Having a Good Time: Dogs Dating Online

Good Day World!
                                         
Have you noticed? Our world gets weirder every day.

 With help from the web, weirdness gets a boost like never before in history. 

 "Extreme” is a key word that will take you down countless paths in cyberspace. Everything is extreme now, or it isn’t worth bothering with. 

There’s extreme snorkeling, sky diving, bowling, beauty contests, game shows, hamburgers, mixed drinks, t-shirts, bathing suits, hair styles, vacations, and so on.

There’s so much extreme weirdness going on that I have to narrow it down to one category due to space constraints.  It has to do with animals. And the people who love them. And the things pet owners do that make you doubt their sanity.

What we have is a tale (pun intended) of pet owners who think providing online dating services for their pets is perfectly normal. 

I wouldn’t kid you about this. Check out Matchpuppy. It offers a brand new way for owner and dogs to meet new friends in the neighborhood, according to the site's homepage.

I must say, Matchpuppy tickles my funny bone. It’s a place where dogs get paired off according to their size, age and energy level.

Speaking on behalf of my single female pug Molly, she’d never subject herself  to such a desperate way to get a date! Meeting nose- to-nose is fine, but the cautious canine shouldn’t trust a stranger online. 

There are always those “bad dogs” who like to have a good time rubbing up against legs, tables, and anything that doesn’t move away from their arduous attempts at satisfaction.

One more thing, what about the owners? What are they supposed to do if their dogs hit it off instantly (as they often do) and the owners don’t?

Will the owners have a little waiting room with a TV if conversation gets too awkward? What kind of magazines would they find there? Doggie porn directories for owners? Nothing is too good for Fido nowadays.

Yes, I’m a pet owner, and I love my pug, but even I have limits, or shall we say, moments of clarity when I realize enough is enough.

I don’t have any problem with pet owners who dress their dogs up in ridiculous outfits, but my pug would leave home if I tried to dress her up in tutus!

You know what’ll happen if these new doggie dating websites really become popular? Reality TV. Can’t you see it? 

One show could be like the old “Dating Game,” where three eligible bachelor pooches wait behind a screen, and answer questions asked by a single female (not B***H because it has to be politically correct to say). 

Even weirdness has its limits.


The latest trend for fashionable canines is tattoos, but I’m not even going there!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Where Have All The Conservatives Gone?

"Where have all the young men gone, long time passing?

Where have all the young men gone, long time ago?

Where have all the young men gone?

Gone to soldier, every one!

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?"

- Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

                                       Good Day World!

Where have all the conservatives gone, long time passing?
Where have all the conservatives gone, long time ago?
Where have all the conservatives gone?
Gone to the alt right, every one.

You get the idea.

The Republican party has been ransacked and crushed by Donald Trump and the alt right crowd. It's been a epic smackdown for real conservatives who still aren't quite sure what happened.

Somehow it's become okay for reactionary racial politics and counter-establishment right-wing ideas, fitting snugly into the violent world of white supremacist terrorists. 

As the alt-right has grown in the last several years, so have the conferences and organizations that make up its foundations.

American Renaissance began in 1990 in an attempt to popularize many of the pseudo-scientific racist ideas promoted by a few contremporary rogue scientists.

By now it's obvious to Republicans that their nominee for president is a nut case brought to prominance by the alt-right, whose philosophy fits nicely into Trump's stump speeches.

The real conservatives in the party are panicking. They don't want to vote for Trump, but they sure don't want to vote for Clinton.

Some are turning to Libertarian Gary Johnson. Most are frozen with indecision; "should they vote for someone, or don't bother voting at all?"

Conservatives are deserting the Republican party in droves. Where they're going is anyones guess.

Related:

How the alt-right is attempting to hide it's white supremacist  ties

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Once Taboo Porn Subject Shatters 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Record: 'Most-Viewed in 24-hours'

Good Day World!

Once upon a time in America, sexual bondage was considered too risque for mainstream audiences.

Nowadays, people call getting spanked and being tied-up naked...romantic erotica. 

And that's okay.

How this happened is not altogether clear, but the trend seems to have started with the book 50 Shades of Gray by British author E.L. James.

Somehow it was made into a mainstream movie in 2011. It was Part One of The 50 Shades Trilogy. Part Two - 'Fifty Darker Shades' - is coming out next February.

A trailer for 50 Darker Shades was recently released and had move views (114 million) than 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' in it's first 24 hours!

At this point in time, I'd have to say sexual bondage has come out of the closet for average Americans. For better, or worse, people are saying "spank me!" with a glimmer in their eye.

