text:
Good Dog: Small Dog, Big Heart
Illustration by John Cuneo
by Wells Tower – June/July 2014 – Garden & Gun – Cross-Posted at Just One More Pet
The nervous work of owning—and finally loving—a Chihuahua
For many years, I thought that owners of small dogs harbored stunted souls. Parents of infant beauty queens. Weird bachelors with pet stairs by their beds. Adult hoarders of dolls and teddy bears. People deranged by an obsession with the adorable.
Then, in my late twenties, when I was living in New Orleans, a good friend of mine found a bedraggled Chihuahua in a ditch and brought her home. It was a comical, toothless animal with a bullfrog's tongue that would slap her in the eye on the recoil. That dog had a lot of ditch trauma to work through. She needed to sit on somebody at all times or she got the shakes. I was home most days, so I let the dog make use of my lap during business hours. When I moved back to North Carolina, I was surprised to discover a Chihuahua-size hole in my life.
So I started looking for a dog. I knew I wanted a pound animal, though not for any lofty moral reasons. I wanted a desperate dog, one without high expectations of whoever took it in. My family had dogs when I was a kid. The bunch of us should be arrested for how we let those animals down. They were outdoor dogs too disgusting to pet. We let ticks get on them and grow as big as minié balls. When the family went out of town, we'd leave the dog on the porch with a bag of cheap food. Eventually, they'd get sick of us and wander off. So my track record with dogs wasn't the greatest, but I figured one otherwise bound for the gas chamber couldn't really gripe about winding up in my care.
I spent long hours at the keyboard, browsing head shots at an online clearinghouse for discarded dogs. A Chihuahua was what I was after, but I didn't want it to be too grotesque: too bug-eyed or hog-snouted or bat-eared or obviously rodentlike. Looking for an ungrotesque Chihuahua is like trying to find a dignified clown. It took a good bit of time.
At last, I found a candidate. The head shot showed a creature with a long, aristocratic nose and smart, Dobermanly ears. Her eyes were large but not hyperthyroidal. They seemed to reflect intelligence but also the right measure of desperation. She was waiting on death row at the dog pound in Winston-Salem, ninety minutes from my home. I gave them a call to see if the dog had yet been gassed. "Nope, she's still here!" an exhaustingly jolly Southern voice exclaimed.
"Oh, you will just love this crazy little creature. We call her Tinsy, but you could call her Teensy-Meensy-Weensy-Eensy! She is that small! She's one of them little reindeer dogs, you know. She's just always bouncing all around on them little teensy reindeer legs. She is kinda licky and kinda barky but she's a funny little ball of fun."
I was in the market for a lap sleeper, a hot-water bottle in canine form. From the sound of it, this reindeer dog embodied much that is dislikable in the miniature breeds. But I had committed to paying the dog a visit, and I make it a point never to betray a promise to the incarcerated. I went and had a look. The lady I talked to on the phone dragged Tinsy out from where she'd been hiding behind a file cabinet. Tinsy, who was maybe a year old, had been found walking the streets of Winston-Salem naked. Like most women found in this condition, she was not in the greatest shape. She resembled a dog the way those caiman-head back scratchers resemble an alligator. Her face was okay, but the rest of her body was a bony rod upholstered in bald gray skin. I had seen rats with prettier tails. Hers was without a whisker and looked as though it had been set afire and extinguished under the needle of a sewing machine.
"You wanna hold her?" the shelter lady asked me, wagging Tinsy at me like a dishrag. I did not want to hold Tinsy. I wanted to leave the room. But Tinsy was thrust into my arms. This dog had long, scraggly talons, and she clung to my sweater like a bat to a screen door. I grimaced. The dog grimaced. "That's a wrap!" cried the shelter lady. "That is your dog. She is absolutely your dog."
I wanted to tell this woman that I wanted Tinsy like I wanted a case of shingles, but courage failed me. I wrote a check for the adoption fee. Then I carried the dog to my car and began calling every softhearted person I knew to see if they would take this creature off my hands.
At home, I took to my couch and fretted. What business did I have with a dog? I traveled for work eight months out of the year. And this dog? I didn't want to look at her much less look after her for the twenty years Chihuahuas can expect to live. (The oldest living Chihuahua is 32+). Then the dog, who had been busy peeing on my bedroom floor, wandered over. She tilted her head at a sympathetic angle, then she jumped onto the sofa and clambered onto my shoulder, where she pulled herself into a sphere and went snortingly to sleep.
How easily we are gentled. The plan to ditch her got ditched. I started calling her Edie, whose vowel sounds she hearkened to as she had her prison name. I loaded her up on ludicrously expensive foods: Alaskan salmon, mutton jerky from New Zealand. She doubled her weight, from two pounds to four. I put her through expensive mange treatments, fed her fish oil, greased her in vitamin E to regrow her hair. After a couple of seasons, she fluffed out and the knobs of her spine receded. She began to look less like a back scratcher and more, as a friend described her, "like a cross between a wolf and a flea."
"No man should have a dog like that," my cousin once said to me. "We're not careful enough. You could drop the Sunday paper on her and break her back. It's like getting a crystal set. No guy should have a thing that fragile in the house."
And it's true. Owning Edie is nervous work. A few years back, I nearly lost her. Summoned from the house by the sound of raving crows, I went out to check on Edie in the yard. She was absent from her usual sunbathing spot. In the lower corner of the lawn, I saw a barred owl, spreading its wings over a small, still gray form. Edie was too heavy a piece of live cargo for the owl, so the bird was patiently trying to murder her. I nearly had to kick the bird off of her. A talon had made three bloody divots in Edie's head, but no lasting damage was done.
At nearly twelve, Edie is deep in middle age and, repairwise, is not much less expensive than a '55 Studebaker. I've put far more money into her mouth than I've put into my own. Before I got Edie, I'd have said that a fair definition of an insane person is somebody who takes out a thirty-three-hundred-dollar cash advance to pay for exploratory liver surgery for a dog. I did that three years ago. But when you get accustomed, every night, to a warm gentle presence stretching herself across your clavicle and easing you into sleep, it becomes as dire a habit as barbiturate abuse. Addicts do crazy things to keep withdrawal at bay.
It's weird. One day, you're a twenty-eight-year-old man of traditional tastes and accoutrements and the next, you're a forty-year-old bachelor with a four-pound, big-eyed, molting pussy willow of a dog.
Still, I do what I can to keep the grotesquerie contained. When people ask what kind of dog I have, I tell them, "I don't know, I got her from the pound." I do not carry Edie around in a Snugli. I have never bought the dog shoes or a hat. I would like to tell you that my home contains no doggie sweaters, and that there are not dog stairs by my bed, but this would not be true.
For those of us who love small dogs… Chihuahuas, Chihuahua Mixes, and miniatures of any type, we know that they are great pets and are always happy when just one more person discovers how special they are or another person or family adopts must one more small dog… just one more pet of any kind. Every pet deserves a good home! (JOMP)
"For the Love of a Pet"
Our gang of Chihuahuas and Chiweenies (JOMP)
Photo by The UCLA Shutterbug
February 27, 2015 Posted by justonemorepet | Adopt Just One More Pet, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Chihuahua, Chiweenie, Dogs, Fostering and Rescue, Just One More Pet, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets	| Chihuahaus, Chihuahua Mixes, Chiweenies, Designer Dogs, for the love a pet, for the love of a dog, JOMP, Love, rescue a pet, shelter dogs, small dogs | Leave a comment
Angel… Our Mama Turns 10-Years-Old Today
Our Angel, a half-long-haired, half short-haired, light red and white, fawn-face Chihuahua stole our hearts and literally saved my life, or at least my sanity, during a very dark time for me. Angel is the mama and the alpha dog at our house and of our little pack of Chihuahuas and Chiweenies.
According to her papers, Angel was born in Oklahoma on May 3rd and ten weeks later had made her way to our home and into our hearts.
Baby Angel
My husband was allergic to everything with fur and feathers. But when our daughter was young we gave in starting with hamsters, mice, rats, geckos, lizards, fish, turtles… and then birds. Then our daughter came home with a dog, Angel, while she was working part-time at a pet store, the summer after her first year of college. She was supposed to be earning a little pocket money for the next year. Instead she pretty much spent all she earned and came home with a papered Chihuahua at the height of the Chihuahua craze… who became our Angel.
