Be humble

The P.E.I. government has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to help plan long-term care homes in Charlottetown and Summerside.

Interesting.  Watch which consultant is selected.  Then watch which consultant, the selected consultant hires.

OK - I hurt my back.  Instead of doing what a wise man you do, I went for a motorcycle ride yesterday.  Result - I am pretty much disabled.  ...and so, a double dose of prescribed nar-cot-ics.  Whew, took care of the pain, but left me in an, er, altered state.  Herself, never missing an opportunity to mess with my head, suggested that I go to youtube and search for ‘salad fingers’.

May I suggest you do the same.

Last weekend, I spend a lot of time at the Charlottetown dog show.  I observed to Herself that it seemed there were less professional handlers and more people who just loved their dogs.  I watched one guy who was showing his massive and intimidating dog sit at ring side while his dog climbed into his lap and happily licked his face.  Another woman was cradling her dog in her arms as the dog got used to all of the unaccustomed activity around him.  A young boxer approached me and slurped my hand until his owner pulled him away.  Kids were showing their dogs - just for fun.   Dax came out of the obedience ring with her leash in her mouth and bounced up and down in excitement.  Herself was grinning despite the fact that Dax did not qualify.  When Roschka did well in confirmation, there was a group of people waiting to congratulate Herself, Rosch, and our handler.  People were having fun and dogs were having fun.

I feel sorry for people who do not share their lives with companion animals.  Both Rob and CG have commented on dogs - and snips from something they each wrote follow:

From Rob:

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life—like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?’ The Six-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.’

From CG:

Yet, I Love Them. They make me happy with their goofy, unconditional adoration. And when I massage Juno’s bad leg, he is so happy and grateful.
And I made a contract with each and every one of them: I will Love You Forever. It’s not your fault someone abandoned you. And I will love you, now. And I will.
A lot of people don’t understand that stupid contract. But I do.
And so does my husband.

Premier Robert Ghiz has passed along his congratulations to newly appointed Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea.  Mr. Ghiz has said:

I look forward to working with Minister Shea and hope that she will effectively represent the interests of Islanders in Ottawa.

I share Mr. Ghiz’s hope that Minister Shea will represent the interests of Islanders in Ottawa.  I also hope she will represent the interests of Islanders in Prince Edward Island.

On occasion, I have disagreed with Rob (on many topics), and we have debated our opinions here.  I expect we will have opportunity to disagree in the future, but Rob got it right with this one.  It is very sound advice which regretfully few will take.

..in German Shepherd circles.  OK, I know I do go on about this breed, but indulge me a bit.  The German Shepherd is an amazing example of Canine breeding.  For the most part, the breed has remained true to it’s purpose.  They are a wonderful family companion animal, devoted and loyal to their owners and worthy of consideration my anyone who has the commitment and interest in a larger breed dog.  They are first and foremost, a working breed.  These dogs are not Fifi the poodle - they are bred to work as Shepherds and as well, police and military.

This weekend was the annual Charlottetown dog show.  As usual, it is a good gathering and a great place for people to visit if they are considering getting a dog.

We have been hearing from the judges clinics, that they are looking for a more generic show dog.  One who prances, keeps ears upright and has a high arched neck.  This is not the working German Shepherd and runs the risk of changing the breed.  Watch any working Shepherd as they do what they are bred to do.  It is none of what the judges are looking for.  How sad - people will start breeding for what judges want, instead of keeping this noble breed pure.

There will be no Fifi the Poodle in our pack!

A friend reports on an encounter with fellow travellers as he travels through the Nevada desert.  What is the first thing that comes to mind?

Drum roll please - as many gathered to listen with mouth agape at the announcement of the new and enlightened Provincial Government policy on wind generation.  Please - smart person,  please - explain to me just what the the heck was announced.  As far as I can tell, the announcement was, er, wind!  About the only think I can figure out from this announcement is that we are going to throw our lot with Maritime Electric - allowing that appendage of the well known benevolent and generous minded company Fortis, to transport electricity to the mainland.

..and while we are staring at the ceiling, I still want to know where the $400,000,000 went - this despite the assurance from Minister Brown that he still has the $125,000,000 extra in some sort of trust account.  Oh, wait - we are not supposed to talk about that, are we?

..and..I just had this great idea - I will get back to you after I apply for a $100,000 grant and a $300,000 loan (which I do not have to repay) - yup, I will get back to you on this.

Meanwhile, by Gawd, we are going to have high speed Internet for every soul in Paradise.  Far more important than having roads fit to drive on and medical care for those that need it.

...in Bub.  It started with a pesky earache - visit to the Doc for other matters and commented on pesky sore ear.  He peered into the offending orifice and pronounced it fine.  He then asked how my neck was - my reply was that it had been bothering me all Summer. 

It appears that I have a damaged nerve.  The treatment is narcotic pain relievers (yeehaaa) or acupuncture.  Thus, long before daylight yesterday, I made my way to Summerside to see Dr. Ruth Pang, MD for acupuncture treatment.

Dr. Pang took my history, examined me and then I was told to recline on her table.  The first needle was places squarely in the top of my head.  “Move your head, Bub”, she said.  I did - no pain.  Gone - completely.  I don’t mean it was reduced - I mean it was completely and instantly gone.  That needle was followed by two in one hand, one in the other hand, one or two in each foot and one on the inside of each knee.    I was left to allow my energy to become balanced and to practice deep breathing.  15 minutes later the needles were removed.  This was followed by some sort of tuning fork sound therapy.

Quite amazing.  The pain did gradually return and by evening I would subjectively describe it as 25% reduced.  The relief is still present this morning.  I will be going to Dr. Pang twice a week for two weeks and probably once a week for another two weeks.  I am expecting that each visit will provide for longer lasting relief.  The cost is $55 per visit.

As I observed following Que’s visits for acupuncture with Dr. Ortenberger, I did feel and overwhelming fatigue following treatment.  I am told this is quite common.

By the way - my family Doc describes Dr. Pang as a miracle worker.

Breath..breath..breath..  Keep yourself in balance ..Ooooommmm.

Highly recommended.

In honour of Vanity Fair’s 25th anniversary, the magazine’s editors flexed their list-making muscles to determine the 25 best of everything—from book covers and documentaries to parties and political one-liners. Herewith, the top 25 news photographs

Caution - some these images are very disturbing.