Girl Scout hopes to get cookies to troops serving overseas
Staff report
Tuesday January 22, 2008
Martinsville
Cookies and Kool-aid.
That's what one Morgan County Girl Scout thinks troops overseas need, as the cookie season sales get underway for the year.
Tulip Trace Troop 391 member Molly Dirrim is selling Girl Scout cookies and hopes people will buy 300 boxes to send to Indiana National Guard Troops overseas in April. They might even include some Kool-aid to go with the tasty treats.
"We thought it would just be nice to send them," Molly Dirrim said. "Kool-aid and cookies are a good combination."
The Martinsville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1257 has offered to pay for the postage to send the cookies to Iraq, which is where members of B Co., 1-151, headquartered in Martinsville, are expected to deploy to later this year.
This is not the first time soldiers overseas have received care packages from the Dirrim family, according to Molly's mother, Bobbie. Bobbie said they have been sending care packages that include food and cards and letters of support to troops with family ties through their church. Most recently they sent a package to a solider who grew up in the Center Grove area.
"We just kept asking for people, and his name came up," Bobbie Dirrim said. "We always ask for soldiers that don't have much family to send our packages to. They like the food too, but they really love the letters and the pictures in the package."
Cookie sales for the Girl Scouts will continue until March 10, and are available through any Girl Scout, or they will be available at several locations around Martinsville.
"A person can buy a box for themselves and one for a solider," Molly Dirrim said.
Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
5 Web-comics
PC World
Friday, January 4, 2008; 1:19 AM
Let's face it: Most newspaper comic strips are pretty dull, rehashing, over the past few decades, the same formulas (and often the same characters). That's why comics connoisseurs have been turning to the Internet, where artists can create and publish works that are a little edgier, a little quirkier, and much, much funnier. Here are five favorites. (Click on the images to see them full-size.)
Gamer humor can sometimes be obscure to outsiders, but despite the name of Scott R. Kurtz's strip,PvP(it stands for "player vs. player"), specialized knowledge isn't required to have a good time. The staff of the fictitious PvP Magazine should be recognizable to anyone who has had even minimal exposure to geek culture. Three examples areBrent, who is such a Mac diehard he annoys even other Mac diehards;Francis, a teenager who's never entirely sure if games or girls are more important; andScratch Fury: Destroyer of Worlds, a super-intelligent cat bent on world domination. Throw in occasional appearances from the cartoonist'sfather, and you've got a winner.
Chris Harding is a funny guy. I know this because I've watched his animated cartoonsLearn Self DefenseandMake Mine Shoeboxmore times than I can count, and I still laugh like an idiot every time. Earlier this year Harding turned his considerable skills in illustration, observation, and sarcasm to a strip called  We the Robots, which gives us a world where life evolved from the mechanical, and yet is frighteningly familiar. We the Robots mines the kind of soul-crushing territory that's familiar to Peanuts fans, but his cute, big-headed creations are (mostly) grown-up and share our experiences...or the worst of them, anyway. Laugh so you don't cry? More like laugh so you don't wail in despair.
PhD Comics
After surviving just enough higher education to finally get out of school, why in the world would anyone go through graduate studies? According toPhD Comics, that way lies not only madness, butindifferent advisors,interdepartmental rivalries, anexcess of sugary snacks, and, eventually, a trip to thereal world. ("PhD" is also short for "Piled High and Deeper.") Creator Jorge Cham, who has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, knows the graduate world well enough to make fun of everything and everyone in it. He also goes on the road to different universities, where real grad students confirm the misery he depicts, but also remind him (and us) of the reasonswhy they chose to study their fields in the first place.
Let us briefly recount the history of ninjas in black and white comics: In the late 1980s, ninjas were extremely cool. But soon, ninjas were utterly played out. How could this have happened to the dark assassins of the night? That's easy--comic creators made them all mystical and superserious, but forgot about the sheer, simple awesomeness of ninjas. Chris Hastings has not forgotten. The Adventures of Dr. McNinja features a dry, absurdist tone similar to The Tick, but Hastings has generously thrown in pirates, zombies, robots, bears, robot bears, Dracula, and a (repeatedly) resurrected Benjamin Franklin. Nice.
If you like Robot Chicken, you'll be delighted to find that The Perry Bible Fellowship has three things in common with the Adult Swim TV show: (1) The title doesn't tell you anything about the work. (2) The strip uses and subverts many images that are familiar from childhood. (3) No matter how innocuously a strip starts, by the final panel you'll find some kind of horrible (but strangely hilarious) life-or-death struggle...or a joke that ten-year-olds would snicker at. Really, it can go either way. Creator Nicholas Gurewitch uses traditional tools (you know, like pencils and stuff) to create images that are gorgeous, garish, or somewhere in between to transport his readers into his fever dreams.