My husband said, "no way… absolutely not!" Our daughter was going back to the dorms and he was allergic, so he took Angel right back to the store. They wouldn't take her back because our daughter had signed the contract and they had given up a full paying customer to let her buy Angel at the employee discount, less than half of what they had had an actual customer for. And of course, our daughter went back to school and the dorms about a month later with Angel in tow insisting she could sneak her in and keep her there. Less than an hour after her arrival at school with her 4-legged roommate, we were on our way to pick Angel up. My husband went through 18-months of allergy shots after that so we could keep her.
A year later our daughter was off sailing around the world with the Semester at Sea program. When she got back mid-year, she was assigned a lulu-bell for a roommate and bargained with us to get an off-campus apartment a semester early. She wasn't there a month… when she brought home a Chiweenie puppy, Apachi, who was being given away outside the pet store, near school, where she had just gotten a part-time job after returning from her sail. A pet store job is never a good idea for her. Major Problem… it was a no pet apartment and we had signed a year's lease.
Not long after getting Apachi, our daughter's colitis flared up to an extreme level (I tend to think some vaccines that they got overseas might have exacerbated her condition adding to some stress in her life at the time and too much partying during that period and trip). After a stint at an alternative care facility, in an attempt to avoid radical surgery, she unfortunately ended up having to have 2 major surgeries and I spent a total of 54-days (24/7) in the hospital sleeping on a cot in her room, with her. My husband, who was home with Angel and Apachi, visited daily. With all that was going on we really didn't think about the fact that neither 6 month old Apachi nor Angel had been fixed. Angel was the best tempered Chihuahua with a really easy going disposition and everyone had said, if we could breed her with a like-type male, they'd love to have a puppy. So I was looking for a mate for her and Apachi was just a baby, and taking him in to be neutered just got lost in all the goings on.
Next thing we knew… we had 4 puppies: Goji Angelina, Magnum, and Princess (As Pictured Below)
Angel was a natural and terrific Mom who took great care of her little brood and Apachi watched over them from somewhat of a distance… until they were weaned, at which point he took over.
Angel Has Always Loved Riding in the Car and Going for Walks… Before and After the Rest of the Family Arrived.
Heading to Dana Point, CA for a Walk
Walks in Wyoming
Traveling From Texas to CA
Walking in Texas
The boy pups (Magnum and Goji) and Angelina went to new homes at 10-weeks of age and we decided to keep Princess, our ADHD girl… Then a few weeks later Angelina came back to us, because her new family couldn't keep her and we had requested that if anyone who took a puppy had problems that we would get them back. Long story short… we kept Angelina too and that is how we went from birds, turtles and rats, at the time, to 4-dogs and a fish who survived being fed to our turtles.
Angel at Age 8
Angel (9) and Neighbor MaryAnn Playing
Angel's 2nd Birthday
Angel's 5th Birthday… USC Party
Our pups are now 7, 8 and 10-years old… We have always had separate birthday parties for everybody, but this year we are going to have a combined party next week, including for Rocky, our in-laws' aging Cocker Spaniel. But we had a mini-celebration today, on Angel's actual 10th B-day.
Our Christmas Card the Past Couple of Years (Below)… Featuring our Furkids Singing. The Rule Within the Pack Appears to be That Nobody Can Start Singing Until Angel Starts.
Apachi – Happy 7th Birthday
Travel Fun With Dogs
Photos By: UCLA Shutterbug
May 4, 2014 Posted by justonemorepet | Animal and Pet Photos, Animal Cuteness, Animal or Pet Related Stories, Chihuahua, Chiweenie, Dogs, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet Friendship and Love, pet fun, Pets, responsible pet ownership, Success Stories, We Are All God's Creatures	| Angel, Angelina, Apachi, Chihuahaus, Chiweenies, Dog Birthdays, Dog parties, dogs are family, Goji, holidays with pets, Love, Magnum, man's best friend, Princess | 6 Comments
Some Fun Christmas Pet Photos From 2013 and Years Past
December 30, 2013 Posted by justonemorepet | Adopt Just One More Pet, Animal and Pet Photos, Chihuahua, Chiweenie, Dogs, Dogs, Holidays With Pets, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet Friendship and Love, pet fun, Pets	| Angel, Angelina, Annabelle, Apachi, Cats, Chihuahaus, Chiweenies, Christmas for pet people, Christmas pet photos, cute, dogs, guinea pigs, holidays, holidays with pets, Merlin, pet fun, pet santa photos, Precious, Princess | 9 Comments
Gentle Giant George, Tallest Dog, Dies
The world has lost a gentle giant.
Giant George, verified as the world's tallest dog by Guinness World Records, died last Thursday, one month before his eighth birthday. The official verification changed both his life and the life of his owners overnight. George held the official record for tallest dog from 2010 – 2012.
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce Giant George died on Thursday, October 17, 2013," his owners, David and Christine Nasser, posted on GiantGeorge.com. "George passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones … We appreciate the love and support you have given Giant George over the last several years."
(Photo Credit: Zuma/Newscom)
Giant George, 3 feet, 7 inches from paw to his shoulder; almost seven feet long, and weighed approximately 245 pounds. He was known for his appearance on shows like "Live with Regis & Kelly" and "Good Morning America."
The Great Dane, owned by Dave and Christie Nasser, was actually the runt of the litter, according to the website.
"Eager to play … this big Great Dane was scared of water, scared of dogs a fraction of his size (including Chihuahuas) and most of all, was scared of being alone", the site said.
The owners donated a percentage of Giant George merchandise to animal charities and in 2011, donated more than $500 to a Japanese animal shelter after the country was hit hard by both an earthquake and tsunami.
Family, friends and fans have all posted to George's Facebook page with their condolences.
"Thanks to the Nasser family for sharing him with the world. He will be missed," one fan wrote.
Also see: Imagine taking him for walkies! George the Great Dane is 7ft long, weighs 18stones and is the world's biggest dog… but he's terrified of Chihuahuas; lots of photos.
Giant George's Owner Thanks Fans For Support, Not Ready For Another Dog
World's Oldest Dog Dies At Age 26….Requiescat in pace… although like with all records, there are now 27 and 28 year old Dachshunds and a 32 year old Chihuahua.
Pint-Sized Pinto Born in New Hampshire May Be World's Smallest Horse
World's Smallest Horse
Harbor the Coonhound Has the 'Longest Ears on a Living Dog'
Life in a Dog Pack: Old Age
How Long Will Your Dog Be with You? It Depends Heavily on This…
A Dog's Life… Can Be Longer Than You Think…
Part 2 of Dr. Becker's Interview with Bestselling Author Ted Kerasote: The Seven Factors that Determine How Long Your Dog Will Live
Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs, by Bestselling Author Ted Kerasote – Available in Bookstores This Week!
Help Your Dying Pet End Life in a Kind and Gentle Way
'Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Sour Remains Unawakened'
Heaven and Pets
Giant George
Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs
Canine and Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond (Kindle)
Help Your Dog Fight Cancer: What Every Caretaker Should Know About Canine Cancer, Featuring Bullet's Survival Story, 2nd Edition
Technorati Tags: Arizona,Chihuahaus,Great Dane,Great Danes,large dogs,largest dog in the world,traveling with dogs,travelling pets,world's largest dog,tallest dog,world records,Guiness,Book of Records,pet deaths,Until you have loved a pet,Rainbow Bridge,Dog Longevity
October 27, 2013 Posted by justonemorepet | Animal or Pet Related Stories, Chihuahua, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets, We Are All God's Creatures	| Arizona, Book of Records, books, Chihuahaus, dog longevity, Great Dane, Great Danes, Guiness, large dogs, largest dog in the world, pet books, pet deaths, Pets and Heaven, Rainbow Bridge, tallest dog, traveling with dogs, travelling pets, until you have loved a pet..., world records, world's largest dog | 2 Comments
Imagine taking him for walkies! George the Great Dane is 7ft long, weighs 18stones and is the world's biggest dog… but he's terrified of Chihuahuas
By DAVE NASSER - Last updated at 12:37 AM on 23rd July 2011
we saw George, our beloved Great Dane, he was no more than a tiny, cowering ball of fuzzy fur.
As my wife Christie opened the door of the crate he'd travelled in, he teetered to a standing position and looked out at us, moving his head slowly from side to side, taking in the wonder of it all.
Finally, as if weighing us up and deciding we were acceptable, he tentatively pushed his little nose forward and gave Christie her first lick.
Man's biggest friend: Devoted owner Dave Nasser with George, the world's biggest dog
Though it didn't really register, George's paws were comically large even then. But all we saw was this cute puppy.
We certainly never dreamed he would one day become the biggest dog in the world, standing nearly 4ft high at the shoulder, 7ft long and weighing nearly 18 stone. Right now, he just looked bewildered.
He came into our lives in January 2006, just a few months after we had married and set up home in Arizona. We both had busy jobs, Christie selling medical equipment while I was a property developer, but she had always planned that, once she had a house of her own, she would also have a dog.
A doggone miracle: George the Great Dane with the Nasser's daughter Annabel at home in Arizona
