog —

The Comedies of Fair Use meeting wrapped up a few hours ago. Among the best presentations were the art panel Saturday morning, in which Joy Garnett and Susan Meiselas each discussed their side of the incident that became known as JoyWar. (There were other panelists in this session too; for instance, Art Spiegelman, who was hilarious.)

“JoyWar” began when Joy Garnett appropriated a photograph she found on the Internet, and repainted it. Shortly after exhibiting it, she got a cease-and-desist letter from the photographer, Susan Meiselas. Joy’s art rapidly became a cause celebre among Internet artists and activists, who reposted Joy’s art and remixed it with many new works.

Susan and Joy had never met before the conference, but they both agreed to come and tell their story in a joint session.

Joy explained that she sought images on the Internet of people exhibiting strong emotions; she found the images, and then set them aside for a time, specifically seeking to decontextualize the images so she could later focus solely on their aesthetics. She then repainted the photo, and exhibited it as part of an exhibition called “Riot”. Mieselas’ photograph was perfect for Joy’s intended project: it showed a young man about to throw a molotov cocktail, an expression of intensity on his face.

Susan introduced herself by explaining that her goals as a photographer were precisely the opposite of Joy’s: That it was critical to her to contextualize the photograph, to embed the image in the subject, the historical and political moment in time. The photo, she explained, was of a young man on July 16, 1979, the night that Somoza was finally driven out of Nicaragua, and the Sandinistan revolution triumphed. The photograph of this young man in fact became emblematic of the entire movement, of the revolution itself, and was stenciled and appropriated by all kinds of people, with no objections (or permission) by Susan. Susan felt a strong social contract with the subjects of her photographs, and went back years later to contact them. This young man, it turned out, was still deeply committed to the movement.

The striking thing was the obvious pain that both women felt at the conflict. Though their artistic goals and methods clashed, both Susan and Joy were thoughtful and sincere. Susan, for instance, really seemed to feel that she was possibly “old-fashioned”; that she just didn’t get the new methods of appropriation. Joy, for her part, seemed to really appreciate Susan’s goals and interests; but stood firmly on her own principles. It really seemed in some respects a tragic conflict of interests, because, yes, Susan had real interests at stake. You couldn’t but respect Susan’s interests and the respect that she herself had for the subject of her work. I’m certain it took tremendous courage for Joy and Susan to come together in a public forum, after such a well-publicized conflict. And it’s a testament in particular to Susan’s courage and honesty that she presented her beliefs and reasons so articulately and passionately in the face of a potentially hostile audience.

The problem is that the interests Susan was seeking to uphold, through the tool of copyright, are not traditional copyright interests. Susan wasn’t particularly interested solely (or possibly at all) in trying to protect her licensing revenue. She was interested, rather, in protecting her right to be custodian of the image: an interest that isn’t even captured in moral rights as defined in Europe.

At the end of the day, Hank Shocklee, of Public Enemy, gave a “times they are a’changing” / “to the barricades, comrades” speech: He basically said that the old models of control are dead. It was a great moment, and I hope it’s true. There’s no question that we are paying too high a cost right now from excessive control over information. We are losing works, we are losing consumer rights, we are losing new forms of artistic expression.

But with every change, there are costs. Those who control information sometimes do it for a good reason. The hypertrophic growth of copyright law (as Jamie Boyle put it) has harmed the essential purpose of copyright law, the encouragement of creativity. But that same hypertrophic, harmful growth, nevertheless allowed Susan to pursue other interests not well protected in any other way: privacy, dignity, trust, political context and memory. I hope we find other ways — human, person-to-person ways — to protect those interests; they were never well served by copyright anyway. But it’s important to count the costs as well as the benefits for every change. I’m incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to see Susan and Joy speaking together so that I could see and hear the messy human values and reasons behind the legal conflict.


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any members here from montana specificly billings. i was thinking in the near future of haveing a LS/CHEVY cruise night this summer hit back if interested
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don't forget your velcro mittens! sorry I just couldn't resist. Not to mention I have a little "Captain" in me.
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Puerto Rico's PREPA to seek extension to bondholder agreement

lunes 15 de diciembre de 2014 20:05 GYT

NEW YORK Dec 15 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's electric power authority PREPA is expected to ask bondholders to extend a forbearance agreement set to expire at the end of next March, two sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations said on Monday.

A presentation to the bondholders in New York on Monday highlighted the extent of the problems facing PREPA and fell short of an expected business plan. A comprehensive plan to turn around PREPA's failing business will take longer to produce than originally expected, the sources said. (Reporting by Nick brown Writing by Edward krudy)


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Sexual assault trial opens with mother's 911 call playback

Man accused of having sex with 13-year-old girl who said she was 17.