FYI: The trilogy is about a "deepening relationship between a college graduate and a young millionaire." Nothing too complicated - like all successful porn, but plenty to drool over if you like pain and naked people...

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Relax! Everything Is Going To Be OK - It's Just A Bad Dream!

Good Day World!

I use to get nightmares frequently when I was a kid.

I'd watch monster movies on TV - Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf - and would take them to bed with me in my head.

Recently I can't help wondering if the nightmares have returned - or to be more specific - I think I'm stuck in an ongoing nightmare featuring Donald Trump.

The weird thing is millions of other people seem to be stuck in the same nightmare with me:

A con man, racist, world class liar, reality show personality, and woman-hater, Donald Trump, is close to Hillary Clinton in the polls, and could be our next president!

I can't believe I just said that. There's no way a majority of Americans are that far gone that they would elect Trump president.

Right?

As a kid I use to go into the bathroom at night after having a nightmare, and I'd turn on the light, and lay down on the floor. Safe from monsters.

The same thing will happen in November when Trump loses the election. A light will come on, and we'll all realize it was a just a bad dream.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

You Think That's Big? You Should See This...

Good Day World!

Did you know Great Danes are the tallest dogs in the world averaging (from paw to shoulder) about 30"?

You think that's big? Zeus (pictured here), a Great Dane was the biggest of them all at 44" (from paw to shoulder)! (Zeus passed away in 2014).

Did you know that 8 in 10 Americans are in debt?

You think that's big? Try our national debt. It currently stands at 18.8 trillion dollars!

Did you know the tallest statue in America is The Statue of Liberty at 151 feet tall?

You think that's big? The tallest statue in the world, Spring Temple Buddha (China) dwarfs Lady Liberty. It's 420 feet tall!

Did you know that the title of the largest commercially sold pizza (a 62" monster) in the United States belongs to Big Lou's in San Antonio, Texas?

You think that's big? Step aside for the largest pizza ever made - it even had a name "Ottavia." It's total surface area was an astounding 13,580.28 ft²! 

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Sweet Lies: Sugar Industry Tried To Conceal The Role It Plays In Heart Disease

                                       Good Day World!

The sugar industry has been lying to us about how harmful sugar can be since the 60's.

Researchers recently revealed this coverup in a pair of papers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA Internal Medicine.

It was a bait and switch game from the start when the sugar industry's lobbying group diverted away from sugar's problems to focusing on fat as the main cause of heart disease.


It's fair to compare the sugar industry's approach to the same low life tactics used by the tabacco industry in the past. 

Cristin Kearns, a University of California San Francisco researcher who is focusing on the sugar industry, made the discovery when she found a collection of papers at the University of Illinois library fom the estate of Roger Adams, a chemistry professor who was a scientific adviser for the Sugar Research Foundation (SRF) - now the Sugar Association.

Adams papers and a papers from his colleague Harvard professor Mark Hegsted, sponsored a research program in the 1960s and 1970s that successfully cast doubt about the hazards of surcose while promoting fat as the dietary culprit in coronary disease. 

By the 1980s, the damage was done. New dietary directions focused on reducing fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol.

Sadly, this is nothing new. Industry-funding and pressure can encourage researchers to look at one line of evidence while ignoring others.

This change of direction proved profitable for the giant food industry push of "fat-free" products that were loaded with added sugars and processed carbohydrates - now shown to be as big a cause of heart disease as fat, and also a direct cause of diabetes.

Is it any wonder it's getting harder to trust scientists and researchers these days? Greed knows no intellectual boundaries.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Alert: Patients Escape Mental Asylums and Infiltrate Political System!

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." - Dr. Hannible Lecter 
                                   
                                     Good Day World!

Whose attending the mental asylum?

It appears the inmates have escaped and taken over the Republican party.

Donald Trump isn't the only crazy politician running around and proclaiming doom and upcoming violence for America right now.

I'd like to introduce you to Kentucky's Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. He might even be crazier than Maine's Republican Gov. Paul Lapage.

So what got Gov. Bevin identified among the escaped inmates?

In a speech he gave at the so-called Values Voter Summit (the irony is thick here) in Washington D.C., Bevin called upon conservatives to wage war against contemporary liberalism.

During Bevin's 15-minute rant he suggested that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, she would set the nation on a dangerous course that might require bloodshed to correct.

Crazy enough for you?

When you consider that a sizable portion of Donald Trump's followers are alt right wingnuts this kind of talk starts to get scary.