Puppy love: A young George with Dave's wife Christie. Even as a pup he had comically large paws
She wanted a Great Dane as they make great family pets, so we tracked down a litter of 13, born 1,000 miles away in Oregon. Their owner emailed us a photo showing a chaotic jumble of paws, snouts and tails.
Twelve were entangled with one another, but our eyes were drawn to one pup standing apart from the rest. He was clearly the runt, endearing him to Christie immediately.
George made the long journey from Oregon to Phoenix by plane and we picked him up from the freight area, tired but unshaken.
As soon as George settled into our home, we discovered our plans to be fair but firm parents were wishful thinking.
All the things that make Great Danes wonderful pets — their lack of aggression and their attachment to humans — make them more emotionally sensitive than other dogs.
They need to be with their 'pack' at all times and at night the cute pup with intensely blue eyes turned into a caterwauling banshee whenever we tried to leave him alone in the kitchen.
Magnificent: George measures more than 7ft from nose to tail and weighs 18st
No matter how much we reminded ourselves that he had every home comfort (warm dog bed, warm blanket, warm kitchen, squeaky bone), each whimper created a picture in our heads of a tragic, abandoned pup, desperate for his mother.
Eventually, we gave in and shunted George's dog bed into our bedroom. In the coming months, Christie really threw herself into being a mum to George. As well as a photo album, he had a growth chart — we were soon reading it in awe.
At five months he still acted like a puppy, chasing his tail and playing games of fetch and tug-of-war with his favorite bit of rope. But he was already the size of a fully-grown Labrador.
He was putting on more than a pound a day and he bounded around like Bambi, skittering on our wooden floors and hurling himself at everything he fancied, including us humans. His displays of affection could leave you pinned temporarily against a wall or a piece of furniture.
Patches the dog on death row saves his own life by singing Happy Birthday
His size did not go unnoticed in the outside world. Our local park had a section for puppies but we were bullied out of it by other owners, who were scared George would hurt their pups, — but the opposite was true.
The smaller dogs ran around and under him, and he'd be constantly sidestepping them, obviously anxious and jittery. Slowly we realized that our enormous puppy was a big softie. Besides his terror of being left alone, he had a fear of water.
He'd growl anxiously at the side of our swimming pool, alarmed that his 'pack' members would so willingly place themselves in danger of drowning.
If the pool was his most-hated place, his favorite was our bedroom. Eventually he outgrew the single mattress we placed there for him and preferred instead the comfort of our king-sized bed — sprawling between us like some over-indulged prince while we spent half the night clinging onto the edges.
Paws for thought: George's giant feet dwarf Dave's hand
In the summer of 2006, we solved this problem by buying him his own queen-sized mattress, which he still sleeps on today at the bottom of our bed.
But soon we encountered another challenge as George reached doggie puberty. Once he had grabbed life by the lapels, now he was grabbing onto legs — table legs, chair legs, human legs, he wasn't picky — and doing what all male dogs do with the vigour of a canine giant.
He calmed down in the furniture department after we had him neutered, but then he took up a new hobby, eating as if it were an Olympic sport.
A sausage on the barbecue was like a siren to a passing sailor. You couldn't turn your back for a minute. And he was so tall that he actually had to bend down to pinch food off kitchen counters.
He could reach the high shelves as well, so we had to hide everything away in cupboards. Soon, he was getting through around 100lb of dry dog food every month.
As he approached his first birthday in November 2006, weighing about 14 stone, it was getting physically impossible to make him go anywhere he didn't want to — including the vet's surgery. He had not forgotten the time he went there in possession of his manhood — and came out less than whole.
As soon as he recognised the entrance, he refused to move. So I had to take him around to the less familiar back door instead.
For all these troubles, George gave us plenty in return, not least the following year when Christie lost the baby she was carrying.
Evidently tuned in to her grief, George was a constant presence at her side. When she sat, he sat too. When she stood, he stood and padded alongside her to wherever she was going.
His personality grew more delightful the bigger he got. A male Great Dane typically weighs from nine to 11 stone, but by Christmas 2007 George weighed 15 stone — bigger than most men. At this point, he loved being chauffeured around in my golf cart and would sit in it, his haunches on the seat and front legs on the floor.
By Christmas 2008, our canine colossus weighed 18 stone. A friend suggested he might be a contender for the Guinness Book Of Records, but we had other things to think about: Christie had discovered that she was pregnant again.
With size comes problems: George the giant barely fits in the back of his owner's SUV
The trouble was, when our daughter Annabel arrived that September George made it clear he wanted nothing to do with this interloper. He was used to spending nights in delightful oblivion at the foot of our bed. Annabel's high-decibel presence simply wasn't on.
When she cried, he'd wake, harrumph and then turn over in annoyance. Once it was clear the racket was going to continue, he'd exhale heavily again, till one of us finished that mysterious feeding thing we did with the noisy intruder.
But while he might not have cared much for Annabel, George loved her dolls, especially a stuffed green one that played a nursery rhyme when squeezed. Whenever he could, he placed it between his paws and pressed it so he could hear the tune.
It was like a security blanket. It was a period of such big adjustment for him that if it made him happy, then it was fine by us and our patience was rewarded.
Slowly, George understood that Annabel was our pack's youngest member and in need of his affection and protection. And on Christmas morning, he ended his three-month sulk, acknowledging her presence with a lick of her hand. It was the best present we could have had — although the beginning of 2010 brought more good news.
Over the previous weeks, while Annabel slept, Christie had applied to the Guinness World Records people on George's behalf. That February, one of their adjudicators came to watch George being measured in the presence of a vet. He was officially declared not just the world's tallest living dog (43 inches from paw to shoulder) but the tallest dog ever.
The following week we flew to Chicago to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show and were put up in one of the city's most luxurious hotels. We had a huge sitting room, dining area and even a bar — but there was just one problem. There was nowhere for George to sleep.
As we enjoyed a gourmet meal and a bottle of red wine that night, he struggled to settle on two roll-out divans provided for him. Infuriatingly, they wouldn't stay together. So he had his head on one and back end on the other, but his stomach was sagging onto the carpet.
'You know what we need to do,' I joked. 'Give George our bed to sleep on and have the divans in this room ourselves.'
Christie looked at me with a telltale gleam in her eye and I knew immediately my joke had been a fatal error. An hour later, our boy was sprawled in splendor in our huge, fluffy king-size bed.
'Well,' whispered Christie, 'George is the star here, after all.' She was right, of course, and since his appearance on TV, Giant George has built a following around the world, with his own fan club, website and 70,000 fans on Facebook.
None of this, of course, means anything to George. He still spends his days doing what he has always liked best: eating, playing and sleeping.
Our cherished pet may have become a global celebrity — but really, he's just one of the family.
Extracted from Giant George by Dave Nasser, published by Simon & Schuster on August 4, £12.99, © 2011 Dave Nasser. To order a copy for £10.99 (incl p&p) call 0843 382 0000.
*a stone = 14 lbs, so George weighs 252 pounds
Source: DailyMail.co.uk
July 24, 2011 Posted by justonemorepet | Adopt Just One More Pet, Animal or Pet Related Stories, animals, Chihuahua, Dogs, Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, NO KILL NATION, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets, responsible pet ownership, Unusual Stories	| Arizona, Chihuahaus, Great Dane, Great Danes, large dogs, largest dog in the world, traveling with dogs, travelling pets, world's largest dog | 3 Comments
Pint-Sized Chihuahua Successfully Thwarts Armed Robbers!
A ten pound Chihuahua named Paco proved to be more than just a cute face when he actually defended his owner's tobacco shop from an armed robbery. The lovable pooch is seen in this great video chasing off the robbers while nipping at their heels. Clearly, Paco must think himself Doberman.
ABC brings us the heartwarming report and video: Chihuahua Stops Armed Robber
Source: The Blaze
July 21, 2011 Posted by justonemorepet | Adopt Just One More Pet, animal behavior, animals, Chihuahua, Dogs, If Animlas Could Talk..., Just One More Pet, Man's Best Friend, Pet Friendship and Love, Pets, We Are All God's Creatures	| Chihuahaus, chihuahua, Chihuahua defends owner, courageous pets, loyal pet, loyalty | 1 Comment