Friday, January 4, 2008; 1:19 AM
Let's face it: Most newspaper comic strips are pretty dull, rehashing, over the past few decades, the same formulas (and often the same characters). That's why comics connoisseurs have been turning to the Internet, where artists can create and publish works that are a little edgier, a little quirkier, and much, much funnier. Here are five favorites. (Click on the images to see them full-size.)
Gamer humor can sometimes be obscure to outsiders, but despite the name of Scott R. Kurtz's strip,PvP(it stands for "player vs. player"), specialized knowledge isn't required to have a good time. The staff of the fictitious PvP Magazine should be recognizable to anyone who has had even minimal exposure to geek culture. Three examples areBrent, who is such a Mac diehard he annoys even other Mac diehards;Francis, a teenager who's never entirely sure if games or girls are more important; andScratch Fury: Destroyer of Worlds, a super-intelligent cat bent on world domination. Throw in occasional appearances from the cartoonist'sfather, and you've got a winner.
Chris Harding is a funny guy. I know this because I've watched his animated cartoonsLearn Self DefenseandMake Mine Shoeboxmore times than I can count, and I still laugh like an idiot every time. Earlier this year Harding turned his considerable skills in illustration, observation, and sarcasm to a strip called  We the Robots, which gives us a world where life evolved from the mechanical, and yet is frighteningly familiar. We the Robots mines the kind of soul-crushing territory that's familiar to Peanuts fans, but his cute, big-headed creations are (mostly) grown-up and share our experiences...or the worst of them, anyway. Laugh so you don't cry? More like laugh so you don't wail in despair.
PhD Comics
After surviving just enough higher education to finally get out of school, why in the world would anyone go through graduate studies? According toPhD Comics, that way lies not only madness, butindifferent advisors,interdepartmental rivalries, anexcess of sugary snacks, and, eventually, a trip to thereal world. ("PhD" is also short for "Piled High and Deeper.") Creator Jorge Cham, who has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, knows the graduate world well enough to make fun of everything and everyone in it. He also goes on the road to different universities, where real grad students confirm the misery he depicts, but also remind him (and us) of the reasonswhy they chose to study their fields in the first place.
Let us briefly recount the history of ninjas in black and white comics: In the late 1980s, ninjas were extremely cool. But soon, ninjas were utterly played out. How could this have happened to the dark assassins of the night? That's easy--comic creators made them all mystical and superserious, but forgot about the sheer, simple awesomeness of ninjas. Chris Hastings has not forgotten. The Adventures of Dr. McNinja features a dry, absurdist tone similar to The Tick, but Hastings has generously thrown in pirates, zombies, robots, bears, robot bears, Dracula, and a (repeatedly) resurrected Benjamin Franklin. Nice.
If you like Robot Chicken, you'll be delighted to find that The Perry Bible Fellowship has three things in common with the Adult Swim TV show: (1) The title doesn't tell you anything about the work. (2) The strip uses and subverts many images that are familiar from childhood. (3) No matter how innocuously a strip starts, by the final panel you'll find some kind of horrible (but strangely hilarious) life-or-death struggle...or a joke that ten-year-olds would snicker at. Really, it can go either way. Creator Nicholas Gurewitch uses traditional tools (you know, like pencils and stuff) to create images that are gorgeous, garish, or somewhere in between to transport his readers into his fever dreams.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Green Milk
British man invents new milk container
LONDON, May. 15 (UPI) -- A British inventor has come up with a way to prevent thousands of tons of plastic milk bottles from being dumped in landfills each year.
Martin Myerscough of the English town of Framlingham, has developed a recyclable cardboard bottle with a biodegradable bag inside to hold the milk, Britain's Independent newspaper reported.
Known as the Greenbottle, Myerscough said he came up with the idea for his invention while talking to an employee of a local waste dump a year ago. His background in mechanical engineering helped him design a milk container, which is being tested in a local grocery store.
Meyerscough's Greenbottle of milk is currently being sold for the same price as milk in plastic but it costs about 30 percent more to produce, the Independent said. He said the price differential will be less once production steps up.
More than 100,000 tons of plastic milk containers are dumped in British landfills each year, the newspaper said.
LONDON, May. 15 (UPI) -- A British inventor has come up with a way to prevent thousands of tons of plastic milk bottles from being dumped in landfills each year.
