Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Pet Shoppe Pic of the Week



Female Wire Fox Terrier

This bundle of energy is waiting for a good home and a big yard. Always a sweetheart, affectionate and loves to play fetch, loves to run, and always ready with a joyful greeting. You can find more info at
The Pet Shoppe.

Breed Information:

Breed Group: Terrier

Weight: male: 17-19, female: 15-17 lbs

Height: 15.5 inches

Color(s): white should predominate (brindle, red, or liver markings are objectionable)

Coat: The Wire Fox Terrier has a broken coat giving the coat a shaggy type appearance. The hair of this breed should twist, and always have longer hair on the muzzle, giving him a beard. The coat of this breed should never be soft or silky and should always remain harsh and wiry. The beard of this breed is the most noticeable, and most likely requires the most maintenance.

Overview: The Wire Fox Terrier has been used for many hunting activities, the most common being hunting foxes in England. This breed would harass the fox out of his hole by biting and snapping. The Wire Fox Terrier has also been used for ratting on occasion and has done exceptionally well. This breed can also excel in many different activities such as, hunting, watch dogging, as an alarm dog, agility, tracking, and also performing tricks which he is known for.

Character: Being a terrier, this breed is very lively and energetic making him a joy to be around. The Wire Fox Terrier will always liven up the room. A great sense of humor and a very loving companion, this breed can also be wary of strangers so proper socialization is a must. The Wire Fox Terrier has a very fun loving and energetic personality making him very popular among families, but the owner should always do their research to be sure that this lively dog is right for their environment and lifestyle.

Temperament: The Wire Fox Terrier is very friendly and alert. This breed does make a good alert dog, but does not do well as a guard dog. The Wire Fox Terrier can do well around children, but if around smaller children, he should always be supervised as this breed has the tendency to snap when irritated or pestered. The Wire Fox Terrier generally doesn't do well around other pets and should never be trusted around smaller and more passive animals. If socialized and trained properly at an early age, this breed can do well around other dogs and lose the tendency to be combative and aggressive towards them.

Care: The Wire Fox Terrier does not require much grooming, however brushing is necessary. Stripping of the coat is required for show dogs, however can be done less frequently if not used for these purposes. Hand plucking of the coat may be necessary to remove dead hairs but should only be performed by an experienced groomer. The Wire Fox Terrier has a much longer beard along his muzzle which should be brushed and cleaned every other day to prevent caking, matting, and dirt. Washing with a mild soap and brushing with a fine-toothed comb will prevent this.

Training: The Wire Fox Terrier is very lively and can be independent making training at an early age very important. This breed loses interest quickly and should have a firm and consistent handler. Making training a game and fun will be sure to keep this dogs interest. The Wire Fox Terrier should have an experienced handler, as they can be very stubborn and willful. If the proper techniques are not performed, this breed will be very difficult to train and become somewhat of a tyrant.

Activity: The Wire Fox Terrier loves exercise and is very active. This breed can do well without a yard, however due to the energy, at least a small yard would be best. This breed does remarkably well running along side a bike, and loves long jogs with his owner. The Wire Fox Terrier does best in a home with a fenced in yard as they love to run and chase, however the fence should always be reinforced in some way and should always be at least 6 feet in height to prevent escape.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Heroes

A special tribute to those who volunteered to rescue and care for some of the most important family members, collectively.

Also important to remember that nearly every city is still just as unprepared in should a disaster like this occur.... Are you ready for the unthinkable? Always have your pet carriers handy, food, water, and a personal escape plan. You just never know...

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Videos and MLS Rants

Hmmm.... I haven't quit writing. Just haven't written as much for some time now, and haven't been posting them. I'm still writing. Still writing. Occasionally.

Since I've got my camera I've been more into the photography thing. Got some pics I'm planning to submit to a few magazines. Some outdoor animal portraits I'm wanting to send to Dog Fancy. Maybe they'll accept them, maybe they won't.

Also I've been into the video thing. Since the new camera has a video feature as well. Getting them uploaded on a site called YouTube has been a frustrating experience though, to say the least. A learning experience at best. What editing program to use, what works, what doesn't. What type of files are compatable. For weeks I was driving myself crazy whenever I uploaded because each time major parts failed to be included and the video itself would be shortened. Compressed in such a way that the audio was all messed up and, well it just seemed the best parts ended up being sacrificed. But now, but now... I've made a breakthrough. Mwahahahaha! So watch out people, Bailey could be on a rampage and out of control with the video thingy here.

Speaking of things out of control. What the hell is up with Major League Soccer? As if it wasn't bad enough already, now its seems the entire league has lost its collective mind. First there was the Kansas City Wizards (my hometown team, btw) unceremoniously dumping Tony Meola, without notifying him. That was at the beginning of last season. Then finally he was offered a place with the NY/NJ MetroStars (my second favorite team) in time for the new season and Mo Johnston (also a longtime KC Wizard) was offered a coaching position with the same team after retiring as a player. So, all was right with the MLS. Not for long, because at the beginning of THIS season, when I anxiously tuned in to watch the MetroStars play their first game, I find out that there IS no longer a team called the MetroStars. Some energy drink company had bought the team and from this point forward one of my favorite teams will be known as the New York Red Bulls. Can they do this? Apparently so, because they did. Why? Because they can. The corporate powers that be have decided to play hardball with the fans. With the fans? Its more like "against" the fans.

I had a hard time accepting the name change... in fact I'm still calling them the MetroStars. But as if that wasn't enough, the league has still been making some pretty idiotic decisions of late. Here it is mid-season and they've replaced coach Mo Johnston with this Bruce Arena guy, because of a losing streak... rather than wait till the end, they schedule a mid-season replacement so not only do the players have to deal with a lack of wins, they also have to deal with getting used to a new coach, who know what else. That's not gonna change it to a winning season. Geez! Now goalkeeper Meola is out with a staff infection and hasn't been playing the last few games.... but the timing leads me to wonder if it really is a staff infection. Remember, those two played on the same team for ten years (the Wizards.) I can imagine the level of fed-upness. Meola walks off the team.

Allmighty Corporation: "Well, what are we gonna tell people?" Meola: "Tell 'em I have a staff infection and will be out indefinitely."

Ok. We'll see what happens with Saturday's game between the Wizards and the team previously known as MetroStars.

What a surprise. The Kansas City coach has been replaced for the same reason.

And who decided it was a good idea to give up New York's star player to Denmark? Bad, bad, bad!

In other words, "soccer be goin' crazy!" And this time it's not necessarily a good thing.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Where Have all the Def Poets gone?

Wow... Georgia Me, Poetri, Lemon, Black Ice, Stacyanne Chin, and Beau Sia all in one place. Actually there's more. About 300 more, right here:



Internet Broadcast - Poetry & SpokenWord 24/7
Eadons Place
They've also have an event planned for October 14, The MidAtlantic Poetry Festival... So check it out!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

A Sunday Storm

Wow, I finally got this thing redone to where it uploaded halfway decent this time... Watch all the way through and listen for the special poetry appropo of the weather!

Friday, July 14, 2006