The course has attracted 680 students which 20 % are from South Africa, 18 % from the USA and 5 % from Nigeria.
It has a total region of 86 countries and 163 people have interacted with the course in its first week making it a total of 30 % of people who are active. We encourage student to register and Journalism departments all over the world to take part.
This week's analytics boast a learner participation 23% and are under 23 years and under with 27 percent of the students with matric and less.
Citizen Justice Network at Wits University has an ongoing free Massive Open Online Course called "Activism and Citizen Journalism through Media".
The course has no entry requirements and is aimed at empowering activists to use social and traditional media to promote a social cause. The course was developed in collaboration with the Centre for Learning, Teaching, and Development (CLTD), under the WitsX partnership. The course is designed to equip participants to produce a journalistic story using mobile media tools, to promote social justice. Participants will learn to: to identify newsworthy issues; define the limits and possibilities of different mobile platforms and tools, and identify an appropriate strategy and platform/tool to reach a defined target audience. The course also promotes ethical and safe media practices. The course draws on the innovative work of the Citizen Justice Network.


Welcome to the first lesson: How To Start An Affiliate Marketing Business For Free.
A niche is a group of individuals that have the same problem and that are looking to solve them.
The term niche market represents a sub section of a larger market. Let's take a domain in order to understand better. Suppose a general domain such as Electronics.
Now, Electronics is a large market. A sub section of this market can be Laptops.
In general we have to look for something more specific than Laptops. Therefore, we need to look for a sub section of the niche market. A sub-section of the Laptops niche market can be Toshiba Laptops and this is also known as a sub-niche market.
So if we draw the line, we have: A large market = Electronics; a niche market = Laptops; a sub-niche = Toshiba Laptops.
Large market= Beauty products; Niche market= Hair products; Sub-niche market = Anti hair fall products.
Large market= Cooking Recipes; Niche Market= Chicken Recipes; Sub-niche = Chicken salad recipes.
Choosing a good niche is one of the most important things you need to do for your business. Many people will tell that in order to succeed you need to choose a niche that you can relate to or one which you know it pretty well.
There are a lot of marketers that have business around their hobbies. Some have about Traveling, other about classical music or painting, books, coins, bikes, or other similar stuff. I even saw a few individuals that have sites about astronomy and even witchcraft.
I would suggest you to take a few piece of paper and a few minutes and write up to 10 ideas of what you can discuss right now for a full 45 minutes.
You need to choose a popular niche. Indeed, there are a lot of people that search for a problem online. In fact, there are over 3 billion internet users.
However, you have to realize that you will not be the only one that works within the same niche. You will have a lot of competitors within your niche.
Very popular: Weight Loss, Make Money Online, Relationship advise.
Popular: Martial arts, Astronomy, Travel, Movies, Pets, Gambling.
Perfect: Men's Suits, Yoga clothing, manual lawnmowers, snowboards, scuba diving and so on.
Now, since I am in a very popular niche, MMO, I could tell you to never go for a very popular niche. It is very hard to get into this market. I believe that I literally have thousands of competitors and if I didn't master SEO, I don't think that I would have get a visitor to my website.
If you choose a very popular niche, be prepared to either invest a lot of time in order to see have success or to invest money in ads.
A popular niche is still pretty hard to get into for a newbie. Of course, there are not the same amounts of monthly searches for them as for the very popular niches. However, those can be considered as "niche market".
In order to be able to see success fast, you will need to choose a sub-niche market. You can choose anything similar to the niches from the category Perfect.
When it comes to choosing a niche, selecting a sub-niche is not everything. Now, you need to make sure that you will earn money from that niche.
So, how do you select that?
Well, you earn money by promoting a product to a person and if they buy it you will get a commission, right?
A lot of people tend to promote the products from places like Clickbank or Shareasale since they earn more money from it. However, I suggest you to take a look and promote the products from Amazon, since it is the most popular e-commerce store and nobody has any hold backs when purchasing from it.
Don't think small. If you will work hard, you will end up having more than 1000-2000 orders per day. The nature of your niche defines how much you will earn per month.
Let's take a product with a price of $40.
Now, if your niche is in the category of 1% commission, per 1000 orders per day you will earn: $400 per day or $12,000 per month(for a month of 30 days).
If you get in a niche of 8%, you'll get: $3200 per day, $96,000 per month.
See how significant this commission can be.
Make sure to select a niche category that has a good commission from Amazon.
*Of course you will be able to promote products from other places as well. But if you decide to promote only from Amazon, it is important to take this % commission into account from the very beginning.
What is the minimum amount of money that you want to make per month?
How much time would you invest in order to achieve it?
In how many months do you believe that you will achieve it?
What is the ideal amount of money that you want to make per month?
How many hours per week will you invest and for what amount of time in order to achieve it?
Treat those answers with seriousness. Try to look at it like a real world business. I know that some of you have seen those Youtube videos of guys claiming that you earn $100,000 in 90 days or stuff like that.
Indeed, it is entirely possible if you spend $60-80k in ads. Otherwise, it is impossible to earn so much money while starting from scratch.
Create 2-3 Youtube videos and so on.
What is important is to give yourself small tasks like I do.
Don't jump and give yourself an impossible task like make $1000 on the first month on a website with 100% organic traffic. I will explain the following lessons why it is impossible to do that.
That was all on today's lesson: How To Start An Affiliate Marketing Business For Free. If you have any questions, feel free to share them in the comment section below!
I want to start my own affiliate marketing business.
This article will surely help me.


