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Woman whose dog 'voted' pleads not guilty SEATTLE (AP) -- Duncan the dog is still registered to vote, and his owner isn't pleased. Jane Balogh signed up the dog in protest of a 2005 state voter-registration law she thinks makes it too easy for noncitizens to vote. She used a paw print to mark ballots on Duncan's behalf. At first, Balogh said she wouldn't contest a misdemeanor charge of making false statements on a voter registration form. But on Thursday, she pleaded not guilty to the charge that is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. She said she changed her mind when election officials claimed her efforts showed the system worked. "She's just kind of annoyed because Duncan's still on the voting rolls," said her lawyer, Kristen Anderson. "Somebody is clearly not getting the message." Laura Lockard, King County's acting election program manager for voter services, said there is "an arduous process" to have...

What's with men who give woman these pussy handshakes? Are they afraid they'll break our hand 'cause they're so big and strong? Last night on " American Inventor ", George Foreman gave this one woman the weakest handshake I've ever seen. Maybe it's just me, but I HATE that. So men, quit it! PS. This happened to me in my pre-crip days, so that's no excuse.

Top 10 reasons why I procrastinate. 1.

CSI chases delinquent dog DNA MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Crime scene investigation is going to the dogs. Animal control officers in one southern Australian city are being trained and equipped to gather DNA clues at the scene of every dog attack on a human or pet, officials said Sunday. The Port Phillip city council announced that the officers will receive swabs, gloves and other equipment to collect evidence from fur, saliva, blood and excrement so they can track down dangerous animals and their owners. "We have to make sure that if we have to do something like put an animal down or prosecute, we're sure" of the canine culprit's identity, Councilor Janet Cribbes said. A Pomeranian was being walked on a leash when it was mauled to death by two dogs in Port Phillip in 2004. DNA taken from fur and feces positively identified the offenders, which were destroyed. A magistrate fined the dogs' registered owner $7,244 for failing to control them, in what the council cal...

N.J. Dog Crowned World's Ugliest PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) - Elwood, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix, was crowned the world's ugliest dog Friday, a distinction that delighted the New Jersey mutt's owners. Elwood, dark colored and hairless—save for a mohawk-like puff of white fur on his head—is often referred to as "Yoda," or "ET," for his resemblance to those famous science fiction characters. "I think he's the cutest thing that ever lived," said Elwood's owner, Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey. Quigley brought Elwood out to compete for the second year at the annual ugly dog contest at the Marin-Sonoma County Fair. Elwood placed second last year. Most of the competing canines were also Chinese Crested, a breed that features a mohawk, bug eyes and a long, wagging tongue. Quigley said she rescued Elwood two years ago. "The breeder was going to euthanize him because she thought he was too ugly to sell," ...

WA woman registers her dog to vote SEATTLE (AP) -- The second time Duncan M. MacDonald sent in an absentee ballot, an election worker in Federal Way called to ask about the paw print on the envelope. But it took three ballots before the prosecutor contacted the voting dog's owner. Jane Balogh said she registered the Australian shepherd-terrier mix to vote in protest of a 2005 state voter-registration law that she says makes it too easy for noncitizens to vote. She put her phone bill in Duncan's name, then used the phone bill as identification to register him as a voter. "I wasn't trying to do anything fraudulent. I was trying to prove that our system is flawed. So I got myself in trouble," she says. Prosecutors have offered the grandmother and Army veteran a deal: plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of making a false statement to a public official and they will not file a felony charge of providing false information on a voter-registration application. Balogh sai...

Black lab drives owner's car into river SAGLE, Idaho (AP) -- Bad dog. Charlie the black lab is in trouble after driving his owner's car into the Pend Oreille River. Owner Mark Ewing had just returned home from picking up a pizza Wednesday evening. As he walked to his home, Charlie jumped into the car through an open window, and apparently knocked the vehicle into gear. "He somehow got the car into neutral," Ewing said. "My car just went boom, down an incline and into the drink." Ewing could only watch as his Chevy Impala sank into the river. No dummy, Charlie jumped out of the window as the car went downhill. "There's nothing weirder than looking at your car cruising down your driveway when you're not in it and seeing your dog jump out and then watching your car go splash," Ewing said. Actually, things got a little weirder when the tow truck driver showed up. Before the driver dove into the water to hook the car up to his truck, he asked Ew...

