THE AMAZING KANDU

It occasionally happens that illustrations in bravery and perseverance arrive on four legs -- sometimes on two. A tiny Jack Russell terrier pup, born with no front legs, was taken by his first owners to a veterinarian to be euthanized because they surmised he would have no quality of life with two legs missing.

A local rescue group heard of his story and decided to take responsibility for his care and attempt to find him a home. This little Jack Russel was a such happy little dog, seemingly unaware that he was different from any other dog, who didn't let the lack of front legs stop him from going anywhere he wanted. After a time he ended up in a forever home with the Ken Rogers family of Steamboat Springs Colorado.

"When Kandu was born, he faced immediate challenges. That's because he had been born without any front legs. The little Jack Russell puppy had been given up by his first owners and left at a shelter, where his prospects for survival were grim. But with the help of a local rescue team, Kandu was saved by a loving couple who met the challenge of raising a puppy with a disability head on."

More About The Amazing Kandu

DAUGHTER OF THE DAWN

From the Oklahoma Historical Society site:

"Daughter of Dawn is an 80-minute, six-reel silent film shot in May, June, and July of 1920 in the Wichita Mountains of southwest Oklahoma. Eventually, the Oklahoma Historical Society will release DVD and Blu-ray versions that include director's cuts on the history of the film, the Indian history and material culture depicted, the Wichita Mountains, the buffalo herd that still runs free, and a special feature on one tipi in the movie.

The story, played by an all-Indian cast of 300 Kiowas and Comanches, includes a four-way love story, two buffalo hunt scenes, a battle scene, village scenes, dances, deceit, courage, hand to hand combat, love scenes, and a happy ending. The Indians, who had been on the reservation less than fifty years, brought with them their own tipis, horses, clothing, and material culture. The lead actor is White Parker, the son of the great Comanche leader Quanah Parker."

Please visit the Oklahoma Historical Society website for more interesting information. The video below is only a 10 minute section of the 80 minute film but it is very interesting to watch.

More About The Daughter Of Dawn

A TRIBUTE TO OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM

Mary Pickersgill a Baltimore resident, never knew that when Major George Armistead requested she make an extra large American Flag the work of her hands would result in one of the most inspiring symbols of bravery and patriotism this wonderful country has ever known.

As Major Armistead, the commander of Ft. McHenry located near Baltimore explained, he was expecting imminent attack by the British and he wanted the flag to be clearly visible to the English Fleet.

Old Glory, representing this grand new nation in the making , withstood bombardment from English warships for over 25 hours. That historic flag continuing to stand through unimaginable attack was the very same one which inspired Francis Scott Key to write his poem "The Star Spangled Banner". He too never dreamed that his creation would eventually become the National Anthem of the United States of America.

I am forever proud of my nation, my flag, and those brave men and women in our nation's service who fought and continue to fight for freedom everywhere.

This video is of Larry Ford grammy winning tenor, singing our National Anthem. His powerful voice does justice to the moving words and meaning behind this grand song.

DABBLING IN DIGITAL ART

The following are digital renditions of some of the photos I took while hiking a local nature trail. I've been having a bit of fun with a few digital art programs. These were all taken with compact cameras. I used a Sony Cybershot - 12.1 mp, 5x Optical Zoom and a Panasonic Lumix - 12.1 mp, 8x Optical Zoom.

The Digital Art programs used were various ones in the Paint Shop Pro line. Not professional by any means but having fun with a new hobby.

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THE WORLD'S MOST EXTREME FEMALE BODY BUILDERS

I just can't get into that look myself. A toned body, YES. But these women look more like men to me. What do you think?







IRENE ANDERSEN






ANA CLAUDIA







YOLANDA HUGHES







KIM CIVEZSKY







NOT SURE WHO THIS IS







ROSEMARY JENNINGS







LISA AUKLAND







NICHOL BASS

99 ROOMS - INTERACTIVE ART PROJECT

ENTER 99 ROOMS HERE: http://cdn.99rooms.com/


One of these nights when you can't find a good show on TV, all your Internet buddies have disappeared spending the evening offline, and you just can't find anything to do, try exploring 99 Rooms. This is not the game 99 rooms but the interactive art project.





Fix your favorite beverage, lower the lights, make sure your speakers are turned up, get comfy and prepare for one interesting experience.





The project is a mixture of wall painting, graffiti, eerie mood enhancing industrial sounds and music, and some interactive effects, all taking place in the rooms of an old abandoned factory in East Germany.

The photographs of the factory evoke the utter dreary hopelessness that pervaded East Germany during its Communist era.







As you scan the photographs use your mouse to try to find the Interactive portion that is in some of the rooms. Your mouse pointer will turn into a pointing finger when you stumble across something. After a time the pointer will change into three arrows and you will be able to click into the next room.

This interactive art project teases your curiosity while it provokes the imagination and your desire to explore.