Breaking news of importance to all Royal Enfield motorcycle fans in the United States: Schlitz Beer is back and it's no better than it ever was.
Err. Let me rephrase that: Schlitz Beer is back and it's as "good" as it ever was. That doesn't sound quite right either. Let me explain.
About the time Royal Enfield motorcycles were in production in England and available for sale in the U.S., Schlitz Beer was a major brand. The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous was its slogan. Another was: "When You're Out of Schlitz, You're Out of Beer." Still another: "You Only Go Around Once In Life, You Have to Grab for All the Gusto You Can."
Whether you liked beer or not, you could not live in the U.S. and be unaware of Schlitz advertising, which was fairly clever and everywhere you looked. The ads were especially common on television, where they convinced me, before I was of drinking age, that if I ever did learn to like beer, I would drink Schlitz, if only to support the great advertising campaign.
Schlitz fell out favor and quality suffered in the decades of brewery consolidations that wiped out many brands. Schlitz isn't an independent brewer anymore, but its maker recently brought it back to market, promising that quality will be as it was "in the 1960s."
That's progress for you! Certainly, any Royal Enfield motorcycle owner can understand the appeal of a product that markets itself as being the same as you remember. I sampled a six-pack while in Milwaukee recently. Yes, I believe this is the same beer I tasted in 1969.
The Schlitz web site features other television and print ads from its glory days. They are fun to watch, even if you're not drinking.
Schlitz never went away, you could find it in small quantities in random stores, but the recipe did change over the years. They just changed it back to the original formula.


