Thought for the day: The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. [George Graham]
This is the fourth, and final, post I'll be doing to depict the incredible loyalty of dogs. (At least for now.) No wonder they're called man's best friend, huh?
In the picture is our son Tony as a youngster, along with his Springer spaniel Dumpling, a super gentle dog, and a super duper Frisbee player.
Now, then, ready to look at our last batch of pictures?
There is no faith that has yet been unbroken except that of a truly faithful dog. [Konrad Lorenz]
This is a picture of our last dog, Buck. After Dumpling died, I was considering going to the shelter to find a Boxer to adopt, until one of the fellas on our bowling league told me his sad story. When he saw a van stop by the river, toss a puppy out the door, and then take off, he picked up the puppy and took it home with him. The problem was, he lived in an apartment, and his landlord gave him two choices: get rid of the dog, or move out.
So, he wanted to bring the pup over to our house. Just so I could meet him. Right. We ended up having that pup... and loving him... for almost seventeen years. Buck was the first pet I had to carry to the vet for that awful last visit. By that time, he could barely walk, couldn't see or hear very well, and had what I'd equate to dementia. Still, on that last trip to the vet, he and I stopped at the park for one last visit. I had to lift him out of the car, but he managed to walk to the bench, and he sat beside me, almost like old times. Seemed happy to be there, but it was almost as though he knew this would be the last time. So trusting. So loyal. Broke my heart. But it was the right thing to do.
And, dammit, I still miss him.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Uh-oh, my cats have been reading over my shoulder, and had a few choice words about all this dog talk. So, better give them a little loving here. Best cats ever! Okay, they're happy now. All they wanted is a little more respect from their staff.
Thought for the day: Contrary to popular opinion, Americans do NOT need a passport to visit New Mexico.
Here we go, back to our Yammy Fridays, as Laura likes to call 'em. Gonna shoot for every other week, I think, and we'll kick off with the next state on our alphabetical list... New Mexico, a place where (shhhh) you can ... really get high. Matter of fact, at 7000 feet above sea level, the state capital, Sante Fe, is the highest in the country. Yup, this state is trulyhigh and dry.Lakes and rivers only make up .002% of the state's total surface area. You ask, how dry is it? It's sooooo dry, 75% of the roads are unpaved. (No danger of roads washing away.)
As anyone who's followed the news about recent wild fires already knows, this state has a LOT of trees. A quarter of the state is covered with them, including seven national forests, the largest of which covers 3.3 million acres. Unfortunately, all those trees, coupled with dry conditions, equates to a long history of forest fires. In 1950, a bear cub found trapped in a tree after one of those fires became the iconic symbol for fire safety. Perhaps you've seen him before... he's known as Smokey the Bear.
If ya think about it, New Mexico has a split personality. Arrowheads ten thousand years old can be found on the same desert grounds where today's space age missiles are tested. The same state which hosts the International Space Hall of Fame also contains more than twenty-five thousand archeological sites and fourteen million acres of Navajo Indian reservations. State-of-the-art space age research is conducted by some of the most brilliant minds in the world, but the state residents aren't too stuffy to enjoy a festival celebrating the building (and eating!) of the world's largest enchilada, or to hosting duck races and World Shovel Racing Championships. See? Split personality. Which, in my opinion, makes the state all that much more interesting.
Okay, enough babbling. How about some pictures?
This is the Palace of Governors, built in 1610, and located in Sante Fe. Not sure why it's referred to as a palace, but it IS one of the oldest public buildings in the country. Interesting facts: by its constitution, New Mexico has two official languages. Also, to go along with that, two separate state songs, one in English, and the other in Spanish. (See? Split personality!)
The word Pueblo is used to describe a group of people, a town, and an architectural style. There are nineteen different groups, or tribes, of Pueblo Indians living in New Mexico, who speak four distinct languages. These mostly agrarian people have lived in their current locations longer than any other cultures in the nation. At left is a typical pueblo structure.
Thousands of bats call Carlsbad Caverns home. Don't let that keep you away, though. There's plenty of room left for visitors. The largest chamber in the caverns is more than ten football fields long, and twenty-two stories high. (Um, but better wear a hat. And boots. All that guano has to go somewhere ...)
INTERMISSION! Wanta see some ducks race?
Deming, New Mexico hosts these duck races every year.