Martin Myerscough of the English town of Framlingham, has developed a recyclable cardboard bottle with a biodegradable bag inside to hold the milk, Britain's Independent newspaper reported.
Known as the Greenbottle, Myerscough said he came up with the idea for his invention while talking to an employee of a local waste dump a year ago. His background in mechanical engineering helped him design a milk container, which is being tested in a local grocery store.
Meyerscough's Greenbottle of milk is currently being sold for the same price as milk in plastic but it costs about 30 percent more to produce, the Independent said. He said the price differential will be less once production steps up.
More than 100,000 tons of plastic milk containers are dumped in British landfills each year, the newspaper said.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Harlan Coben's New Thriller!
Harlan Coben Newsletter
"I see my father with that shovel...."
And so begins THE WOODS, my newest thriller, available everywhere NOW or on April 17th, which, uh, depending on when you’re reading this, could be today. I love this time of the year -- when the novel finally gets in your hands and becomes a real book.
http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/tw.htm
You can read an excerpt here (http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/tw.htm#excerpt) or for those who like hardcopy, the first chapter will be printed on the back page of the Arts section in today’s (again April 17th) New York Times. UK readers: THE WOODS comes out May 17th. French readers: Go to Harlan-coben.fr for details.
http://www.harlan-coben.fr/
I am scheduled to appear (always somewhat tentatively) on the NBC TODAY SHOW on April 17th and CBS EARLY SHOW on April 18th before departing on book tour. Here is the full tour schedule. I hope to see some of you on the road. I am still watching my figure (THE WOODS book tour catchphrase: Bringing Sexy Back) so let’s keep those snacks healthy.
http://www.harlancoben.com/static/appearances.htm
What else? Oh, the audio version of THE WOODS is read by the great Scott Brick. You can see him read the beginning here. Scott read NO SECOND CHANCE and THE INNOCENT and is really an extraordinary talent.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2018033978
PROMISE ME is out in paperback both here and the UK. There is a cute nine-second commercial for the book being shown on ATMs throughout the UK. Click here and check it out.
PROMISE ME: http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/pm.htm
ATM Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/FZWEmCZGDeM (full screen)
Well, I’m off. Hope to see you soon and that you really enjoy the new book. As my UK publisher likes to say, "Get Lost in THE WOODS...."
Harlan
"I see my father with that shovel...."
And so begins THE WOODS, my newest thriller, available everywhere NOW or on April 17th, which, uh, depending on when you’re reading this, could be today. I love this time of the year -- when the novel finally gets in your hands and becomes a real book.
http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/tw.htm
You can read an excerpt here (http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/tw.htm#excerpt) or for those who like hardcopy, the first chapter will be printed on the back page of the Arts section in today’s (again April 17th) New York Times. UK readers: THE WOODS comes out May 17th. French readers: Go to Harlan-coben.fr for details.
http://www.harlan-coben.fr/
I am scheduled to appear (always somewhat tentatively) on the NBC TODAY SHOW on April 17th and CBS EARLY SHOW on April 18th before departing on book tour. Here is the full tour schedule. I hope to see some of you on the road. I am still watching my figure (THE WOODS book tour catchphrase: Bringing Sexy Back) so let’s keep those snacks healthy.
http://www.harlancoben.com/static/appearances.htm
What else? Oh, the audio version of THE WOODS is read by the great Scott Brick. You can see him read the beginning here. Scott read NO SECOND CHANCE and THE INNOCENT and is really an extraordinary talent.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2018033978
PROMISE ME is out in paperback both here and the UK. There is a cute nine-second commercial for the book being shown on ATMs throughout the UK. Click here and check it out.
PROMISE ME: http://www.harlancoben.com/static/novels/pm.htm
ATM Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/FZWEmCZGDeM (full screen)
Well, I’m off. Hope to see you soon and that you really enjoy the new book. As my UK publisher likes to say, "Get Lost in THE WOODS...."
Harlan
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Way to Go!
Linda Chance, Oklahoma City, OK
The idea for an MS awareness ribbon was a no-brainer for Linda Chance: If so many other diseases had ribbons, why shouldn’t MS?
With newfound time on her hands due to the necessity of an early retirement, Linda decided to take action. Using a hot glue gun, she constructed more than 1,000 ribbons made from prism fabric to distribute at MS walks, runs and rides. She selected the prism design because the changing colors signified MS as an ever-changing and unpredictable disease. She also authored a brochure and created display boards to showcase the ribbons.