Some political observers have even discussed what would happen if Trump loses. The idea of riots breaking out has been explored.

Roger Stone, a close advisor for Trump warned "that if Clinton were to steal the election, her inauguration would mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath."

With politicians like Gov. Bevin calling for bloodshed if Trump loses there's a good chance some crazies will be inspired to follow through on the prediction.

What to do? It's up to you. Your vote could restore sanity to America and put the crazies back in the looney bin where they belong.

Hint...anyone but Trump.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Let There Be Light: America's 1st Lighthouse is 301 Years-Old Today

Good Day World!

The plain, yet dignified, lighthouse on the left is the first one ever built in the New World. 

It sits on Little Brewster Island, and overlooks Boston Harbor. 

The British forked up 2,400 pounds to build the important navigational aide which went into service on September 14th, 1715.

Fact: at the time the Boston Lighthouse was built there were only 70 lighthouses in the whole world!

Here's a nice summary of the Boston Lighthouse's history.

If you really interested in learning more about this famous landmark you can go on a cruise and visit the area where there are guided tours. 

Related:

What To Do On Boston's Waterfront

Time for me to walk on down the road...

The Chance Of A Fair Presidential Election Is Looking Dimmer Every Day

Good Day World!

I don't believe there's ever been a presidential election in this country where our votes were more likely to be nullified for numerous reasons.

Let's start with hacking. The FBI has come out and said Russia has been hacking our electoral system.

How Russian Hackers Could Disrupt the U.S. Election

The weakening of the Voting Rights Act is playing a major part in this year's election. Jurisdictions with significant histories of voter discrimination don't have to "pre-clear" any new voting practices or procedures with the Department of Justice anymore.

A direct consequence from the weakening of the VRA is apparent in this year's election. With less official voting monitors present, accountability is taking a major hit.

Stepping right into that opening, Donald Trump, is urging his followers to patrol polling places. Trump has made the demonization of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities a hallmark of his campaign.

Richard Cohen at the Southern Poverty Law Center notes that Trump's recruitment of poll watchers is being promoted by white supremacists on Stormfront, perhaps the world's most prominent neo-Nazi website.

What's happening is voter descrimination has gotten out of hand with the gutting of the VRA and the rise of alt right groups supporting Trump.

It's going to be challenging enough to pick a candidate. Clinton and Trump have proven to be the least credible major presidential candidates in history.

I have a strong hunch that whoever gets elected, accusations of voting fraud and a rigged election will continue for the next four years!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

What America Needs Is More Naked Bike Rides Through Major Cities

Good Day World!

People are too serious nowadays.

They need to lighten up and go on a naked bike ride and experience the freedom of flashing.

Everyone is doing it these days.

Folks in the City of Brotherly Love - otherwise known as Philadelphia - have an annual event where thousands of semi-naked and totally naked people ride bikes through the center of the city for various causes.

The event was held over the weekend, but the grand daddy of naked bike events takes place every year in Seattle, Washington, and is sponsored by World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR).

Imagine, if you will, if every state had a naked bike races?

Why stop at just one however? Think about how entertaining this would be every month? Maybe it would help soften all the bad world events that we hear about in real time.

I got this crazy idea that in order to put a positive spin on this year's presidential election we sould require the candidates (and their entourage) to ride tricycles (blue one's for dems, red for repugs) to every rally and fundraiser.

You thought I was going to say something about making the candidates strip didn't you?

Listen, I'm not crazy. Seeing Clinton and Trump in the raw would be a picture no person alive would ever be able to forget ever again.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Do Not Disturb: It's Time For Football In America With These 6 House Rules!

Good Day World!

The big day has arrived.

Despite the fact that the NFL season started with a Thursday Night Football match up between Denver and North Carolina, the real season starts today.

So don't be calling me, or texting me today. If you stop by the house you better be ready to watch some grown men smash into each other like billy goats!

Because the Rams came back to LA, I'm picking them as a team to follow. As an original Ram fan, before they left for the wilds of St. Louis, this seems like poetic justice or karma.

Football Sunday House Rules

1) Do not disturb me for anything that is not football related.

2) The food for the day shall be tacos and pizza.

3) Beer is the preferred drink of the day - scotch or bourbon are also acceptable.

4) Official Snacks consist of: Hot Buffalo Wings, Cheetos, slices of lunch meat and cheese spread out in a football shaped tray, and an eclectic assortment of pot brownies, cookies, and gummy bears.

5) Fantasy football is spoken freely and often throughout the day.