A 13-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted April 1 used four words to tell her mother why she was bleeding and walking with difficulty.

“The dude hurt me.”

The mother recounted the situation in a 911 call that was replayed for jurors in the opening day of Lawrence Webb III’s trial on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a child.

Aggravated sexual assault, in this situation, involves sexual activity with a person under the age of 14. It carries a sentence range of five to 99 years or life.

An eight-man, four-woman jury was seated Monday afternoon before visiting Judge Richard Dambold from Potter County.

The jurors heard from two witnesses in the first hour of testimony late Monday, a Lubbock police detective who initially was lead detective on the case before taking family leave time, and the Lubbock police communications manager, who is also custodian of records, including 911 call recordings.

The girl’s mother told the 911 dispatcher her daughter had been injured about an hour earlier. The daughter told her mother intially she was bleeding and walking with difficulty because she was menstruating.

In the 911 call, the mother said her daughter hadn’t yet started menstruating.

The Avalanche-Journal is not naming either the victim, a female cousin who was involved in the situation or her mother because of a policy against providing information that could identify the victim of a sexual assault.

In opening statements, lead prosecutor Sean Long and defense attorney Matthew Hawkins both said Webb and the girl had sexual intercourse in Webb’s bedroom on April 1, and the girl and her 18-year-old cousin both said she was 17 when Webb asked.

The two attorneys outlined substantially different versions of the events in the duplex on the city’s southwest side.

Long said Webb initially asked the girl to go into his bedroom. When she refused, the prosecutor said, he told her to go in the bedroom.

When she refused again, her cousin — who was in the duplex’s other bedroom with a man Long described as a boyfriend — also told her to go into Webb’s bedroom.

She went in the bedroom, and Webb closed the door and told her to undress, Long said. She refused at first, then after he insisted, she took off her clothes, and lay down on the bed when he told her to.

Long told the jury that even though the girl lied about her age, state law takes the position that someone as young as 14 is incapable of giving consent to have sex.

Hawkins, however, said after the incident occurred, the girl was dishonest with her mother in the beginning about what happened, and changed parts of the story several times in interviews with investigators.

He said she lied about her age, about whether the sex was consensual, and about details of the room and the situation to her mother and police.

The prosecution’s first witness was Lubbock police Detective Steven Bergen, the initial lead detective on the case.

Bergen testified about seeing the initial crime scene and noting what appeared to be blood stains on Webb’s mattress that were later processed by crime scene officers, and to going to the hospital the evening of the alleged assault. He also observed the girl’s interview with a forensic invesigator at the Children’s Advocacy Center.

The trial will resume at 9:15 a.m. today.

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Leschper: Hunting dog selection depends on what hunting you'll do

Will Leschper

Seeing someone else’s pointing breed working thick bunchgrass in search of quail or a Labrador retriever sitting patiently on the edge of duck blind on an icy morning might be just enough to make you warm to getting a pup of your own.

However, the selection, training and care of a bird dog isn’t something to be taken lightly. But with five months before fall wingshooting seasons crank into high gear, summer is prime time to consider adding to your hunting ranks.

Finding a good hunting dog is a lot like scouring a car lot: There are plenty of options, it’s just a matter of what kind of hunting you’ll be doing.

Hunting dogs are specialized and it’s good to look at some of the characteristics that make each breed unique. Pointers and setters are field dogs used to roust anything from quail to pheasants. Labradors are retrieving dogs used best for picking up downed birds, typically waterfowl. Breeds like the German shorthair or the Viszla can be good for either task.

Teaching a gundog the necessary skills to be a productive field partner can be cumbersome. Some animals are eager learners, “birdy” they are referred to, while some couldn’t care less about anything but taking a nice cool dip on a warm day in a nasty stock tank. That being said, it is possible to turn a dog that isn’t birdy into one that is.

Though most training is done easily, some people don’t have the mettle to do some of the techniques required to mold a good gundog. Things like force-breaking an animal to retrieve or using an electronic training collar are avoided by some. There’s nothing wrong with that.

There’s also nothing wrong with using those types of techniques. It’s a choice of preference. Using a professional trainer also is a personal preference. You can train a dog yourself, but you must know that it is an ongoing, involved process. Paying someone who trains for a living is not inexpensive, but it will go a long way in providing you with a dog that will be ready for the field, especially for this fall.

Taking precaution before going hunting or field training with a dog is a necessity and something else to strongly consider.

With all the sharp and prickly vegetation they will encounter, dogs seem to find the worst plants you can imagine. I’ve seen some hunters who put their dogs up at the first sign of any kind of nicks or scrapes but carrying plenty of water and a rudimentary, easy-to-assemble first-aid kit with gauze, bandages and some type of antiseptic is a must.