With her Betaseron® Champions of CourageSM grant, Linda will be able to manufacture more MS awareness ribbons and travel to other cities to promote the concept.
"My goal is to display the ribbon at as many events and locations as possible so that more people will be aware of MS and its devastating effects," says Linda. "My hope is that increased awareness will result in more funding to find an end to this disease."
With her Champions of Courage grant, Linda assembled ribbon kits which were distributed through the Oklahoma chapter of the National MS Society as well as by Linda herself!
Linda’s hard work to benefit people with MS did not gone unnoticed by her community. For her outstanding volunteer service, Linda received the 2000 Oklahoma Citian With a Disability of the Year award at the city’s Mayor’s Conference on People with Disabilities, and also was honored by her chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The idea for an MS awareness ribbon was a no-brainer for Linda Chance: If so many other diseases had ribbons, why shouldn’t MS?
With newfound time on her hands due to the necessity of an early retirement, Linda decided to take action. Using a hot glue gun, she constructed more than 1,000 ribbons made from prism fabric to distribute at MS walks, runs and rides. She selected the prism design because the changing colors signified MS as an ever-changing and unpredictable disease. She also authored a brochure and created display boards to showcase the ribbons.
With her Betaseron® Champions of CourageSM grant, Linda will be able to manufacture more MS awareness ribbons and travel to other cities to promote the concept.
"My goal is to display the ribbon at as many events and locations as possible so that more people will be aware of MS and its devastating effects," says Linda. "My hope is that increased awareness will result in more funding to find an end to this disease."
With her Champions of Courage grant, Linda assembled ribbon kits which were distributed through the Oklahoma chapter of the National MS Society as well as by Linda herself!
Linda’s hard work to benefit people with MS did not gone unnoticed by her community. For her outstanding volunteer service, Linda received the 2000 Oklahoma Citian With a Disability of the Year award at the city’s Mayor’s Conference on People with Disabilities, and also was honored by her chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Pound Found
Want a designer dog? Check the pound
Puggles, maltipoos are pricey — and essentially mixed-breed mutts
By Kim Campbell Thornton
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 10:18 a.m. CT March 19, 2007
Ever hear of a floppy-faced Jujitsu? How about a King Daley shepherd? A Germox retriever? Those are just a few of the creative monikers that clever dog owners have come up with to label their all-American dogs — mutts, to people with less imagination.
When Steve Dale, the syndicated talk-show host of "Pet Central" on WGN Radio, and his wife decided to get another dog recently after the death of their 15-year-old Brittany, Chaser, all the Brittanys they saw brought tears, so they took their search to PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) Chicago, the city’s largest nonprofit humane organization. There they found Ethel, a patchwork puppy who resembles the wild “painted dogs” of Africa.
“People stopped us on the street and asked what kind of dog Ethel was,” Dale says. “They seemed disappointed when I’d say she was an Australian shepherd mix.”
Since people seemed to want Ethel to “be” something, Dale began calling her a King Daley shepherd, referencing Chicago’s longtime mayors.
Janice A. Biniok of Waukesha, Wis., has been creating “breed” names for her mixes for years. Currently she has what is probably a Labrador/boxer/German shepherd.
“He’s absolutely gorgeous. He looks like a brindle Labrador, so everybody wants to know what he is. I’ve been thinking of calling him a Germox retriever,” she says.
Why can’t a mutt be just a mutt?
Everybody wants something unique, says Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of "Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?"
People who seek out the dog du jour — which these days is a crossbreed such as a maltipoo (Maltese/poodle) or goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle) — like the idea of having a dog that not very many people have. And don't mind paying $1,000 to $2,500 or more for one.
Best of each breed?
Pet lovers are also attracted by claims that hybrids are hypoallergenic or have fewer health problems or will carry the best traits of each breed.
“The argument people make is that by crossing a purebred Labrador and a purebred poodle, it’s going to be nonshedding and intelligent because poodles are nonshedding and intelligent, and it’s going to have the work ethic and playfulness of the Lab, making it the perfect family dog,” Coren says. “It’s a nice story, but when you tell it, geneticists laugh.”
Genetic characteristics sort out randomly. So no matter what its breed or mix, an individual dog may be more or less allergenic, intelligent or healthy than another.
“When you cross two things it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to optimize what you’re trying to achieve,” says veterinarian Patricia Olson, president and CEO of Morris Animal Foundation, a group in Englewood, Colo., that funds research on pet-health issues.
“You can’t just say if I take this and this I’m sure I’m going to have a healthier dog; it doesn’t work that way. That’s why a lot of these crosses become fads and then go by the wayside, because people have experimented with them in the past and it hasn’t always been what they had hoped for.”