Bush Vetoes Measure on Stem Cell Research WASHINGTON, June 20 — President Bush on Wednesday issued his second veto of a measure lifting his restrictions on human embryonic stem cell experiments. The move effectively pushed the contentious scientific and ethical debate surrounding the research into the 2008 presidential campaign. “Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical,” Mr. Bush said in a brief ceremony in the East Room of the White House. He called the United States “a nation founded on the principle that all human life is sacred.” At the same time, Mr. Bush issued an executive order intended to encourage scientists to pursue other forms of stem cell research that he does not deem unethical. But that research is already going on, and the plan provides no new money. Advocates for embryonic stem cell research called the new plan a ploy to distract from Mr. Bush’s opposition to the studies. “I think the president has issued a political fig leaf,” said Sean...

If Old Mother Hubbard worked for the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, would the Commissioners Court make her beg to get her poor dog a bone? Melanie Sobel – former director of the multimillion dollar "state of the art" shelter, which opened in March 2007 – quit this month over a variety of troubles in puppy paradise, including a zero budget for the most basic of items, like pet food and vaccinations. Sobel's last day was May 31, and she's not the only one to scram. Shelter manager Kim Harrington is set to leave June 14. In the wake of the resignations, the board of directors recently hired Dr. Dana Boehm, a graduate of Texas A&M, to serve as interim animal services director for 90 days beginning June 1. At least the cupboard's not totally bare, thanks largely to the efforts of Dave Frase of Georgetown, a community volunteer active in animal causes. Frase has been scrounging the shelves of Wal-Mart, looking for torn bags of dog and cat food, which he ...

Volunteers said they discovered two dead cats and 12 others famished on Tuesday at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Georgetown. Lori Rogowski and Ruthann Panipinto said they found dirty bowls, dirty cages and feces everywhere when they went to clean the shelter. "I've been working for shelters, been volunteering for other groups, and I've never seen anything like that," said Panipinto. They said the shelter is in dire need of help. Former Director Melanie Sobel quit last month because of lack of resources. She said county leaders denied her requests for additional staffing. "I just want the animals to get help," said Rogowski. "I want them to have the help they need and deserve; they don't deserve to die like this." She took pictures of the shocking conditions, but they were too graphic to air on KXAN Austin News. "It's really upsetting to see death like this, it's not necessary," said Rogowski. The volunteers ...

The video above is one person's argument about why we should respond to the possibility of Global Warming. Below is my brother's (a meteorologist, but NOT a freakin' "weather man"!) response to the video. He constructed a classic contingency 2x2 table, which we use often in scoring meteorological forecasts which are deterministic: no/yes (0 or 1), versus probabilistic values between 0 and 1. In his table, you have "correct forecasts", the lower left and the upper right. Forecast N, and verify N is the upper right. Forecast Y and verify Y is the lower left. In the upper left, you forecast Y and verify N. That is called a "false alarm". In the lower right, you forecast N and verify Y. That is called a "missed forecast". It is well known in meteorological circles that the penalty for a "miss" is much greater than the penalty for a "false alarm". For the latter, if you have many false alarms, you might end up with the ...

BEND, Ore. (AP) -- After Koda escaped from his kennel, he chewed through the dog food stored in the sheriff's department patrol car. Then he started in on the seats. Apparently, deputies say, he choked on the foam. The 2-year-old Belgian malinois died on Monday, just a few months after joining Deschutes County deputies as a patrol dog. The department concluded that the deputy who was Koda's handler was not negligent. The department did not identify him. "He's pretty devastated," Capt. Tim Edwards said Wednesday in announcing Koda's death. Grief counseling was made available to the officer, Edwards said. Edwards said he's not sure why Koda ate the car seats, but it could have been boredom. "Many police dogs are high-drive dogs," he said. "They have to do something. It's like ADHD." The Belgian malinois resembles a German shepherd but is smaller. Edwards said Koda had seemed to be doing well in his law enforcement duties. "He was...