On July 16, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb, designed and manufactured in Los Alamos, was detonated at the nearby White Sands Testing Range.
The sands of White Sands National Monument really ARE white. But they aren't actually SAND. Would you believe the massive desert is comprised of gleaming white gypsum crystals?
Not much rain splashes DOWN here, but every year, some gorgeous splashes of color go UP. Each October, Albuquerque hosts the world's largest hot air balloon fiesta, and hundreds of balloonists from all over the world participate.
We can't discuss New Mexico without mentioning the mysterious 1947 UFO incident in Roswell. First report at the time mentioned a strange "saucer" that had crashed. The next day, the crash was purported to be an errant weather balloon. Even so, rumors and questions about the incident, and the alleged secret dissection of aliens have persisted over the years. The people of Roswell know how to capitalize on the lingering interest, as evidenced by the UFO Museum right in the middle of town.
Okay, time to move on and see if the fine state of New Mexico is harboring any weird laws on their books. (In English AND Spanish!)
It's against the law for idiots to vote. (Who gets to judge?)
It's illegal to dance around a sombrero. (Guess they have to do the Mexican hat dance around a beanie, huh?)
State officials ordered four hundred words of sexually explicit material to be cut from Romeo and Juliet. (Yipes! No shades of gray there, huh?)
In Carrizozo, it's illegal for a female to go out in public unshaven. (Don't worry, ladies; those lovely locks on your head are safe. But the hairy legs and mustaches have got to GO!)
In Deming, home of the fun duck races, it's against the law to spit on the steps of the opera house. (If ya don't like their presentation of The Ugly Duckling, you'll simply have to find some other way to express your displeasure.)
It's also illegal in Deming to hunt in the Mountain View Cemetery. (Probably don't stand a ghost of a chance of bagging anything lively there, anyhow.)
In Los Cruces, you're either gonna have to hide your favorite Lone Ranger lunch box, or stick to the back roads. It's against the law there to carry a lunch box down Main Street.
And last, in Raton, it's illegal for a woman to ride a horse down a public street while wearing a kimono. (No problem. By golly, go Godiva!)
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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Time for (ta-DA!)
The Weirdest News Stories of the Week
*** We all love our pets, but what do you do for your dog when he needs a little extra pampering, or when's he's feeling a little (ahem) amorous? Do you make your mutt muddle through on his own, hopping fences and running the neighborhood in search of l'amour, rutting around in the back yard like an ... animal... desperately humping your next door neighbor's leg? There IS another way. If you happen to live in Brazil. Fabiano Lourdes and his sister Daniela are opening Animalle Mundo Pet in Belo Horizonte this week, an eight-story, one-million dollar enterprise with, among other things, an entire floor dedicated to ... doggie trysts. Soon, for the mere sum of fifty dollars, you can provide your four-legged Romeo with a dimly-lit room with red cushions on the floor and a heart-shaped mirror on the ceiling. But, wait! There's MORE! This pet love hotel also offers a canine fitness center, and special party rooms, where your favorite pooch can celebrate his birthday in style. Oh yeah, and a gift shop, too, offering such memorable trinkets as a thousand-dollar Swarovski crystal dog collar. Wow. Sure gives a whole new meaning to going to the dogs, doesn't it?
*** It's possible that Triberg, Germany Mayor Gallus Strobel was only trying to drum up a little publicity for his town, but whatever his motives, he's getting it. It seems the spaces in a new car park there are designated as being either male or female. The spots are spacious and well-lit for the women, and a bit more challenging for the men: smaller, not nearly as well-lit, and located near concrete pillars. Plus, the only way to get into those male slots is by backing into them. The mayor doesn't understand all the hoopla. He says it was a natural decision, because, "men are better at parking than women". I'm sure the women in his little town don't mind. Nope, they don't mind a bit ...
*** I dunno. Maybe she asked for a divorce seventy-five years ago, and he just wasn't listening? Maybe he chewed with his mouth open, or kept pooping all over the floor. Heck, maybe he was just too damned slow for her. Whatever the reason, after 115 years together, giant tortoise Bibi was evidently DONE with her longtime mate Poldi. She ran (?) after him, and bit off a chunk of his shell. Zookeepers at the Austrian zoo, shocked by the unprecedented behavior, said, "We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other any more." So after just a mere115 years of turtle love, the mister has moved out to his own bachelor cage. Such is life in a fishbowl... or turtle cage. Hmmm, I wonder if they had a prenup-shell agreement?