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Listings for cars and trucks for sale are shown on a website. Fraud is widespread in the private-party online car-buying market, and unless buyers are careful, they can lose thousands of dollars.
Edmunds: How to avoid fraud when buying a car online
Carroll Lachnit Edmunds
Imagine that you are looking for a used car on a popular site, such as Autotrader, Cars.com or Craigslist. You find exactly the one you want, with a very attractive price.
The ad has photos galore and even a link to a vehicle history report, which shows the car is in good condition and has a clean title. There's an email address for inquiries, but no phone number, so you write for details. In the seller's reply, he volunteers that the car is such a great deal because he's a pilot and has had to relocate to the United Kingdom for a job with British Airways.
If you want the car, he explains, it's easily done: Just wire the payment to an escrow company, which will hold the payment until you receive the car. He supplies a link to the escrow company's website. There's even a vehicle purchase protection program: If you look at the car and decide you don't want it, you'll be refunded. So what could go wrong?
Plenty. That scenario, with some variation, is an online car-shopping fraud that has played out more than 29,000 times since 2014. Would-be buyers have been swindled out of more than $54 million as of December 2017, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The fake car ads use information cloned from actual listings. The sellers aren't British Airways pilots, personal trainers, deployed Marines or grieving widows — these are just stories that have been used to further the scam. The escrow sites are clones of real sites, such as Escrow.com, or brands such as Edmunds that are known but don't offer such services.
Dallas-based car-shipping service DAS, another company whose site has been faked by scammers, says many buyers aren't aware they've been taken until they ask DAS for their delivery date. "For the past several years, we've received about three calls per week like this," DAS notes in its site's fraud warning. "About a third of the people calling have already paid."
The criminals behind the schemes have technical skills that are good enough to clone ads and create functional-looking websites. And shoppers are already very comfortable with online buying, even for expensive products. An NPR/Marist poll this month found that 27 percent of shoppers had bought an item online with a price tag of $1,000 or more. Purchasing a car, sight unseen, from a stranger might not seem risky for some buyers. Criminals count on that faith in the legitimacy of online transactions.
The FBI and sites that are combating the scams, including Autotrader, Escrow.com, eBay Motors and Edmunds, offer these tips to avoid online car-buying fraud:
• Check the car's real value with an online car valuation tool from Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book or NADAguides. If the price is too low, that's a tip-off.
• Avoid sellers who refuse to talk by phone, meet in person or let you physically inspect the vehicle before the purchase.
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• Be wary if a seller insists on using a particular online escrow company. It's likely an attempt to steer you toward a fraudulent site.
• Check any shopping or escrow site's URL carefully. The company's name and its domain (usually .com, as in Autotrader.com or Edmunds.com) should appear at the end of the URL or just before any forward slash. A fake Edmunds domain, for example, would be: www.edmunds.com.us.info-vehicle.com.
• Don't rely on any site link the seller supplies. Enter the company's name in a web browser yourself, visit the site, and see if it actually provides the services the seller says it does.
• Be careful if you're offered a vehicle protection program. eBay Motors has such a program, but only for transactions that take place on the eBay Motors website. If you're shopping elsewhere and the seller says eBay is supplying that protection, it's a fraud.
• Ensure that any escrow company you use is properly licensed. In California, for example, there is only one licensed online escrow company whose services are available to the general public: Escrow.com.
• Don't give out your financial or personal information, such as a credit card number or bank account information, until you verify that the online escrow company you're using is legitimate.
• Stay far away if the seller wants some unusual form of payment, such as gift cards, iTunes cards, or money sent via Western Union.
If you think you've been the victim of online car-buying fraud, contact your bank immediately to see if it can reverse the fund transfer.
Edmunds says: Be vigilant when you're shopping online for private-party cars. Scammers are sophisticated and highly motivated to get your money.
This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.
Volvo S90 stretches concept design
Volvo adds more class to its dazzling S90 flagship sedan with extended cabin space for 2018.
Edmunds: 7 off-roaders that can be driven right off the lot
One of the most price-effective and time-tested ways to go off the beaten path in a motorize…
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A Patient with Septo-Optic Dysplasia Accompanying with Central Precocious Puberty | OMICS International
Journal of Clinical Case Reports
Case Report Open Access
A Patient with Septo-Optic Dysplasia Accompanying with Central Precocious Puberty
Shuntaro Morikawa and Toshihiro Tajima*
Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, N15, W7, Sapporo, Japan
Corresponding Author : Toshihiro Tajima
Hokkaido University School of Medicine
N15, W7, Sapporo, Japan
Tel: +81 11-716-2111
Received August 29, 2015; Accepted September 10, 2015; Published September 17, 2015
Citation: Morikawa S, Tajima T (2015) A Patient with Septo-Optic Dysplasia Accompanying with Central Precocious. J Clin Case Rep 5:587. doi:10.4172/2165- 7920.1000587
Copyright: © 2015 Morikawa S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Related article at Pubmed, Scholar Google
Visit for more related articles at Journal of Clinical Case Reports
Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD) is a heterogeneous condition defined by any combination of i) optic nerve hypoplasia, ii) hypopituitarism, and iii) midline brain anomalies such as agenesis of the corpus callosum and absence of the septum pellucidum. We encountered a Japanese girl with optic nerve hypoplasia, growth failure, precocious puberty, and mild developmental delay. Her optic nerve hypoplasia was diagnosed at 4 months of age. Thereafter, she showed growth failure from infancy. Gradual breast development was noticed from 6 years of age. Therefore, she was referred to us at 9.2 years of age. Endocrinological investigations demonstrated deficiencies in growth hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol. However, serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and estradiol were increased to pubertal levels. Brain MRI revealed bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia, a normal anterior pituitary lobe, an invisible pituitary stalk, and an invisible posterior lobe. Based on these findings, she was diagnosed as having SOD with growth hormone deficiency, secondary adrenal insufficiency, and central precocious puberty. Replacement of hydrocortisone, recombinant growth hormone replacement, and suppression therapy by gonadotropin releasing hormone analog were initiated. Her growth rate and physical activity were improved after treatment. While SOD is rare, children with optic nerve hypoplasia should be carefully checked for symptoms of pituitary hormone deficiency. Timely diagnosis of endocrine deficits could reduce the morbidity of patients with SOD.
Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD); Pituitary; Growth hormone deficiency; Precocious puberty
Case Presentation
The patient is a Japanese girl, currently 10.6 years old. She was born after 40 weeks of gestation by normal vaginal delivery and was the first child of non-consanguineous parents. The patient had no siblings, and her parents were healthy. Her birth weight was 2900 g (-0.3 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls) and length 48.7 cm (-0.4 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls). At 1 month of age, she did not show tracking eye movement. Fundus examination led to the diagnosis of bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia at 4 months of age. As shown by her growth chart (Figure 1), she showed short stature (below -2.5 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls) from infancy, but investigations for short stature were not done. Her psychomotor development was mildly delayed. Her parents noticed that her breasts developed from 6.5 years of age, and she manifested menarche at 9 years of age. Therefore, she was referred to our hospital at 9 years and 2 months of age. On physical examination, her height was 119.3 cm (-2.2 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls) and her weight was 19.0 kg (-1.2 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls). Her breast development was at Tanner stage IV and her pubic hair was at Tanner stage I. She did not show polydipsia or polyuria.
Her bone age at 9 years and 2 months was advanced (Japanese TW2 method, bone age of 10 years and 8 months). Her morning urine specific gravity was 1.010. Her basal luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels were 2.4 mIU/ml and 4.6 mIU/ ml, respectively, representing pubertal levels. Her serum estradiol was also at a pubertal level (18.0 pg/ml). Stimulation tests showed growth hormone (GH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol deficiencies (Table 1). TSH response to TRH seemed blunted. Serum free T4 level was 1.35 ng/dl. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a normally sized anterior pituitary (Figure 2A); however, a pituitary stalk and posterior lobe were not detected (Figure 2A). In addition, dysgenesis of the bilateral optic nerve was found (arrow in Figure 2B). Pelvic MRI identified a mature uterus and 1.5 cm×1.5 cm sized bilateral ovaries. Based on these findings, she was diagnosed with SOD accompanying GH deficiency, secondary adrenal insufficiency, and central precocious puberty
Replacement therapy with growth hormone (0.175 mg/kg/week), hydrocortisone (10 mg/day), and suppression therapy for central precocious puberty using gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analog (0.09 mg/kg/month) were started. Her growth rate was improved (Figure 1). Based on interviews with her mother, the physical activity of the patient was also improved. At her present age of 10.6 years, her body weight is 22 kg (-1.2 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls) and height 127.2 cm (-1.7 SD from the mean for normal Japanese girls). Her breast development is currently at Tanner stage III, and LH and FSH have been suppressed to prepubertal levels. Her free T4 level after GH replacement therapy was within normal range. She has not shown polyuria or polydipsia so far.
Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD), also known as de Morsier syndrome, is a rare congenital disease. Diagnosis of SOD is made based on the presence of 2 or more features of the classic triad: (i) optic nerve hypoplasia, (ii) hypopituitarism, ranging from isolated to multiple hormone deficiency, and (iii) midline brain defects (1). However, SOD is heterogeneous and may accompany other brain anomalies and developmental delay [1,2]. Regarding pubertal disturbance, patients with SOD usually show gonadotropin deficiency as a manifestation of hypopituitarism; however, it has been reported that several patients showed central precocious puberty [3]. Here we report a Japanese girl with SOD accompanying Growth Hormone (GH) deficiency, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) deficiency, and central precocious puberty. The incidence of SOD has been reported with 1 in 10, 000 births, equally prevalent in males and females. The diagnosis of SOD is based on the presence of two or more features of the classical triad of optic nerve hypoplasia, pituitary hormone abnormalities, and midbrain defects such as agenesis of the corpus callosum and absence of the septum pellucidum [1]. As our patient showed optic nerve hypoplasia and pituitary dysfunction, a diagnosis of SOD was settled.
Cerebellar hypoplasia, schizencephaly, aplasia of the fornix, encephalocele, and cortical dysplasia were also reported in SOD patients [1-3]. In addition, neurological symptoms are frequently observed, including mental retardation, epilepsy, and communicative or behavioral difficulties [1]. In this patient, no anomalies of the cerebrum were identified; however, she showed mild mental retardation. This is presumably related to SOD. The most common hormone deficiency is GH alone or in combination with deficiencies in other pituitary hormones [1-4]. Secondary adrenal insufficiency due to ACTH deficiency has also been reported in SOD patients. From her past history, she did not have any known episodes of adrenal crisis. However, it has been reported that the degree of ACTH deficiency can gradually progress in congenital combined pituitary hormone deficiency [5]. Moreover, Atapattu et al. [4] reported that among 227 patients with SOD, 3 patients died from adrenal crisis. Therefore, the evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is mandatory in patients with SOD. When secondary adrenal insufficiency is diagnosed, hydrocortisone replacement should be done immediately. The patient also showed central precocious puberty in addition to GH and ATCH deficiency. In SOD, both gonadotropin deficiency and central precocious puberty have been reported [3,6-8]. Central precocious puberty usually includes acceleration of the growth rate and GH deficiency usually shows growth failure. In this patient growth acceleration due to precocious puberty could mask growth hormone deficiency. The simultaneous occurrence of central precocious puberty and GH deficiency is a further risk for short stature [9]. It is thought there is little effect of treating girls aged over 8 years and with only central precocious puberty using GnRH analog for the purposes of increasing adult height [10]. However, as our patient had GH deficiency, the use of GnRH analog together with GH replacement was rationalized.
This case emphasizes the importance of evaluating growth in children with optic nerve hypoplasia. When pediatricians suspect an endocrine deficit, laboratory investigations including pituitary function tests and brain MRI should be performed. Timely diagnosis of endocrine deficits and adequate replacement of deficient hormones could decrease the morbidity and improve the health of patients with these conditions.
McCabe MJ, Alatzoglou KS, Dattani MT (2011) Septo-optic dysplasia and othermidline defects: the role of transcription factors: HESX1 and beyond.Best Pract Res ClinEndocrinolMetab 115-124.
Birkebaek NH, Patel L, Wright NB, Grigg JR, Sinhaet al. (2003) Endocrine status in patients with optic nerve hypoplasia: relationshipto midline central nervous system abnormalities and appearance of thehypothalamic-pituitary axis on magnetic resonance imaging. J ClinEndocrinolMetab88:5281-5286.
Oatman OJ, McClellan DR, Olson ML, Garcia-Filion P (2015) Endocrine andpubertal disturbances in optic nerve hypoplasia, from infancy to adolescence. Inter JPediatrEndocrinol.
Atapattu N, Ainsworth J, Willshaw H, Parulekar M, MacPherson L et al. (2012) Septo-optic dysplasia: antenatal risk factors and clinical features in aregional study. Horm Res Paediatr 78:81-87.
Takagi M, Ishii T, Inokuchi M, Amano N, Narumi S et al. (2012) Gradual loss of ACTH due to a novelmutation in LHX4: comprehensive mutation screening in Japanese patients withcongenital hypopituitarism. PLoS One 7:e46008.
Huseman C, Kelch R, Hopwood N, Zipf W (1978) Sexual precocity associated withoptic dysplasia and hypothalamic hypopituitarism. J Pediatr 92:748.
Margalith D, Tze WJ, Jan JE (1985) Congenital optic nerve hypoplasia withhypothalamic-pituitary dysplasia. A review of 16 cases. Am J Dis Child 139:361-366.
Mohney BG, Young RC, Diehl N (2013) Incidence and associated endocrine andneurologic abnormalities ofoptic nerve hypoplasia. JAMA Ophthalmology131:898-902.
Ladjouze A, Soskin S, Garel C, Jullien M, Naud-Saudreau C et al. (2007) GH deficiency with central precocious puberty: a new rare disorderassociated with a developmental defect of the hypothalamic-pituitary area.Eur J Endocrinold 156:463-469.
Fuqua JS (2013) Treatment and Outcomes of Precocious Puberty: An Update. J ClinEndocrinolMetab 98: 2198–2207
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With the popularization of FTTB and FTTH, optical cables have entered thousands of homes. After the optical cable enters the room, the chamfer is laid in many places, which requires a small bending radius of the optical cable.
Engineers can select different types of optical cables according to data transmission requirements, installation environment and cost.
The following table shows the static bending radius of various types of bare optical fiber used by JFOPT for your reference.