However, I’ve also seen dogs with gashed ears, snouts and legs that didn’t even care they were hurt. Much like an athlete pumped up on adrenaline, gundogs often will overlook injuries that might make you or me whine like a stuck pig.

Checking your dog(s) every once in a while is good policy while in the field.

Another good policy is not running your dogs into the ground, especially during scorching summer months. Dogs’ noses are much more fine-tuned than ours, and they easily can be clogged with dirt, debris and anything else that comes with having their noses near the dirt. Cleaning off their noses and snouts with water is good every so often.

Selecting the right hunting dog is more than just about picking a hunting buddy. It’s also about finding a new member of the family — one that will be around for a long time.


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Hampton Situation

Published: Sunday, January 10, 1999

What is up with those three individuals from Hampton University, with two of them being women's basketball coaches? Don't they know anything about the law?

Everyone should know that when being followed by a law enforcement vehicle with lights flashing on top, pull over immediately.

Even though all three were cleared of any wrongdoing, their actions on the evening of Nov. 16, 1998, might indicate the opposite, that they were indeed guilty in attempting to scam a couple out of some money at Wal-Mart. Why didn't they pull over without any hesitation? I wish I knew the answer to that question.

Why would Hampton hire Mr. Cochran in possibly bringing a lawsuit against our city?

In my opinion, it reeks of publicity and revenge.

As to this rather unfortunate incident that took place last year, why can't they just forgive and forget?

It should not be all that difficult because this little institution from Virginia is not totally guilt-free in regards to this somewhat controversial issue.

Only one person who ever walked on this Earth never made a mistake, the Lord Jesus Christ. May we all keep that in mind.

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AL roundup

Rangers blow big lead, fall to Royals

Published: Sunday, September 02, 2001

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Luis Alicea hit a bases-loaded single with one out in the 11th inning to cap Kansas City's rally from seven runs down to beat the Texas Rangers 8-7 Saturday night.

Texas jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Kansas City tied it with a seven-run sixth inning. The teams remained scoreless until the 11th.

Neifi Perez led off the 11th with a walk against Pat Mahomes (5-6). After a fielder's choice groundout, Mike Sweeney singled and Joe Randa walked to load the bases. Alicea then hit the game-winner.

Roberto Hernandez (4-4) pitched a perfect 11th to pick up the win as the Royals matched their biggest comeback of the season. Kansas City's biggest comeback is from nine runs down against Milwaukee, on June 15, 1979.

Randa hit a two-run homer and Carlos Febles tied the game with a three-run shot in the sixth off Mark Petkovsek. Sweeney and Gregg Zaun also had RBI doubles in the inning.

Rafael Palmeiro drove in three runs for Texas, including a two-run homer in the fourth off Kris Wilson. Palmeiro became the fourth player in major league history to record seven straight seasons of at least 35 home runs and 100 RBIs.

Yankees 2, Red Sox 1

BOSTON — Orlando Hernandez is back and the New York Yankees' dominant rotation is even better.

Hernandez pitched eight strong innings, and Bernie Williams' solo homer in the ninth gave the Yankees a win, the second straight game in which they overtook the Red Sox in the last two innings.

It was another painful loss for Boston, in the midst of a stretch dive as its chances of reaching the playoffs grow slimmer each day.

The Red Sox dropped eight games behind New York in the AL East. They stayed seven games behind Oakland in the wild-card race.

Hernandez (1-6) helped stretch Boston's losing streak to seven games, its longest since losing seven from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5, 1997. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 43rd save in 49 chances.

Devil Rays 8, Athletics 6

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Oakland's eight-game road winning streak ended when Jason Tyner hit an RBI double during a three-run rally in the eighth inning that sent the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over the Athletics.

The Athletics' lead in the AL wild card race stayed at seven games over Boston.

Oakland, which had won six straight overall, was trying to win nine straight road games for the first time since 1988.

Bobby Seay (1-1) worked a scoreless eighth for his first major league win. Esteban Yan got the final three outs for his 17th save.

Mariners 6, Orioles 4

BALTIMORE — Ichiro Suzuki lined a bases-loaded single off reliever B.J. Ryan's leg that capped a four-run rally in the sixth inning, and the Seattle Mariners kept their record road streak intact by beating the Baltimore Orioles.

Seattle has not lost in 27 straight road series in the regular season since August 2000.

In their only trip to Camden Yards this season, the Mariners lost 3-0 Friday night in the opener of a three-game set. They need to win Sunday to extend their string.

Paul Abbott (14-3) won for the 12th time in his last 13 decisions. He allowed four runs on seven hits and six walks over five innings.

Blue Jays 3, Tigers 1

TORONTO — Rookie Brandon Lyon won his third straight start and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers.

Lyon (4-2) allowed one run on four hits in seven innings. The 22-year-old right-hander was called up from the minors on Aug. 3.