THE DOGS OF WAR

"Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers, and scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps... Given in their memory and on behalf of the surviving men of the 2nd and 3rd Marine War Dog Platoons, many of whom owe their lives to the bravery and sacrifice of these gallant animals...."Always Faithful" was inspired "by the spirit of these heroic dogs who are the embodiment of love and devotion... the United Doberman Club ted to the courageous Doberman Pinschers that valiantly served during the War in the Pacific"

http://www.dru.org/wardog.htm

I became interested in learning about the history of Doberman Pinschers shortly after I got one. In looking I came across quite a bit of information in regards to how the Doberman Pinscher has been used to serve our country.

Originally Dobermans were bred to serve as a personal protection dog. Louis Dobermann of Germany was a tax collector who needed a dog that would protect him while making his rounds. The breed he created was named after him.

From James A. Kearns, Dobermans In World War II, "Its qualities soon became apparent to both the German police and military who, in WWII were estimated to have trained more than 200,000 war dogs.

The United States Marine Corps during WWII, also became interested in the Doberman Pinscher.

Camp LeJeune trained Seven Doberman War Dog Platoons. The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th platoons were sent to the European theater where they served mostly as sentries. The others were sent to the Pacific where 1st Platoon saw incredible action on Bougainville, Guam, and Okinawa, and 2nd and third saw comparably hellish action on Guadalcanal, Kwajalein, Enewetak, and Guam. These Dobermans were credited for saving many American lives and are the official Marine Corps War Dog.

The 2nd and 3rd Marine Platoons on Guam used more War Dogs than all the other areas of combat in the Pacific. While during their duty on Guam 25 of our paw-fathers crossed the rainbow bridge in 1944. One Devil Dog named Kurt saved the lives of 250 soldiers when he alerted them to Japanese troops. Most of these dogs were buried in the Marine cemetery and marked by simple concrete graves that were each indented with the dog’s profile.

Most of the soldiers had never seen a Doberman before and were so impressed with it's sleek beauty and performance that they began to refer to them as the Devil Dogs. Later, on July 21, 1994, some of these soldiers dedicated the Always Faithful Doberman War Dog Memorial to the twenty-five Dobermans that died liberating Guam in 1944."

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1878/wardog.html
Doberman named Judy in Guam with her two handlers

Soldier with injured Doberman

World War II Doberman War Dog with Sleeping Soldier

USMC Devil Dogs Doberman Pinschers Training 1943 Photo

Using Walkie-Talkie,Coast Guardsman with Dobie

Marine Dog Butch at Guam Grave of another Doberman - World War II Photo

Doberman Pinscher Scout IV Guadalcanal - World War II Photo

Doberman Pinscher Jack at Bougainville - World War II Photo

1945

Marine War Dogs at Guam - World War II Photo

Doberman Pinscher Andy at Bougainville - World War II Photo

Wounded Doberman Pinscher Boy at Okinawa with Japanese Rising Sun Flag - World War II Photo

Blue - My Dobie. He doesn't have a military background but he is my good buddy.



UPDATE: Blue passed away suddenly Friday night, May 24, 2013. Only 5 1/2 years old he was gone too soon. There is no obvious reason why he died. He appeared to have been running, which is what he loved doing best, and it seems to have been sudden with no warning that he collapsed and died. EDITED: June 9, 2013 - A necropsy determined that Blue had a small amount of scarring on his heart which was undetectable even by his veterinarian. His heart went into an arrhythmia and he died of sudden heart failure. He was cremated and buried in my backyard next to Sassy.

SCARY RIDE

They say it is the Road to Death and is the most dangerous in the world for motorists. North Yungas Road runs in the Bolivian Andes, from La Paz to Coroico. It has hairpin curves and plunges down almost 2.25 miles.

NO TIME TO SAY HELLO, GOODBY - I'M LATE, I'M LATE

And so goes the immortal words of the White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll's classic childhood tale, "Down The Rabbit Hole: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland."

It seems that I'm always scrambling at the last minute to get something (a different something each time) done. A heavy work schedule and long drive time leave me few hours for anything else.

I recently discovered that the website upon which I have been blogging has decided to close the social networking part of their site and focus on a marketplace genre geared toward their Asian members.

Although the visitor to my blog site is likely to be puzzled over the slurry of blogging activity in November, the aforementioned website will close as of December 1, 2012 so if I want to save some of my blogs, recipes, videos, etc., I must transfer them pretty quickly. It's not that I am such a prolific blogger, most of these were composed over two or three years, but I've decided to try to find a home for some of my work.

I guess this will serve as my introductory blog with more information about "moi" to be shared at a later date when I have more time.

For now it's onward with the transfer of my blogs to their new home on Blogger.

UPDATE: The aforementioned website, Multiply, took a little longer than they thought but finally closed for good as a Social Networking site on March 21, 2013.

I ADORE SUNFLOWERS

How easy it would be to get lost in a maze of these delightful topaz gems.

Perched on solid green stalks. Staunch, proud soldiers balancing high their precious amber cargo.

Humble yet regal. Canary yellow petals beckoning; winking down at me.

Framed by the cloak of a lazy azure sky.

Stirring slightly to the whisper of a peaceful breeze.

Let's walk together. Amongst the noble sunflowers.

DP