6) The TV will be put on hold whenever I have to go to the bathroom. No exceptions.

May your fantasy team win big!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Potpourri Saturday: Serial 'Egger' Gets Probation, Oyster Beds Made From Toilets & Viral Red Trucks

                                      Good Day World!

Eggs away...

No one really knows why an Ohio man decided to pelt his neighbor's house with eggs a hundred times in one year.

Naturally the neighbors weren't thrilled about the damage it caused, and how nerve-wracking it was to see a hail of eggs come from out of nowhere.

The cops investigated and charged 31-year-old Jason Kozan with a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic. Vandalism and menacing charges were dropped.

I assume Kosan had a good lawyer. 

To Jamaica Bay with love...

The folks at The Big Apple have destroyed 5,000 toilets to make porceline beds for oysters in Jamaica Bay.

This ambitious project is meant to be a buffer from storms while cleaning the water and creating wildlife habitat.

The 31-square-mile Jamaica Bay is part of a 142-square-mile watershed that includes Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County.

Oh wow! Look a red truck!

Not much happens in Jackson, Wyoming. 

So it was a surprise for local businesses when a live web cam installed in a busy intersection near the Jackson Town Square went viral. Sort of.

The web cam has been there since 2014 and usually averages about 20 visitors a day. For reasons unknown, more than 2,000 visitors stopped by one day last week.

One guess is because red trucks are popular with online commentors and someone saw a red truck that day instead of the usual fair of a pedestrians.

But we'll never know for sure.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Judge to Rule On Controversial Dakota Access Pipeline Today

                                     Good Day World!

A federal judge is going to decide if a pipeline is going to go through the Standing Rock Sioux's burial grounds and cultural sites in North Dakota today.

The company that's attempting to run the pipeline through the tribe's sacred grounds is a Dallas-based firm called Energy Transfer Partners (ETP).

On September 3, private guards attacked native Americans with dogs and pepper spray as they protested against the $3.8 billion pipeline's construction.

If completed, the pipeline would carry about 500,000 barrels of crude per day from North Dakota's Bakken oilfield to Illinois.

Member's from 100 tribes have joined the Standing Rock Sioux in protesting the project for months now. Tribal leaders have challenged the permits in federal court and a judge is supposed to rule on it today.

The tribe is also worried that construction will taint their water supply. It's going to be an uphill battle against a lot of monied interests.

For example, Continental Resoures - the company founded and led by CEO Harold Hamm - energy advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and potential U.S. Secretary of Energy under a Trump presidency - has announced to investors that oil it obtains via hydraulic fracturing ("Fracking") from North Dakota's Bakken Shale basin is destined for transport through the hotly-contested Dakota Access pipline.

Sounds like an accomplished fact to me.

I'm really curious to see how the judge rules on this pipeline project. For the people? Or, more likely, for Wall Street and corporate America.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

It's Great To See the Rams Back In LA, But I'm Not Expecting a Miracle

Good Day World!

I'm an original Ram fan (1946 to 1994) who was incensed when the team moved to St. Louis 21 years ago.

Now I'm ready to let bygones be bygones this season because they've returned to LA.

The prodigal team returns with baggage - 9 straight losing seasons with just four winning campaigns during their 21 years in St. Louis.

During their stay they posted a cumulative 64-127-1 record. Not exactly juggernaut numbers in the tough NFL West.

But that doesn't matter. They're back home now. I expect some exciting plays watching arguably the best running back in the league - Todd Gurly (pictured above).

Despite the fact that I live in Oregon now, I have no problem embracing the team of my childhood. Remember Roman Gabrial?

I sure do, along with a whole list of other Ram greats. Names like Deacon Jones, Dick Lane, Isaac Bruce, Merlin Olsen, Jack Youngblood, Henry Ellard, Norm Van Brocklin, and Elroy (Crazy Legs) Hirsch.

There's a lot of other oldtimers like me that are willing to sit back and watch during the honeymoon period and see what happens.

The iconic Coliseum has been good to the returning Rams thus far.

When they beat the Dallas Cowboys in an exhibition last month, the reported attendance was 89,140 - a preseason record for a game played in the United States.

The regular season starts off with the LA Rams traditional enemy, the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football (September 12th).

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Winning Awards - One Way or Another

Good Day World!

Winning an award these days is no big deal.

Kids in school nowadays get awards even when they don't win contests. 

The school of thought behind that is "no one should feel left out." Here's an interesting take on giving awards:

The Problem with Award Ceremonies

In the adult world awards are serious things. They can mean an increased earning potential - win an Oscar, and you'll have producers at your feet. 