Lyon and Dan Plesac combined on a four-hitter. Plesac pitched two innings for his first save since 1999 while with Arizona.

Jeff Weaver (10-14) lost his fifth straight decision despite pitching his fifth complete game of the season.

Indians 4, White Sox 3

CHICAGO — Roberto Alomar drove in two runs, and Ryan Drese won his first major league start Saturday as Cleveland beat Chicago.

Drese (1-0), called up from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day, allowed two runs and six hits in 52/3 innings. Juan Gonzalez and Ellis Burks added RBIs for the Indians, who've won 13 of 19 games.

Jose Valentin hit a two-run double and Royce Clayton continued his offensive surge with three hits. But Valentin also had two errors, and the White Sox stranded seven as they dropped 81/2 games back in the AL Central.

Angels 11, Twins 9

MINNEAPOLIS — Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer to get Anaheim started in the first inning then hit an RBI double in the ninth.

The Angels, who scored two runs in their previous 20 innings, scored in each of the first five innings to take an 8-3 lead and had a season-high 18 hits. But Minnesota rallied to take a 9-8 lead in the seventh.

Scott Spiezio led off the eighth with a single and later scored on Bengie Molina's groundout. The Angels won it with two runs in the ninth off LaTroy Hawkins (1-4).

Al Levine (8-8) pitched the eighth for the win and Troy Percival got three outs for his 37th save.

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Bellamy Eagle

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Project by Waterlog posted 10-06-2014 04:39 AM 790 views 0 times favorited 3 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Worked on this eagle based on the work of John Haley Bellamy of Kittery, ME (1836-1914). His carvings of eagles have fetched up to $650,000 at auction. Carved from basswood and mounted on a Bradford Pear slab. It was painted with some old oil paints we had laying around from my wife’s hobby from 20 years ago. I do not recommend this paint but I was cheaping out to save money. It took 2 weeks for the paint to dry. I applied walnut stain and then wiped it off to dumb down the bright colors and to antique the appearance, then sprayed on semi gloss poly urethane. My wife declared it “house worthy” so, it now resides on the wall in our living room.

-- LWB Waterlog

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#1 posted 10-06-2014 11:55 AM

What a wonderful piece of ART! You did a great job and I like the pop of color on it too!

Thanks for sharing and keep posting.

-- (the only thing in there she says is....tap on head..........tap..........tap..... saw dust) - James

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#2 posted 10-06-2014 02:21 PM

Very nice carving, and I agree with Woodman on the “pop of color”.

-- John C. -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." George Washington

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#3 posted 10-07-2014 12:37 AM

Thanks, enjoyed the carve and researching John H. Bellamy. We ended up going out to Portsmouth, NH to “Discover Portsmouth” Historical Society to see the exhibition where over 100 original Bellamy carvings were on display. This showing was connected to the new book “American Eagle, The Bold Art & Brash Life of John Haley Bellamy” by James A. Craig.

-- LWB Waterlog

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Makita 2040 Planer

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09-07-2010 05:09 AM

Topic tags/keywords: makita 2040 planer planer question

I am having trouble with my Makita 2040 planer “skipping” a cog, I think on the drive chain. A few years ago I purchased one new roller. (before I realized it is better to have them recovered) Solutions??

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US Navy Spoofs The Force Awakens with Kewl Video

With The Force Awakens coming out soon, so are the spoofs.  I have to agree with the folks at io9, the US Navy nails it.

Sea Wars Trailer

Yeah, they had the unfair advantage of having jets at their disposal but you must admit the mop2D2 is a creative touch.


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The Mission of the LWV Education Fund

The League of Women Voters Education Fund works to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues.

This video PSA was developed for the League by Discovery Communications as part of their Creating Change program.

After a sixteen year period in which there were no public presidential debates, the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) sponsored three presidential debates in 1976.

During the post World War II period, the League helped lead the effort to establish the United Nations and to ensure U.S. participation.

A statement from the Schenectady League is presented to the supervisors' meeting. From the Schenectady Gazette, Saturday, November 1, 1958.
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In 2016, our goals are very simple. We plan to: grow the vote, protect the vote and empower voters with information, through our nonpartisan voters’ guides and candidate forums and debates, and through our online tools— These three priorities stand on their own, but are they are also inextricably intertwined.

I come to the League with an appreciation of what this organization has accomplished over the past 95 years, a respect for the generations of those who worked, day in and day out, to encourage participation in the democratic process, and commitment to not only finish our first century as a strong organization, but to set it up for a successful second hundred years as well.