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Thought for the day: I think the world is run by C students. [Al McGuire]
Good parents give their children guidelines all the time, and in general, those dos and don't dos are meant to protect our little ones. Don't play with fire. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't interrupt Mommy when she's reading a book, and for Heaven's sake, leave Dad alone when the football game's in overtime. You get the idea.
But how about our governments? Just how great a job are they doing at looking out for our welfare? And how bright are our world leaders? Ayn Rand said, The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, make them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.
Intriguing thought, eh? I'm not saying I agree with her, but governments around the world certainly have placed a ban on a host of unusual things. Not sure how bright they are, either. You've probably heard of the ol' Banned in Boston stigma, but have you heard of any of these bans:
How about a ban against small boobs? Well, not exactly, but that's how it's playing out. According to the Australian government, there's no place in porn flicks for small breasts. Not saying they're all lecherous fans of gigantic tatas, (not saying they aren't, either) but the law gives the Australian Classification Board the right to ban any adult film that they believe depicts a woman who may be less than eighteen years of age. Makes sense to put the kibbosh on kiddie porn, but the end result of this ban is that movies are being banned based solely on the size of an actress' cup size. Who cares if the ol' gal has wrinkles? Them thar boobs are too danged small!
Since most game consoles are made in China, it seems a bit bizarre that it's against the law to actually SELL the consoles there. In 2000, the government decided young people were spending entirely too much time playing, when they should be working. Not sure how effective this ban has proven to be at getting the kiddies into more industrious pursuits, though, because plenty of non-console games are still readily available for sale within the country.
Talking about video games, for a while, all video games were taboo in Greece. The ban started at the beginning of 2002, in a well-intentioned attempt to rid the country of gambling machines. Unfortunately, the law was written in such broad terms, it essentially outlawed all video games. However, the ban was declared unconstitutional by the end of that year.
You must obey the law always, not only when they grab you by your special place. [Vladimir Putin]
Here's another lulu. The Chinese government put a ban on reincarnation without prior consent. Kinda reminds me of the joke I hung on the lab wall back in the '60s that listed a bunch of bogus workplace rules. One was that you had to give two weeks' notice before dying. (Believe it or not, one of my co-workers thought it was for real, too.) Anyway, this ban is an attempt to establish control over the Tibetan Buddhists, including the Dalai Lama.
I used to think Denmark was a bastion of liberalism. Not so much. Would you believe they have the strictest child-naming guidelines in the world? Parents must either select names from a government-approved list, or seek special permission for an exception. (Guess there's no Ima Hogg there, huh?)
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant, and a fearful master. [George Washington]
Jasmine is a lovely flower, isn't it? Smells wonderful, too. But this delicate, sweet-smelling flower is banned in China. Following the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, the Chinese government not only banned the flower from their country, but also any song about the flower, or any use of the word in a text message.
Because the government of Saudi Arabia considers the celebration of Valentine's Day to be a violation of Muslim beliefs, all florists and gift shops must remove everything red or symbolic of romance from their shelves prior to the holiday, and are banned from selling any such items to their would-be customers. But Cupid refuses to be denied. Lovers can buy red roses and other romantic goods through a thriving Valentine's Day black market... for a mere six times their usual value.
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. [Thomas Paine]
Iran, like many other countries in the Middle East, wants to curb the spread of what they perceive as Western decadence. To that end, many Western haircuts are banned. There is actually a list of government-approved haircuts. To be sure, the one in this picture would be taboo. Ditto, mullets, ponytails, and spikes.
Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. [Ronald Reagan]
So, whatcha think? What's the oddest ban YOU ever heard of? Or better yet, what do you think SHOULD be banned? Salespeople who know absolutely nothing about the product they're trying to sell you? Those annoying robot telephone calls? Calls made for technical assistance that are routed to some other country, where the helper obviously doesn't have a firm grasp of your language? Products that fall apart two days after the warranty expires? Something else? Do tell.
As for me, I'll wear my hair however I darned well please.
Fear not. Even if Big Brother is getting too big for his britches... he'll be exposed in the end.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other
[The info in this post was gleaned from a 2011 article written by Jill Harness, entitled, 11 Things You Won't Believe Governments Have Banned.]
