My Trip to the Wine Store 

See, I told you it was hot

I recently heard that a bear wandered into a fancy pool in an LA suburb.
I wish that I could take matters into my own hands the way this bear did. Do bears have thumbs or are they just better at these things than I am?

From wire reports:

Authorities cordoned off the area as wildlife officials tranquilised the bear... The animal was then released into the Santa Susana Mountains.

"It looks like it's possibly in heat. She probably just made a wrong turn and ended up in a neighbourhood."

I'm glad that I don't go "into heat." Apparently, it's not a pretty sight and not a wonder that she got confused. I think more and more, as humans continue to build closer and over and through wildlife habitats, we're going to have more and more situations such as these. If the humans can't learn to share the land with their fellow creatures (like they do with me), we'll end up with more tragedies than happy endings. Last Saturday, a mother bear and her two cubs wandered into a home, and the owner shot the mother to scare her off. Fish and game wardens later found momma bear dead in her den and captured one of the cubs.

Humans tend to love living near nature and among "cute things" only up until the point in which they become an inconvenience to them. A BBC report puts it in a better way:

Of all the wild animals to plonk itself in a human setting, the bear appears to be most at home, thanks in large part, to our tendency to anthropomorphise the creature. Yogi, Pooh, Paddington, Fozzie, and, of course, everyone's starting point, teddy... through the prism of human sentimentality, bears have become part of the family.

Theories abound as to what's causing this potentially worrying influx - worrying because wild animals tend not to live up to their cute and cuddly image.

Some blame the profusion of fast food outlets, their half eaten meals, scattered around streets, are easy pickings for such animals, as they are for dogs and birds.

One common theory is that wild animals are not so much encroaching on us, as we on them. The seemingly inexorable urban sprawl is beginning to eat into foxes' natural habitat.

Alternatively, it could all be down to the perennial popularity of picnic baskets and marmalade sandwiches.

Again, in urban Britain, they are only now looking at the recent scurge of deer and grey squirrels, "slowly venturing into the bright lights of town." My god - deer play on our sidewalks here in the States, and grey squirrels jump out of trees and attack you when they get bold. My Mom told me of a time at University when squirrels would hide behind trashbins and pounce when co-eds passed by with a bag of biscuits. They even squeal! Really!

Momma C has been trying to convince Momma B not to feed the squirrels anymore because they are getting too bold and eating our outdoor furniture. They already shredded our chair pillows to get the stuffing for nests. Momma B has, of course, found a botanical solution ("hot pepper sauce") to spray on the furniture (I can't wait to see how this works.) We'll let you know how it goes. And if we ever get a pool, I'll personally send you an invite.

(Don't you think that LA bear looks a little like yours truly?)

Dumbing Down the News

I no longer wonder why major media outlets seem to miss the real stories. I know it's a combination of cowardice and greed. I say "Cowardice" because they don't want to step on any toes or have to kowtow to the mega-conglomerates that own them. (Of course, they could always accidentally make things worse while trying to do the right thing, a la CBS's fraudulent Bush documents or Newsweek's Quran flushing story). I mention "Greed" since the major media acts in ways that will give them the most profit, the most viewership. They can't upset corporate sponsors. They need to have the local sensational stories to keep the viewers.

Of course, I can't put all of this on the news organizations, right? If folks started demanding better coverage we would get it. We can't all really need to know about that "secret something in your house that might be killing you. News at 11!" But I can't tell you how many times I hear people say they don't watch the news because it's "too depressing" or because "politics is stupid." These people just tune out completely and would much rather watch women duke it out for a husband or see the "fearless" fall from a skyscraper on purpose or eat pig testicles.

I've said this too many times already... As a dog, I cannot vote. I cannot eat when I want to. I cannot use the toilet when I want to(not unlike a prisoner in central prison or Guatanamo, but I get to keep my dignity). But no one has taken away my will and right to think. There are soooo many folks out there with the freedom to watch, write, do whatever they want to. They have the economic means and are privileged enough to live free (and, no, I do not think it un-patriotic to not want our government to go abroad and kill for such freedom...) But what do these folks do with their un-leashed freedom? Nothing. It is squandered. It burns me up! (And I really am a pretty easygoing pup.) This must be why I chew things up and all my hair is falling out!

So here, I'll help out with a "missed" news item: Somewhere between American Idol and the Star Wars: Episode III opening, feisty British MP George Galloway was brought in to testify before a Senate Committee for alleged participation in the UN oil-for-food program. Watch a video clip from Galloway's testimony at Information Clearing House. It seems Sen. Coleman got a bit o' a tongue lashin' from the Scot. Notice how he stares straight at the Senate committee and uses no notes. It's pretty awesome.

That said, my Moms did go to see Revenge of the Sith at its ungodly midnight opening - reliving childhood days where one could still possibly do that on a school night and not be completely useless for three days. The film was apparently as expected. The Voice has a good review. Line of the night:

Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader: If you are not with me, then you're my enemy.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Apparently, this brought cheers to a liberal New York audience sensing a hidden dig.

Dog out.

Removing Ads

It have just noticed that the ads randomly generated by Google were predominantly selling puppies!!! I am so appalled and very, very sorry. I am anti-puppy mill. (Some were even selling on Ebay!)

I am in the process of removing the ads from this blog. If any remain, I am truly sorry.

-Toby

Hotter than a dog's...

It's getting hot again. When I woke up this morning and demanded out, it was still really pretty and breezy. But I just came back from a walk around the neighborhood, and it's starting to get yucky. What was that, four days of perfect weather? I suppose the Dog Days of Summer are upon us!

Again, I must apologize for not keeping up with this; I know my fans await my every word, right? Not enough talking dogs out there to satisfy the need.

So I said I'd post a shot of me in the mountains.
I guess you can't really see the mountains...
 

Oh, and please visit Three Durham Dogs movie to see the real results of the papal conclave.

Pulling my weight

I just read on the BBC website that there's a dog in England that's being trained to sniff out skin cancer. How about that?!? Apparently, the dog can already sniff out bladder cancer. I'm certainly not pulling my weight around here.

2005/05/05 07:15:54 GMT
Daisy, an 18-month-old Labrador bred at kennels in Marden, west Kent, is working for the Buckinghamshire-based charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. The organisation has been working with health professionals in Bucks and has already found evidence that dogs can be trained to sniff out bladder cancer. Two years ago the charity became involved in research led by the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The project found evidence that dogs could detect bladder cancer from distinctive smells in sufferers' urine. Now Daisy's nose is being trained to pick up cancerous cells on skin pads from people with suspected cancer.
Trainer Claire Guest said Labradors can be used now the research has become more advanced. "The first study we used a whole range of different breeds and types because we wanted to just do a pilot study to see whether the dogs could do the job.
We're now using traditional working breeds like Labradors."

Well, I can sniif out treats just fine, so I don't think it would be too hard for me to learn something more useful, right?

I get to go up to the mountains tomorrow (although I have to stay at a boarding resort away from my moms while I'm up there for a couple nights). But I will get to see the mountains and play in the streams!! I'll bring pictures back if I can.

What a day! 
(And I promise, I'll get back to hard-hitting commentary once I relax and Momma C gets a break from school.)