Biniok says the mutts she has adopted from the shelter have never had the hereditary health problems that affected her two purebreds, a Great Dane and a Boston terrier.
While mixed breeds as a class have more variety of inherited diseases than any single pure breed because of their broader gene pool, the frequency of any given disease among mixed breeds is likely to be lower because the population is more diverse.
But because designer dogs are purposely bred from dogs of specific types or breeds, they may have a higher incidence of certain diseases, such as breathing difficulties, cancer or hip dysplasia, depending on the breeds used to create them. The Xolo (or Mexican Hairless) mixes have as many if not more health problems as the purebreds, says Amy Fernandez of Forest Hills, N.Y., who is president of the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America, for people with this scrawny, hairless breed.
Not always a glamorous picture
Plenty of hybrids are well-loved pets, but the ones that outgrow the “cute” stage can face an uncertain future.
“Right now we are dealing with Xolo/Jack Russell mixes, Xolo/pit bull mixes, Xolo/Chihuahua mixes that we cannot find homes for,” Fernandez says.
“People are happy to fork over big bucks to buy these dogs as puppies, but once buyers realize that what they have is a complicated, demanding dog, many of these hairless wonders end up in shelters or worse," she says. "At least once every winter we hear of hairless dogs intentionally abandoned outdoors to freeze.”
When you want a dog that’s one of a kind, there’s no need to spend big bucks to get it. Visit your local shelter instead and come home with your very own roughcoated Malibu griffon, Golden Gate Chiwienie dog or North American mottled shepherd.
Whatever you choose, and whatever you call it, the dog will be just as unique and special as a pricier pup.
Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning author who has written many articles and more than a dozen books about dogs and cats. She belongs to the Dog Writers Association of America and is past president of the Cat Writers Association. She shares her home in California with two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and one African ringneck parakeet.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
Puggles, maltipoos are pricey — and essentially mixed-breed mutts
By Kim Campbell Thornton
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 10:18 a.m. CT March 19, 2007
Ever hear of a floppy-faced Jujitsu? How about a King Daley shepherd? A Germox retriever? Those are just a few of the creative monikers that clever dog owners have come up with to label their all-American dogs — mutts, to people with less imagination.
When Steve Dale, the syndicated talk-show host of "Pet Central" on WGN Radio, and his wife decided to get another dog recently after the death of their 15-year-old Brittany, Chaser, all the Brittanys they saw brought tears, so they took their search to PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) Chicago, the city’s largest nonprofit humane organization. There they found Ethel, a patchwork puppy who resembles the wild “painted dogs” of Africa.
“People stopped us on the street and asked what kind of dog Ethel was,” Dale says. “They seemed disappointed when I’d say she was an Australian shepherd mix.”
Since people seemed to want Ethel to “be” something, Dale began calling her a King Daley shepherd, referencing Chicago’s longtime mayors.
Janice A. Biniok of Waukesha, Wis., has been creating “breed” names for her mixes for years. Currently she has what is probably a Labrador/boxer/German shepherd.
“He’s absolutely gorgeous. He looks like a brindle Labrador, so everybody wants to know what he is. I’ve been thinking of calling him a Germox retriever,” she says.
Why can’t a mutt be just a mutt?
Everybody wants something unique, says Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of "Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?"
People who seek out the dog du jour — which these days is a crossbreed such as a maltipoo (Maltese/poodle) or goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle) — like the idea of having a dog that not very many people have. And don't mind paying $1,000 to $2,500 or more for one.
Best of each breed?
Pet lovers are also attracted by claims that hybrids are hypoallergenic or have fewer health problems or will carry the best traits of each breed.
“The argument people make is that by crossing a purebred Labrador and a purebred poodle, it’s going to be nonshedding and intelligent because poodles are nonshedding and intelligent, and it’s going to have the work ethic and playfulness of the Lab, making it the perfect family dog,” Coren says. “It’s a nice story, but when you tell it, geneticists laugh.”
Genetic characteristics sort out randomly. So no matter what its breed or mix, an individual dog may be more or less allergenic, intelligent or healthy than another.
“When you cross two things it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to optimize what you’re trying to achieve,” says veterinarian Patricia Olson, president and CEO of Morris Animal Foundation, a group in Englewood, Colo., that funds research on pet-health issues.
“You can’t just say if I take this and this I’m sure I’m going to have a healthier dog; it doesn’t work that way. That’s why a lot of these crosses become fads and then go by the wayside, because people have experimented with them in the past and it hasn’t always been what they had hoped for.”