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FRIENDS (Music : Elton John / Lyrics : Bernie Taupin) Elton John I hope the day will be a lighter highway For friends are found on every road Can you ever think of any better way For the lost and weary travellers to go Making friends for the world to see Let the people know you got what you need With a friend at hand you will see the light If your friends are there then everything's all right It seems to me a crime that we should age These fragile times should never slip us by A time you never can or shall erase As friends together watch their childhood fly (Contributed by Bette Carl - April 2002)

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random thoughts... [25 Feb 2005|02:55am]
[ mood | weird ]

so this winter thing really needs to end because i'm going nuts! i feel like i'm an emotional schizophrenic. happy and hyper one second, blah and depressed the next, and randomly super pissed off! i don't know why? it's like taking the stereotypical definition of pms and making me be like that every day for way longer and 4-7 days. it sucks!

i know no one cares about this but i have been analyzing myself since a "reader" came into my work and pretty much told me exactly how i am.

i have decided i am like a tangled mass of string. i love change! i welcome it with open arms, however things like my boyfriend and somewhat of a daily rutine have become something that i dont want to change. so i thrive on change, but if i really did, i wouldn't have what i have now. make any sense?

also, i am seriously obsessed with my face and hair. i take like 2 hours getting ready in the morning cause i pick and pick and pick at what isn't perfect....yet i wear the same jeans and hoodies everyday everywhere and dont give a fuck if i look cute or pretty or anything. how can i be obsessive about my looks and not give a fuck at the same time?! i have no idea.

the finishing thought at the moment is how i am so pessimistic and optimistic often at the same time or one right after the other.

do i have some disorder that hasnt been discovered yet or as of now is unknown to me? or does everyone act like this?

jon's right when he tells me i think too much. still, where would we be if we didnt think? maybe i am cracking open another area of the 90% of our brains that we dont use....after all, humans have learned that what we can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality.

2 comments|post comment

T.S.R. (this shit rules!) [18 Jan 2005|01:53pm]
[ mood | blah ]

"All this living is just dying
If these are my friends, If this is my home
If this is how i spend my nights
How i communicate and demostrate a love of life
My eyes roll into the back of my head
If these are the last words that i've ever said
No i'm not, ready to die just yet..."

1 comment|post comment

bumper stickers [14 Jan 2005|02:46am]
[ mood | bored ]

so my friend said she saw a bumper sticker that said, "america bless god" on it. this made me think...was it ment to be ur tipical "god bless america" thing? was it saying "america...u need to bless ur god"? cause if that's the case that person is a dumbass. why should america bless god? we have rascism, sexism, global warming, G W Bush as president......why should anyone be blessing god for those things?! maybe it was a play on words b/c G W Bush has minor dyslexia (it's true). all i know is that the sticker involves america, blessing something, and god so it cant be good.

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blagh [13 Jan 2005|01:01am]
[ mood | bored ]

i'm so over these 2 things called winter and school. fuck that shit! who needs those things anyways unless ur a dork or a snowboarder...and lets face it, skateboarding and warm weather r SO where it's at.

1 comment|post comment

[02 Jan 2005|02:04am]
[ mood | bored ]

i cut my hair the other day....i like it. school starts this monday i think. that sucks. i'm so over school. why pay money and waste time to get a degree in something that u cant make a living out of in the first place? i should look into beauty school again.

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OWIE OWIE OWIE [17 Nov 2004|08:40am]
[ mood | nervous ]

i have to have surgery on fri. i am getting part of my gums cut out. so gnar! yuckies. i am scurred......someone come hold my hand.

2 comments|post comment

bored. [15 Nov 2004|02:25pm]
[ mood | lazy ]

How common are M_16's interests
piercings (105470)
tattoos (115729)
afi (83949)
donnie darko (52037)
johnny depp (76541)
skateboarding (57818)
bikini kill (13377)
halloween (36200)
interpol (20887)
iron maiden (13440)
le tigre (20577)
new order (11089)
queen (32920)
sigur ros (16037)
social distortion (11830)
the nightmare before christmas (19443)
the postal service (49187)
the ramones (28323)
tiger army (10264)
trainspotting (11636)
vnv nation (11715)
against me! (8628)
apoptygma berzerk (5955)
bane (7805)
bats (7350)
belle & sebastian (5541)
covenant (5122)
dinosaurs (6607)
freezepop (1231)
fruits (4435)
ice hockey (4819)
ladytron (9322)
milemarker (1092)
mogwai (8753)
murder city devils (2430)
orchid (3454)
pig destroyer (2459)
sahara hotnights (2121)
screeching weasel (3037)
sharks (3434)
the decemberists (4367)
the dismemberment plan (2570)
the locust (8922)
the rapture (6794)
the sounds (4929)
the young ones (3360)
barbeque sauce (121)
cheese toasties (58)
corey duffel (192)
organ (502)
the colour (116)
the discovery channel (913)
the paper chase (443)
tokyo fashion (31)
tony trujillo (116)
tracy + the plastics (498)
high contrast pictures (7)

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busy busy business..... [14 Nov 2004|05:16pm]
[ mood | good ]

-RIP to the ODB.