Dog helps save foal from abandoned well BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- It could have been a scene straight out of "Lassie." Kurt Smith was working in the yard at his horse boarding and breeding facility Monday when Molly, his border collie, came running and barking, signaling that something was amiss. Smith, the owner of Essex Stud Arabians, discovered that the 2-month-old foal Mati - short for Matinicus Rock - had fallen into a 12-foot-deep abandoned well. "(Molly) baby-sits the baby horse and looks right after her," Smith said. Smith called the Bangor Fire Department, which dispatched firefighters and a ladder. He descended into the well, slid ropes around Mati's front legs and hindquarters and was able to pull her out of the well, "no worse for the wear," he said. The 250-pound foal, owned by Lisa Kelly, was small enough to fall down the well that was about 5 feet wide. The artesian well had been covered with boards, but the wood had begun to deteriorate. Th...

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan will get its first nursing home for dogs with round-the-clock monitoring by doctors and a team of puppies to help aging pooches feel younger, a pet products company said Wednesday. Owners pay 98,000 yen ($800) a month to keep their dogs at the Soladi Care Home for pets, which opens Friday, according to a joint release by Soladi Co. and the Endo Veterinary clinic in Tochigi, eastern Japan. Veterinarians at the home will offer round-the-clock monitoring and residents will be fed specially fortified food, the release said. The home, which can accept 20 dogs at one time, will also employ puppies to play with the aging dogs to help them keep fit and feel younger, the release said. Analysts say that a boom in pet ownership in Japan, coupled with better health care and a more balanced diet, has led to a surge in elderly pets in Japan. That has spurred doting owners to turn to vitamins, aromatherapy and even acupuncture to help their companions through their old age.

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) -- Ozzy has been spared the death penalty, with a sentence of life behind bars without chance of parole. But instead of solitary confinement, the 7-year-old German shepherd could be allowed to hold a sort of jail trusty's job. Ozzy attacked a neighbor's child in April and was sent to an animal shelter. A municipal judge ordered that the dog be put down. However, Ozzy's owner, Kelly Allard of Somerdale, arranged an option: Ozzy could have life behind bars, assigned to patrol the perimeter at the privately run George W. Hill Correctional Facility near Media, Pa. He won't be allowed any contact with the public or inmates. Superior Court Judge John T. McNeill III agreed to the plan Monday, calling it "the right alternative." "He'll be in there until he dies," McNeill said. "Ozzy will not be adopted by a family. He will never be released to the public."

Wendy, right, is a "bully whippet," while Fox is a regular whippet. FORT MOTT STATE PARK, N.J. — When mutant, muscle-bound puppies started showing up in litters of champion racing whippets, the breeders of the normally sleek dogs invited scientists to take DNA samples at race meets here and across the country. They hoped to find a genetic cause for the condition and a way to purge it from the breed. It worked. “Bully whippets,” as the heavyset dogs are known, turn out to have a genetic mutation that enhances muscle development. And breeders may not want to eliminate the “bully” gene after all. The scientists found that the same mutation that pumps up some whippets makes others among the fastest dogs on the track. Click here for the rest of the story.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gus the dog was living a luxe lifestyle: He had his own agent and was training for work as an advertising model. That is, until the rare, cream-colored dachshund disappeared a few weeks ago. Now the dog's owners have hired a publicist and a private detective, and they've papered several Westchester County towns with posters promising a $2,500 reward. His owner, Ken Chandler, former publisher of the New York Post, says Gus ran off while they were taking a walk in Teatown Lake Reservation in Yorktown. "I was walking him, and he slipped off his leash," said Chandler, now a media consultant and strategist. "He was chasing after something, which he's done before. He's always come back, and this time he didn't, which made it unusual." Now Chandler, his wife and their five children believe someone may have stolen Gus. Yorktown police Lt. Kevin Soravilla said officials are on the lookout for the dog, but they have no evidence Gus was sto...