Biniok says the mutts she has adopted from the shelter have never had the hereditary health problems that affected her two purebreds, a Great Dane and a Boston terrier.
While mixed breeds as a class have more variety of inherited diseases than any single pure breed because of their broader gene pool, the frequency of any given disease among mixed breeds is likely to be lower because the population is more diverse.
But because designer dogs are purposely bred from dogs of specific types or breeds, they may have a higher incidence of certain diseases, such as breathing difficulties, cancer or hip dysplasia, depending on the breeds used to create them. The Xolo (or Mexican Hairless) mixes have as many if not more health problems as the purebreds, says Amy Fernandez of Forest Hills, N.Y., who is president of the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America, for people with this scrawny, hairless breed.
Not always a glamorous picture
Plenty of hybrids are well-loved pets, but the ones that outgrow the “cute” stage can face an uncertain future.
“Right now we are dealing with Xolo/Jack Russell mixes, Xolo/pit bull mixes, Xolo/Chihuahua mixes that we cannot find homes for,” Fernandez says.
“People are happy to fork over big bucks to buy these dogs as puppies, but once buyers realize that what they have is a complicated, demanding dog, many of these hairless wonders end up in shelters or worse," she says. "At least once every winter we hear of hairless dogs intentionally abandoned outdoors to freeze.”
When you want a dog that’s one of a kind, there’s no need to spend big bucks to get it. Visit your local shelter instead and come home with your very own roughcoated Malibu griffon, Golden Gate Chiwienie dog or North American mottled shepherd.
Whatever you choose, and whatever you call it, the dog will be just as unique and special as a pricier pup.
Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning author who has written many articles and more than a dozen books about dogs and cats. She belongs to the Dog Writers Association of America and is past president of the Cat Writers Association. She shares her home in California with two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and one African ringneck parakeet.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Syncronize your watches
Soon, Pulaski County will finally be synchronized
Residents will move ahead 2 hours to EDT
By Tom Coyne
Associated Press
FRANCESVILLE, Ind. -- The church service at First Baptist Church here will start at the same time as always Sunday -- yet two hours earlier than it has for the past year.
Confused? Welcome to Pulaski County, where the clock on the county courthouse in Winamac reads 10:15 a.m. and the digital clock a half-mile away outside First Federal Savings Bank reads 11:15 a.m., and everyone knows neither is wrong.
"Whenever I make an appointment I say, 'It's 11:45 here; what time is it there?"' said Sheila Garling, owner of Gear Up Sports & Apparel in Winamac, who says the time differences are confusing.
Folks in this county about 100 miles north of Indianapolis have been caught in a time warp since Indiana lawmakers voted in 2005 to begin observing statewide daylight-saving time for the first time in 30 years. But thanks to a time-zone reversal by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Sunday's arrival of daylight-saving time, they hope the confusion will finally clear.
While most U.S. clocks spring forward one hour Sunday, Pulaski County will move the courthouse clock ahead two hours. That will move the county from Central time to Eastern Daylight.
Pulaski was one of 19 Indiana counties that sought to switch time zones after lawmakers approved statewide daylight time. The U.S. Department of Transportation initially recommended that Pulaski and several surrounding counties remain in the Eastern time zone. But it ultimately put Pulaski and neighboring Starke County in the Central time zone and most other nearby counties in Eastern.
Pulaski County officials vowed to defy the federal government and move to Eastern time on their own. They changed their minds when government lawyers threatened to sue. Instead, they filed a formal request in June 2006 to switch back to Eastern.
In the meantime, the county's biggest school district decided to observe Eastern time to minimize confusion. The district has pupils who live in an Eastern time county, and it shares programs with an Eastern time district.
Many residents and businesses also decided to stay on Eastern. County officials switched the work hours for most county employees from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central time -- making the switch in time zones a change in name only for some.
"That was confusing in itself, but people lived through it," County Commissioner Michael Tiede said.
Others, however, decided to stay put.
"We just decided if that was the official time, we'd abide by it," said Dennis Gutwein, the pastor at First Baptist, who kept the clocks at the church and his insurance business in Francesville on Central time.
Some residents have found it simpler to refer to fast time or slow time when making plans.
"They usually don't say Eastern or Central time, because then you have people who are really particular who will say, 'Is it Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Time?' " Tiede said. "But if you go fast or slow, you just know it's an hour difference."