-Fashion show went WONDERFULLY!!!! pictures up......CHECK IT!

-i got five bucks today for filling out a survey at panera! how rad is that?!

-i also got a job at journeys which means no dress code, no shitty 4 hour close time, awesome co-workers, no hard work, not alot of pay, but i don't give a fuck! and my best friend works there too! shit yeah.

i'm out.

2 comments|post comment

trick or treat? [25 Oct 2004|02:17pm]
[ mood | sleepy ]

guys..what should i be for halloween????????????????????????????????????????? help me!

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.....fashion show..... [24 Oct 2004|10:29am]
[ mood | tired ]

break a bottle.

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[07 Oct 2004|01:40pm]
1 comment|post comment

[06 Oct 2004|03:26pm]
why is it that every year when The Faint come to town i have to have a night class??? why is it that 4 days before i turn 21 i get an offer to go to the VIP afterparty for the faint with the one stipulation being that i am 21 years of age to get in?!!!? i'm so fucking pissed and bummed. life is 95% unfair. the 5% being my good family and loving fiance.
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competely random thoughts [01 Oct 2004|07:49pm]
[ mood | bored ]

so i have decided that i have an obsession with this synth pop/electro band called freezepop. i mean COME ON!!!! even the name is good. they get me so pumped up!

i mean come on....think of these lyrics: "want to get from here to there, a bike can take me anywhere. it's not mine, but i don't care. i've had enough of playing fair. I AM A BIKE THEIF." with a hot beat and robotic vocals. so damn good. hahaha.

on a diff note. my b-day is in 9 days!!!! NINE. i will be 21 mother fuckers! and no, i am not gonna be the alcohol bitch. i am already the taxi bitch. and not even that anymore. fuck u guys that claim to be my friends, u aint gonna get no underage booze from this lass.

god i am bored.....i just want to see jon but i still have 2 hours. stupid UPS hours. i NEEEEED to see my hubby. ♥

FINALLY.....i was being harassed by a jesus freak in school yesterday all because he was doing something unholy by easdropping on my conversation and heard me say "jesus christ". and when he finally decided to shut up and leave, he said "god bless u". i felt like the exocist getting burning holy water thrown on me. it sucked hardcore. i hate preachers. there is no god u pathetic and sorry excuses for intelligent terestrial beings.

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i have a fiance!!! [27 Sep 2004|03:05am]
[ mood | excited ]

Tonight was a night that seemed to be like many other nights. Jon and I were out for a night on the town with our wonderful friends Sandra, Sarah, and Alex. We chilled and went out for a late night snack at Clarks. After, Jon and I went home where we held each other close, made love, and in an absolutely perfect moment, Jon asked me to be his wife. Of course, I said yes. It was the most wonderful and magical moment i have ever experienced. To everyone that doubted the strength of our relationship in the past.....go fuck yourself!

Megan & Jon <3

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LARD-ASS [22 Sep 2004|04:19pm]
[ mood | weird ]

so i got out of math class and decided to go to curves and exercise. it felt good. SOOOO GOOD that when i got home i decided to get myself a bowl of icecream and a bowl of spagettios w/meatballs. at least i know that if there is ever another ice age in my time, all i will have to do is grab a sweater and i should have enough insulation to survive hahaha. that sucks for those annorexic bitches that will die of hypothermia. anywho, i have to go get ready for my night class. YAY! time to learn about cetaceans AKA whales, dolphins, and pourposes (even though they r all whales.) woohoo.

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i never thought it would come to this.... [21 Sep 2004|04:23pm]
so i broke down out of boredom an dleft Blurty for "LJ". how much do i suck? lol. well, anywho. i am here now. HELLO TO U ALL. please help me feel welcomed so i dont think joining this was a waste.
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Madson hopes to join Angels' bullpen next week

HOUSTON -- Can Ryan Madson join the Angels' bullpen by the end of next week? That's the hope he expressed on Tuesday after an encouraging, aggressive, 20-pitch bullpen session off the Minute Maid Park mound.

It'll all depend on how he feels on Wednesday, and how his surgically repaired elbow reacts to facing hitters a second time around. But Madson is slated to pitch in extended spring training in Arizona later this week, and the 32-year-old right-hander wants to deploy a "super aggressive approach" that will have him facing hitters every other day.

The tentative plan, as relayed by Madson himself: Face hitters in Arizona on Thursday and Saturday, pitch in a Minor League game on Monday, then see how he feels. If he needs another outing, which he most likely will, he'll pitch on the following Wednesday. If not, he'll go straight to the big leagues.