text:
Latest Edition of Flipboard with New Features
Comment0 | Share | Tweet | print | email
There's a universe of beautiful, interesting content available via Flipboard, which just released a new edition, 1.5. Tap the ever-present red ribbon in the top right and the new Content Guide slides out, where you can search for any person, topic or blog you're interested in, or simply browse recommended sections arranged by category. Tap Social to connect to Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Instagram, Flickr and now LinkedIn (more on that in a bit), and transform your feeds from those networks into a magazine. Find a source you like, and save it to your Favorites for quick access later.
The No. 1 request heard from the Flipboard community was the ability to save more content. So now, whenever you're flipping through a section that you love, you can… [read the FLIPBOARD BLOG]
Comments (0) | | Category: iPad
Using E-Books to Sell More Print Versions
How do you help brick-and-mortar stores sell books? Throw in an e-book.
That is the idea of one publisher, Algonquin, which began a promotion in 300 Barnes & Noble stores this month that gives a discounted e-book to customers who buy an Algonquin trade paperback. The publisher has planned a similar effort for October, giving customers who buy a hardcover copy of "When She Woke," by Hillary Jordan, the digital version of the book free.
"We spend a lot of time lately trying to figure out how to sell books in this new world order," said… [READ THE FULL STORY AT NY TIMES]
Comments (0) | | Categories: Ebook news, Self-publishing
Politico and Random House Partner on Ebook Venture
Politico, an accelerant to the news cycle like wind is to brushfire, is taking on the one realm of political news that it has not yet sped up: book publishing.
The all-things-politics Web site is teaming up with Random House to publish four e-books about the 2012 presidential campaign, the first of which is scheduled to go on sale sometime before Christmas. Each will be in the 20,000- to 30,000-word range and written by… [READ THE FULL STORY]
Comments (0) | | Category: Ebook news
First Digital-Only Textbook for K-12
McGraw-Hill's new format, CINCH, is a cloud-based curriculum for K-12 math and 7-12 science. It makes all course materials, which include ebooks, presentations, assessments and animation clips, available from any device with a browser. Students in a class can also participate in Facebook-like conversations that stay with the text. "We're trying to meet students and teachers where they're at digitally," Stansell says.
McGraw-Hill will also be launching a… [READ THE FULL STORY]
Comments (0) | | Categories: Ebook news, Educational material
E-Reader Adoption Crushing Tablets
E-reader ownership among U.S. adults has surged in the last six months, doubling from 6% to 12%, according to a survey released today by the Pew Research Center. That remarkable rate of adoption surpasses even tablets, which are owned by just 8% of adults 18 and older.
That's great news for Amazon and Barnes & Noble, whose e-readers, the Kindle and Nook, are flying off shelves (e-shelves, rather). But it might also come as a surprise to consumers inundated with ads for the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Motorola Xoom that e-readers are outpacing tablets. [read the full story]
Comments (0) | | Categories: EReaders, iPad
Romance Novels Heating Up e-Books
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Angela James, 35. Eight years ago, she was an occupational therapist who sated her appetite for paranormal romances by reading e-books; now she's the executive editor of Carina Press, the pioneering digital-first novel imprint at Harlequin, the grandmother of romance publishing.
Launched in June 2010, Carina is an experiment — not just in e-books, but in business strategies that just might dictate the future of the publishing industry. At a time of rapidly rising digital-book sales and steadily declining print sales — and when romance is the fastest-growing e-book segment — other publishers may want to take note. [read full story from Fast Company]
Comments (0) | | Categories: Ebook news, Romance Novels
Children's ebooks coming to Windows Phone
Microsoft and TouchyBooks will see more than 300 ebooks coming to Windows Phone, and then Android and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Over 150 children's ebooks have already been released on the Windows Marketplace, with the same number again to follow before the end of June – 20 a day, according to the press release.
As you would expect from an 'app book', the pages are interactive, providing your children with lots of colour, words to read and learn and even background music and animations. Among the list there are plenty of recognisable classics, including Cinderella, Snow White and… [read the full story]
Mystery Writers association to Accept Independent Publishers
The Mystery Writers of America made a major change to its membership guidelines today, opening the membership door to eBook and print-on-demand publishers.
Here is a brief summary of the changes: "The publishing business is experiencing massive changes and if MWA is to remain relevant, we have to change, too. That's why we've… [read the full details]
3 to 1 e-books Outselling Physical Books at B&N
Barnes & Noble on Tuesday said it sold three times as many digital books through its website compared to physical books during the fourth fiscal quarter.
The growth in e-book sales comes as the company reported a rise in digital sales through its website and a decline in sales through its physical bookstores during the fourth quarter. In February, B&N said it was selling two times more e-books than physical books. Physical books still… [read the full article]
Google now offer eBooks Affiliate Program
Google has launched an affiliate program for its eBooks service, offering to pay commissions to Web publishers who promote titles on their sites and send buyers to Google's online bookstore.
"Starting today, we invite all interested site owners to apply to join the expanded Google eBooks affiliate program. Participating sites gain new revenue streams by giving their book-reading audiences an easy way to buy Google eBooks," wrote Pratip Banerji, product manager at the Google Books team.
[read the full article here]