Prestigeous awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize, give you worldwide creds. But there's also bums and scoundrals who have won that coveted prize.

Take Henry Kissinger for example.

He has to be the most controversial Nobel Prize Winner in history. Kissinger was a joint winner with Le Duc Tho, the North Vietnamese leader.

Tho rejected the award because it was given for the pair's peace work in Vietnam, and he knew no peace had been achieved in the area.

The perfect hypocrite, Kissinger accepted the award "with humility" despite the fact that many felt he shouldn't have gotten it in the first place.

Two years later North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam, voiding his supposed good work.

Finally, I'd like to leave you with a funny story about awards that is very timely:

At least, 19 Donald Trump properties have big plaques that read; Six Diamond Award and/or Five Diamond Award.

They're awards Trump gave himself!

True story. The Academy of American Hospitality Sciences (or something like that) passed out those awards. The majority on the board of this fine academy consists of Trump and his family.

Hard to lose under those circumstances. The inspiration for this fine sounding academy came from a mob guy, a convicted thief named "Joey No Socks," who lives on Central Park South.

To see more about The Donald's award-winning ways, I highly recommend reading The Making of Donald Trump, by Putlitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnson.

Pssstttt...Johnson deserved his award.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Frack You! Oklahoma's Rocking Because of Greed

Good Day World!

For years, I've been writing about the problems associated with fracking. 

Industry weasels have long contended there are no problems with fracking. An outright lie. 

They've known there were problems as far back as 1969.

It was always really about covering up facts in the pursuit of cheap oil.

Drill, baby drill.

Now, after one of the strongest earthquakes ever to hit Oklahoma last Saturday, state regulators have ordered oil and gas companies to shut down all their wastewater disposal wells in a 725-square-mile area around the site of the quake's epicenter near Pawnee. 

I'm anxious to see what state officials do now. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, read the dirty truth about one town that was transformed by fracking: Colossal Fracking Mess

Here's the 9 Biggest Reasons To Ban Fracking.

Texas is having it's problems with fracking where experts say the leading cause of earthquakes comes from the wastewater disposal from fracking.

Learn more about the Fracking Boom with this state-by-state map that shows where it's happening, and may happen at soon.

This is a classic case of greed versus the environment. As always, it could go either way. Let's hope enough people in the right places wake up and stop destroying the land in which we live.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

In Praise of Pit Bulls And All Dogs

                                          Good Day World!

There is no bad dog breed. 

I don't care what some people say, ALL dogs are the best animal companions we humans could ever hope for.

I really think it's sad that pit bulls have gotten such a bad reputation over recent years. How did that happen? Once upon a time the American PitBull Terrier was considered a family dog.

Remember Petey? He's that good looking dog on the top of the page and was a star in The Little Rascals, a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures.

There's a number of reasons why pit bulls were given a bad reputation. Because of their ancestry, pit bull's (once used in war by the ancient Britons, and later Romans) were used as sporting (in other words fighting) dogs in the 19th century.

That cruel practice has continued into the 21st century. It's illegal, but cases are still coming up across the country.

Just think, during World War I the country itself was personified as a pit bull on Army recruitment posters. There were even several pit bulls who became famous in the American military.

For example:

Believe it or not, Sgt. Stubby, the most Decorated US Military Dog, would be banned from bases today!

Why? Because Stubby was what would today be a considered a pit bull mix. 

Pit bulls (including American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers), along with Rottweilers, Doberman Pinchers and Chow Chows, are not allowed to live in housing on military bases because they're considered "dangerous dogs."

Despite being illegal in all fifty states, dog fighting made a comeback in the 80s, and the pitt bull was the dog of choice. Drug dealers and gangs preferred them for guard dogs.

The final straw in getting the bad rep pit bulls face today can be traced to a highly publicized attack in 1987 in which a pit bull, guarding a marijuana crop in California, mauled and killed a two-and-a-half year-old boy.

That was it. Pit bulls became the victims of a lot of bad press in the following decades. 

What the hell happened to common sense? If you raise your dog, any dog, with love they will be your best friend. 

Granted, some breeds need extra TLC and training, but any dog properly taken care of becomes a family member if you let them.

One of the big problems with people who buy pit bulls, and other supposedly dangerous dogs, is they don't take the time to properly raise and train them.

Not all dogs do well in all environments. Kinda like humans. So let's stop demonizing a dog that propaganda has persecuted for far too long. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...