Federal officials in February approved Pulaski County's request to return to Eastern. But Gutwein still worries that the confusion will get worse Sunday when the clocks move forward. Some people might show up for Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. EDT, others at 9:30 a.m. EST and others at 9:30 a.m. CST, he said.
Parishioner Lori Carlson won't take any chances before heading to Sunday's service.
"I'll have to call," she said.
2 SETS OF CLOCKS
Time warp: Pulaski County in Northwestern Indiana has been in a time warp since the U.S. Department of Transportation voted to keep it in the Central time zone but move most of its neighbors to Eastern.
Pick your zone: Schools and many businesses opted to stay with Eastern to stay in sync with neighboring counties, but others observe Central time, making the question, "What time is it there?" a familiar one.
The solution: The Department of Transportation approved the county's request to return to Eastern time, and on Sunday, Pulaski officially will move its clocks forward two hours to observe daylight-saving time in its new time zone.
Residents will move ahead 2 hours to EDT
By Tom Coyne
Associated Press
FRANCESVILLE, Ind. -- The church service at First Baptist Church here will start at the same time as always Sunday -- yet two hours earlier than it has for the past year.
Confused? Welcome to Pulaski County, where the clock on the county courthouse in Winamac reads 10:15 a.m. and the digital clock a half-mile away outside First Federal Savings Bank reads 11:15 a.m., and everyone knows neither is wrong.
"Whenever I make an appointment I say, 'It's 11:45 here; what time is it there?"' said Sheila Garling, owner of Gear Up Sports & Apparel in Winamac, who says the time differences are confusing.
Folks in this county about 100 miles north of Indianapolis have been caught in a time warp since Indiana lawmakers voted in 2005 to begin observing statewide daylight-saving time for the first time in 30 years. But thanks to a time-zone reversal by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Sunday's arrival of daylight-saving time, they hope the confusion will finally clear.
While most U.S. clocks spring forward one hour Sunday, Pulaski County will move the courthouse clock ahead two hours. That will move the county from Central time to Eastern Daylight.
Pulaski was one of 19 Indiana counties that sought to switch time zones after lawmakers approved statewide daylight time. The U.S. Department of Transportation initially recommended that Pulaski and several surrounding counties remain in the Eastern time zone. But it ultimately put Pulaski and neighboring Starke County in the Central time zone and most other nearby counties in Eastern.
Pulaski County officials vowed to defy the federal government and move to Eastern time on their own. They changed their minds when government lawyers threatened to sue. Instead, they filed a formal request in June 2006 to switch back to Eastern.
In the meantime, the county's biggest school district decided to observe Eastern time to minimize confusion. The district has pupils who live in an Eastern time county, and it shares programs with an Eastern time district.
Many residents and businesses also decided to stay on Eastern. County officials switched the work hours for most county employees from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central time -- making the switch in time zones a change in name only for some.
"That was confusing in itself, but people lived through it," County Commissioner Michael Tiede said.
Others, however, decided to stay put.
"We just decided if that was the official time, we'd abide by it," said Dennis Gutwein, the pastor at First Baptist, who kept the clocks at the church and his insurance business in Francesville on Central time.
Some residents have found it simpler to refer to fast time or slow time when making plans.
"They usually don't say Eastern or Central time, because then you have people who are really particular who will say, 'Is it Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Time?' " Tiede said. "But if you go fast or slow, you just know it's an hour difference."
Federal officials in February approved Pulaski County's request to return to Eastern. But Gutwein still worries that the confusion will get worse Sunday when the clocks move forward. Some people might show up for Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. EDT, others at 9:30 a.m. EST and others at 9:30 a.m. CST, he said.
Parishioner Lori Carlson won't take any chances before heading to Sunday's service.
"I'll have to call," she said.
2 SETS OF CLOCKS
Time warp: Pulaski County in Northwestern Indiana has been in a time warp since the U.S. Department of Transportation voted to keep it in the Central time zone but move most of its neighbors to Eastern.
Pick your zone: Schools and many businesses opted to stay with Eastern to stay in sync with neighboring counties, but others observe Central time, making the question, "What time is it there?" a familiar one.
The solution: The Department of Transportation approved the county's request to return to Eastern time, and on Sunday, Pulaski officially will move its clocks forward two hours to observe daylight-saving time in its new time zone.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Miracles!!!
Miracle baby comes back from the dead
by CHRIS BROOKE - More by this author » Last updated at 11:19am on 28th February 2007
After trying for 30 minutes to bring two-week-old Woody Lander back to life, doctors decided there was nothing more they could do and called in his parents to say their tearful farewells.