Now, Madson has felt similarly close before. He felt really good after an April 16 bullpen in Minnesota, but when he faced hitters in a simulated game at Angel Stadium three days later, Madson experienced elbow tightness that kept him off the mound for two weeks.

Asked if there are any signs that it'll be different this time, Madson said: "There's more intensity being applied now than what was being applied then, as far as the hips and more thrust going through. And mechanically I'm a lot better now than I was even two weeks ago. That's helped, so that should take a lot of pressure off. I'm using my hips, using my legs a lot more; and just getting strength has helped me."

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Recalling '92, Astros ready to nail top pick

Recalling '92, Astros ready to nail top pick

Recalling '92, Astros ready to nail top pick
HOUSTON -- Phil Nevin watched the Astros play in the 2005 World Series and couldn't help but wish he could have been there alongside Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, a pair of longtime teammates who were getting their one and only chance to play in the Fall Classic.

Maybe if things had gone differently, Nevin could have shared the moment. Maybe if he would have listened to their advice about how to carry himself on and off the field, he could have been considered as much a part of Houston's baseball fabric as the iconic pair of Killer B's.

"I'm still buddies with Craig and Jeff and talk to them quite a bit, and it would have been pretty neat to have been their teammates for a long time and learn from them, especially early on in my career," Nevin said.

Nevin wound up appearing in just 18 games with Houston, which invested a lot of money and even more faith in taking the slugging third baseman from Cal State Fullerton with the No. 1 pick in the 1992 Draft. The Astros -- and four other teams -- passed up a lanky high school shortstop named Derek Jeter, whom the Yankees drafted with the No. 6 overall pick.

2012 Draft Central

Twenty years later, the Astros again have the No. 1 pick in the First-Year Player Draft and only have to look at their own history to see how much of an impact making the right choice can have on the future of a franchise. None of the teams that passed on Jeter 20 years ago has since won a World Series.

Jeter has anchored five World Series champions for the Yankees and will go down as one of baseball's greatest players. While Nevin wound up having a productive big league career -- he hit 208 homers for seven teams in 12 seasons -- he can't help but wonder if he would have had a better career had he fell in line in Houston.

"Everybody looks back and wishes something here and there would be different, but I really don't do that," said Nevin, the 41-year-old manager of the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate in Toledo, Ohio. "What I do say is, 'Gosh darn it, if I would have just listened to these guys a little earlier, it might have set in a little sooner and I would have been successful for a longer period of time.'"

Nevin's maturity problems, which included anger outbursts and run-ins with Astros management, played a part in his being dealt to the Tigers as the player to be named in exchange for pitcher Mike Henneman. Less than two years later, with Biggio and Bagwell anchoring the lineup, the Astros began a run of reaching the playoffs five times in a nine-year span, capped by their only National League pennant in '05.

"I was just somebody that was immature at the time," said Nevin, whose postseason experience was limited to three American League Division Series at-bats with the Twins in 2006. "You think you've got something figured out, and clearly I didn't. There's a big part of me that still looks back on that time and wonders what I was thinking. I made a lot of friends along the way and I learned a lot, but it really wasn't applied for me personally as a player until much later on.

"The things I learned from Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Darryl Kile -- the guys that were there when I came up -- those weren't things that just sunk in. I was a stupid kid that thought he had it all figured out."

The decision to take Nevin in the Draft was one that divided the Astros' baseball operations department. The team was coming off a 97-loss season in 1991 and was eager to get a player who was closer to being Major League-ready than Jeter, who was a favorite of Astros scout Hal Newhouser.

"We had come off that bad year in 1991 and had a .500 record that year in '92, and we felt like we were an improving ballclub and looking for players that would get to the big leagues more quickly," said Bill Wood, who served as the Astros' general manager for the 1988-93 seasons. "That was part of our thinking. We jammed him in there, and as a result, he struggled and the frustration probably overtook him."

Former Tigers Hall of Famer Newhouser, who passed away in 1998, was so upset the Astros passed on Jeter that he wound up quitting.

"Hal fell in love with [Jeter]," Wood said. "I think all of our scouts loved Jeter, but he was a high school player, and even with his talent we felt it would take some time before he got to the big leagues. That's the reason the scales tipped in Phil's favor. I'm suspecting some of the other teams between us and Yankees were thinking the same way."

Indeed. The Indians took University of North Carolina pitcher Paul Shuey at No. 2, the Expos selected Mississippi State's B.J. Wallace, a pitcher, at No. 3, the Orioles took Stanford outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds with the fourth pick and the Reds tabbed Central Florida outfielder Chad Mottola at No. 5.

"Looking back, the ballclub and organization would have been better off had we listened to Hal Newhouser, not succumbed to the pressure to get over the hump, and had taken Jeter," Wood said.