Dog chaining illegal in Austin (Texas) 09:52 PM CDT on Friday, June 8, 2007 Austin will soon be a chain free community. Thursday the Austin city council passed a new ordinance making it illegal to chain up a dog, even inside a private yard. Animal lovers say it's the right thing to do, that chaining is inhumane and cruel. But others are concerned about dangerous dogs getting loose, and not every one agrees how this will impact Austin neighborhoods. Some say it will make them safer, others more dangerous. The sound of barking coming from St. John's neighborhood are made by dogs often tied up in plain sight. But soon these sounds should be silenced now that the city has passed an ordinance prohibiting dog chaining. Lyndon Poole, with Chain Free Austin, fought to pass the ordinance. "We're absolutely thrilled," said Poole. “They are more prone to bite; the American Veterinary Association has recognized that dog chaining makes them more aggressive." He says not ...

Missing dog found 430 miles from home FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- A basset hound that disappeared from its California home in December has been found 430 miles away in Arizona. The dog, named Fred, was found by an employee Wednesday i n the parking lot of the Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff. The next morning, staff members with the shelter found a microchip in Fred that let them figure out he was registered at Riverside County Animal Control. The shelter contacted Fred's speechless owner on Friday. The owner said Fred disappeared after she moved to Riverside in December. She didn't know how he could have ended up in Flagstaff. Paul Fink, a veterinarian at the Flagstaff shelter and a pilot , has offered to fly the dog home to his family.

Mich. man in wheelchair takes wild ride GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- A 21-year-old man got the ride of a lifetime when his electric wheelchair became lodged in the grille of a semitrailer and was pushed down a highway for several miles at about 50 mph. Ben Carpenter was unharmed but was taken to a hospital as a precaution. He had been secured to his wheelchair by a seat belt. Carpenter, who has muscular dystrophy, told a television station that he thought he might not make it through the ride. "I was probably thinking that this is going to keep going and not stop anywhere, 50 or 60 miles somewhere," he told WOOD-TV of Grand Rapids. Ben Carpenter's father, Donald, told The Associated Press that his son had started to cross at an intersection Wednesday afternoon in Paw Paw, about 140 miles west of Detroit. The light changed to green while his son was in front of a semi, which started moving. The wheelchair's handles became lodged in the grille, the father said, and the w...

Trial in taunting of police dog canceled CHELSEA, Vt. (AP) -- A prosecutor dropped charges against a woman who was arrested for staring at and making faces at a police dog. After all, the prosecutor reasoned, the four-legged witness can't testify. Jayna Hutchinson was about to go on trial this week on charges of cruelty to a police animal and resisting arrest, but the case was dropped Tuesday. "I think it was going to be difficult to prove her conduct changed the dog's behavior," Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter said. "Most of the time (in harassment cases) people would come tell the court what it felt like. Dogs can't do that." Hutchinson, 33, of Lebanon, N.H., was charged in July when police were called to a market to investigate a report of a brawl. They were approached by Hutchinson, who said she had been assaulted the day before by one of the men involved and wanted to make a statement. Vermont State Police Sgt. Todd Protzman told her ...

I had a great salad tonight. I put fakeon on it... fake-on. Turkey bacon. Fake bacon. Get it?

Last weekend we went to a graduation party for our friend's son. His mom made all his favorite foods, including bacon-wrapped-chicken and bacon-wrapped-beef. She stood for hours cooking up these bacon-wrapped delights. They were hot and fresh. I enjoyed eating them. But I didn't enjoy the bacon-smelling-dreadlocks that I had the next morning.

"She thinks you have a really big personality." Like I didn't already know this. I think I was born with it. And I will certainly claim it.