A nurse passed Woody to his heartbroken father and gently pulled a tube from his mouth so they could kiss him goodbye.
It was then that the miracle happened. The lifeless baby suddenly coughed and moved. Nurses immediately grabbed Woody back, re-attached the tubes and lifesaving equipment and he came back to life in front of his astonished parents.
No one has been able to explain why Woody, who had suffered a massive heart attack, was able to return from the brink. And despite being starved of oxygen for so long, he appears to have suffered no permanent brain damage.
Now 14 months old, Woody is a happy-go-lucky youngster who should be able to lead a normal life. His parents Jon, 34, and Karen Lander, 32, still can't believe what they went through.
They had been shopping in a supermarket near their home in Leeds in December 2005 when they noticed Woody looked ashen and felt cold.
They rang the NHS Direct emergency line from their car and an ambulance was sent to take them to Leeds General Infirmary. Soon after arrival, he suffered a heart attack and stopped breathing.
Mr Lander and his wife, an administration worker, were taken to a room to see Woody on a bed and a doctor giving him heart massage. They were taken to another room to wait for news.
Mr Lander, a civil servant, recalled: "It was awful, those 30 minutes seemed to last forever. After what seemed like an eternity the doctor came out and said, 'I think we have done all we can'. They had reached the cut-off point for resuscitation.
"We were taken back to see him and Woody was handed to us to say goodbye. We were just in bits. We didn't know what to say or do. They started taking his tubes out and that's when he started twitching.
"They took him straight back off us. They managed to get his heart going again and he came back to life in front of us. It was amazing. We still don't know how he managed to come round - we just know he's a little miracle. He's growing up into a happy and healthy little boy."
Two weeks before the drama Woody, the couple's first child, had been born naturally at the hospital, weighing 7lb 11oz.
After the heart attack, doctors discovered he had a blocked aorta which was restricting blood flow to his heart. He underwent a major operation to repair it and was allowed home three weeks later.
Mr Lander added: "The doctors said they had never heard of anyone coming round after 30 minutes of apparent lifelessness, let alone a baby.
"But the people at the hospital were unbelievable. They made the miracle happen. There must have been 100 people gathered round him."
by CHRIS BROOKE - More by this author » Last updated at 11:19am on 28th February 2007
After trying for 30 minutes to bring two-week-old Woody Lander back to life, doctors decided there was nothing more they could do and called in his parents to say their tearful farewells.
A nurse passed Woody to his heartbroken father and gently pulled a tube from his mouth so they could kiss him goodbye.
It was then that the miracle happened. The lifeless baby suddenly coughed and moved. Nurses immediately grabbed Woody back, re-attached the tubes and lifesaving equipment and he came back to life in front of his astonished parents.
No one has been able to explain why Woody, who had suffered a massive heart attack, was able to return from the brink. And despite being starved of oxygen for so long, he appears to have suffered no permanent brain damage.
Now 14 months old, Woody is a happy-go-lucky youngster who should be able to lead a normal life. His parents Jon, 34, and Karen Lander, 32, still can't believe what they went through.
They had been shopping in a supermarket near their home in Leeds in December 2005 when they noticed Woody looked ashen and felt cold.
They rang the NHS Direct emergency line from their car and an ambulance was sent to take them to Leeds General Infirmary. Soon after arrival, he suffered a heart attack and stopped breathing.
Mr Lander and his wife, an administration worker, were taken to a room to see Woody on a bed and a doctor giving him heart massage. They were taken to another room to wait for news.
Mr Lander, a civil servant, recalled: "It was awful, those 30 minutes seemed to last forever. After what seemed like an eternity the doctor came out and said, 'I think we have done all we can'. They had reached the cut-off point for resuscitation.
"We were taken back to see him and Woody was handed to us to say goodbye. We were just in bits. We didn't know what to say or do. They started taking his tubes out and that's when he started twitching.
"They took him straight back off us. They managed to get his heart going again and he came back to life in front of us. It was amazing. We still don't know how he managed to come round - we just know he's a little miracle. He's growing up into a happy and healthy little boy."
Two weeks before the drama Woody, the couple's first child, had been born naturally at the hospital, weighing 7lb 11oz.
After the heart attack, doctors discovered he had a blocked aorta which was restricting blood flow to his heart. He underwent a major operation to repair it and was allowed home three weeks later.
Mr Lander added: "The doctors said they had never heard of anyone coming round after 30 minutes of apparent lifelessness, let alone a baby.
"But the people at the hospital were unbelievable. They made the miracle happen. There must have been 100 people gathered round him."
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