Fred Nelson was the Astros' director of player development in 1992, and is once again serving in that role after wearing different hats in the Houston organization for 27 years. He and Nevin cross paths quite a bit, and Nevin still reminds him how things could have been different.

"Phil was a good player and obviously turned out to be a pretty solid Major League player," Nelson said. "I think he was immature. He didn't really listen, and that's not an unusual case for a guy that was as good as he was. There were a lot of things people had to offer, not only in the Minor Leagues but also in the big leagues, and I think he resisted some of that."

The game can chew up players who don't have the maturity to handle everything that's thrown their way. If Nevin could offer some advice to this year's eventual No. 1 pick, it would be simple: Listen. Listen to the coaches, managers and veteran players you meet along the way.

"It's just a matter of respecting the game, [learning] how to handle yourself and go about things," Nevin said. "The physical stuff, that will take care of itself. There's so many things off the field that impact what you do on the field, whether it's in the clubhouse or how you go about your business. It just took me a long time to understand how hard the game was, how hard you've got to work at it and the respect you have to give it."

Brian McTaggart is reporter for and writes an MLBlog, Tag's Lines. Follow @brianmctaggart on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Pay-go redux: Can Obama rein in federal spending?

The President in his Saturday address says the country must get ready to go line by line in the federal budget to cut record deficits and make America stronger. But Republicans smell a trap: middle class taxes.

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President Barack Obama gestures while meeting reporters during the daily press briefing Tuesday Feb. 9 in the White House press briefing room in Washington.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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Days after presenting a budget that will create a record $1.56 trillion deficit this year, President Obama vowed Saturday to comb through future budgets line by line to forestall growing deficits that began under his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Legislation signed by Obama on Friday raises the federal debt ceiling from $12.4 trillion to $14.3 trillion but aims to rein in runaway federal spending by bringing back the “pay-go” rules of the 1990s – forcing lawmakers and the president to offset new spending with equal cuts elsewhere.

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“This isn’t a perfect world. This is Washington,” Obama said in his weekly Saturday radio address. “[Balancing budgets] falls prey to the pressure of special interests, to the pull of local concerns, and to a reality familiar to every single American – the fact that it is a lot easier to spend a dollar than save one.”

What about the debt ceiling?

Critics say Obama is being partisan if not disingenuous in talking about budget discipline even as he and the Democratic Congress just lifted the debt ceiling – ostensibly to save the economy – further beholding the nation to China, its chief lender.

After Obama’s statement last week that he’s “agnostic,” or unwilling to commit to an opinion, about middle class tax hikes, Republicans especially are worried that the president is signaling a willingness go back on his campaign promise to hold the line on middle class taxes in order to underwrite what they see as his overly-progressive agenda.

The share of federal debt owed by each American, as of this morning, amounted to $40,137.43. (Graph of Bush v. Obama deficit spending here.)

"With a simple stroke of his pen, President Obama now has the ability to continue his binge spending agenda to the tune of an additional $1.9 trillion, the largest one-time increase in our history," Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele told the Associated Press on Friday "Taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for the Democrats' fiscal irresponsibility."

Yet the president’s Saturday radio address follows a new, more conservative tack by the President as he’s engaging growing fears and anger among voters – as well as intraparty feuds over his handling of the economy and healthcare.

"It's easy to get up in front of the cameras and rant against exploding deficits. What's hard is actually getting deficits under control. But that's what we must do," Obama said in his radio address. "Now, Congress will have to pay for what it spends, just like everybody else.”

To be sure, the President’s message isn’t just to assuage angry voters.

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Wall Street worries

“Investors want to know [that] the White House is serious about fiscal responsibility, and failure to convince them could hit the dollar and bond markets,” Reuters reports.

The legislation, Obama said, is a return to the “common sense” pay-as-you-go rules of the 1990s, which created budget surpluses.

“It was the abandonment of this rule that allowed the previous administration and previous congresses to pass massive tax cuts for the wealthy and create an expensive new drug program without paying for any of it,” Obama said.

In a post titled “Bend it like Obama,” Jacob Sullum, of the conservative Human Events blog, writes: “Pressing Obama to confront the contradictions in his own proposal – between spending restraint and huge new subsidies, between amplifying and blocking price signals, between promoting choice and impairing competition – might not yield agreement. But it could produce a little clarity.”

David Sirota at the Coloradoan has the liberal take, saying that exempting military spending from budgetary discipline makes a mockery of the national debate.

“For 30 years, Republicans and conservative Democrats have precluded factual debates about spending priorities,” writes Mr. Sirota. “They've done this for three reasons: They seek to protect defense-industry campaign contributors; they fear an electoral backlash against cuts to mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare; and they are afraid to antagonize the wealthy with pragmatic tax legislation to shore up these mandatory programs.”

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