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text:
Q: Matplotlib rcParams not recognizing "Times New Roman" (mac High Sierra) I am trying to set the font of a matplotlib plot to Times New Roman. I have tried:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.rcParams['font.family'] = 'Times New Roman'

I believe this is the correct way to set the font, but I keep getting this error that the found is not found:
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/font_manager.py:1238: UserWarning: findfont: Font family ['Times New Roman'] not found. Falling back to DejaVu Sans.

After some searching, I verified that I have the font downloaded. I tried opening a python shell and checking the contents of rcParams myself. Among a bunch of other font parameters, I curiously got a list of fonts in font.serif that contains Times New Roman.

          'font.serif': ['DejaVu Serif',
                         'Bitstream Vera Serif',
                         'Computer Modern Roman',
                         'New Century Schoolbook',
                         'Century Schoolbook L',
                         'Utopia',
                         'ITC Bookman',
                         'Bookman',
                         'Nimbus Roman No9 L',
                         'Times New Roman',
                         'Times',
                         'Palatino',
                         'Charter',
                         'serif'],

However, font.family only contained one item: sans-serif, when the matplotlib documentation states that there should be five values inside font.family. Has anybody run into this error before? How did you fix it?

A:
However, font.family only contained one item: sans-serif, when the
  matplotlib documentation states that there should be five values
  inside font.family

No, font.family should contain one of those five values, namely the font family that you want to use.
You gotta make sure that the font family is set to serif and the font Times New Roman is at the top of the serif font list. It works like this:
plt.rcParams['font.family'] = 'serif'
plt.rcParams['font.serif'] = ['Times New Roman'] + plt.rcParams['font.serif']

You technically don't need to append the rest of the list (the very last part). It simply provides a fallback for matplotlib if Times New Roman is actually not available.
Also see the example in the docs.

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Home / Classic Motorcycle Touring / Classic Motorcycle Events / Amelia Island 2014 Concours d'Elegance
Amelia Island 2014 Concours d'Elegance
By Somer Hooker
Paul Ousey's 1905 Erie won Best in Class at Amelia Island 2014.
Most of the major automobile concours have at least one motorcycle class. Pebble Beach, Hilton Head, and The Quail Gathering have all realized that there is ample interest in two wheel vehicles. Quite often there is a theme to help attract certain types of motorcycles as opposed to the structured class divisions seen in many shows. The theme approach is a great way to further stimulate interest in vintage motorcycling.
This year's theme at Amelia was "Orphan American Motorcycles," homage to the numerous small American companies that were around before World War I. Many of these motorcycles were "badge engineered" where a proprietary engine was bought and inserted in a frame. Thor made numerous single-cylinder engines for other manufacturers. This event could have been called "A Show of Original Paint Motorcycles Presented by TV Personalities" since Dale Walksler ("What's in the Barn") and Wayne Carini ("Chasing Classic Cars") brought the majority of vehicles there. Both are known for reality TV, but in this situation they were truly presenting "reality" since many of their bikes are untouched originals. This was quite refreshing considering the abundance of over-restored/never-looked-that-good vehicles present at many shows.
One pièce de résistance was an early Thor racer loaned by The Allen County Museum in Lima, Ohio. Included in their exhibit was the shipping crate that was used to transport the bike from race to race on a train. Inside the crate was a card with the engine specifications and the rider's FIM license. This complete package won a Preservation Award. Also of historical interest was an early Yale loaned by The Pink Palace Museum in Memphis. The curators had originally gone to pick up an old gas pump in Arkansas. As they were leaving the owner shouted, "You want this old motorcycle too?" and proceeded to drag out a 1905 Yale. Another survivor was a Dixie Flyer, the only one known. It had been found in a mining town and still has very rich, original paint. Other companies represented in the Orphan Motorcycle Class were Reading-Standard, Apache, Erie, Steffey, Elk, and Fletcher Flyer. The best in class award went to Paul Ousey's 1905 Erie.
The real winners were the attendees who enjoyed the splendid array of early American original paint motorcycles.
The 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will feature "Legends of the High Bank," celebrating motorcycles that raced at Daytona Speedway. It all happens March 13-15, 2015.
A rare circa 1912-1913 Elk single-cylinder at Amelia Island 2014.
1913 Flescher Flyer prototype. Engine is a 9hp Spacke Deluxe V-twin.
1911 Thor single-cylinder board track racer with its original shipping crate.
Tagged with: 2015 events | classic motorcycle events | Somer Hooker
Amelia Island Concours 2020: Complicated Class Provides Simple Pleasure
The 25th Amelia Island Concours, March 8, 2020, featured a 1939 HRD Series A Twin, 1929 French Majestic and green-frame Ducati 750SS.
Barber Vintage Festival 2019
Highlights and show winners from our show at the 15th Annual Barber Vintage Festival, featuring Honda Fours.
This year's Goodwood Revival, a gathering of stars of yesteryear and current racers, were joined by three-time World champion Dani Pedrosa.


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Courtroom Erupts in Outrage as Off-Duty Cop Who Shot & Killed Unarmed Woman is Acquitted
Cassandra Fairbanks April 22, 2015
Chicago, IL– An off-duty police officer who shot and killed Rekia Boyd will remain free, after a judge found him not guilty on charges of killing the 22-year-old woman. Despite purposely and willfully pulling out his weapon and firing into a group of people, the officer was only charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, and reckless discharge of a firearm.
On March 21, 2012, Chicago Police Officer Dante Servin, was off-duty when he became upset about noise from people who were walking to a store near a park. The officer parked in an alley and confronted Rekia Boyd and three friends, telling them to quiet down. When the two young men in the group talked back to the officer, he slowly pulled out of the alley. He then brandished his service weapon and fired five shots over his shoulder while sitting in his car as the group had their backs to him.
One of the shots hit Boyd's boyfriend in the hand, while another hit Boyd in her head. The bullet ricocheted inside her head, left to right, back to front and then slightly upward," according to her autopsy. She was killed immediately.
Servin's defense claimed, naturally, that "he feared for his life." The defense claimed that Servin saw Cross pull a gun from his waistband and point it at him, causing him to fire in self-defense. No gun was found at the scene.
As outrageous as this story is, the judge some how decided to allow this killer to remain free.
"Simply put, the evidence presented in this case does not support the charges on which the defendant was indicted and tried. There being no evidence of recklessness as a matter of law, there is no evidence to which the state could sustain its burden of proof as to the fourth element of the charge of involuntary manslaughter," Judge Dennis Porter stated. "Therefore, there is a finding of not guilty on all counts and the defendant is discharged."
As the judge made the shocking announcement, the courtroom erupted in shock and outrage.
"You want me to be quiet?! This motherfucker killed my sister!" Boyd's brother, Martinez Sutton, screamed as he was being removed from the courtroom.
An impromptu protest broke out immediately outside the courtroom, and outraged family and community members followed the killer cop as he exited the courtroom, screaming "murderer" as he walked.
"I really didn't expect it to happen in this case," her brother stated outside the courtroom, speaking about the officer being found guilty. "But I had faith. I had hope. I thought that maybe the judge would grow a heart but just like the Tin Man he never had one."
The young woman's killer then made a bold and heartless statement to the media outside the courthouse, saying:
"I think it was a mistake for the state's attorney to charge me, but I also explained to the family that if this is what they needed for closure – for me to be charged – I hope they got what they were looking for," Servin said.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez provided a written statement on the ruling expressing disappointment in the outcome.
"I am extremely disappointed by the Judge's ruling. The State's Attorney's Office brought charges in this case in good faith and only after a very careful legal analysis of the evidence as well as the specific circumstances of this crime."
"I am Rekia Boyd's mom. They just found this man not guilty on all counts, and he blew my daughter's brains out in the alley," Angela Helton, Boyd's mother said of the decision.
The officer remains working at the police department on desk duty but has been stripped of police powers until the Independent Police Review Authority finishes their investigation.
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