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Woman Crashes When Teaching Dog to Drive Aug 28, 8:13 AM (ET) BEIJING (AP) - A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday. No injuries were reported although both vehicles were slightly damaged, it said. The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua. "She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car." Xinhua did not say what kind of dog or vehicles were involved but Li paid for repairs. Filed under: News

I'll be writing soon about why I haven't been writing much. I promise! Meanwhile, enjoy this... Filed under: Pictures

Aug 12, 4:24 AM (ET) NEW YORK (AP) - A woman has filed a lawsuit against a pet cremation service and a photo agency, claiming they used a picture of her posing with her dogs without her permission. Gina Cecala filed the lawsuit in Manhattan state Supreme Court against Matthews International and Getty Images. The photo, showing Cecala holding her sweater-clad pooches, Chickie and Tiny, was taken in 1992 by an amateur photographer in Cecala's Manhattan apartment. It was later sold to Getty, which in turn sold it to Matthews for use in a national ad campaign, according to court papers. Cecala said in the complaint she was "outraged, embarrassed and traumatized" after she learned the photo was used in an ad that began appearing in 2004 in a funeral industry newspaper and a philanthropy magazine. "She makes sure they eat right, get plenty of exercise and that their sweaters always match," the ad says. "So what is it worth to offer their owner a little peace of m...

Robot Shopping Carts Follow You Around Aug 10, 7:18 AM (ET) By RON WORD GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - It looks almost like any other shopping cart, except sensors allow it to follow the shopper around the supermarket and slow down when needed so items can be placed in it, and it never crashes into anyone's heels. Gregory Garcia dreamed up the robotic cart to solve a childhood peeve of being accidentally hit with shopping carts by his sister. His cart, also known as B.O.S.S. for Battery Operated Smart Servant, was one of about 30 robots on display Wednesday by students at the University of Florida, who worked the past semester on the projects using their engineering backgrounds. "The immediate thing that jumped to my mind was all those times as a kid when my sister would accidentally hit me with a cart," Garcia said. "It seems like the public would really want this since everybody shops. Jeremy Greene, 23, of Panama City, created a robot named Atlas, which balances a blue ...

Aug 9, 12:23 AM (ET) By LINDA A. JOHNSON TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A huge study found that patients on antidepressants rarely get the psychiatric therapy needed right after they start the drugs, a time when risk of suicidal behavior can rise temporarily. Two-thirds of children and even more adults did not see a doctor or therapist for mental health care once within a month of beginning drug treatment, according to the study by Medco Health Solutions Inc., which manages prescription benefits for health plans. Experts suggest the cost of therapy, a lack of follow-up by busy family doctors, and a shortage of psychiatrists in some parts of the country might help explain the problem. Medco's study of 79,488 adults and 5,026 youngsters reviewed prescription and doctor visit records from July 2001 through September 2003. That was before the government urged drug makers to put warnings on their products calling for close monitoring of suicidal thoughts or violent behavior in the early weeks aft...

Antidepressants Prove Addictive to Some Aug 6, 12:43 PM (ET) By MATT CRENSON When Gina O'Brien decided she no longer needed drugs to quell her anxiety and panic attacks, she followed doctor's orders by slowly tapering her dose of the antidepressant Paxil. The gradual withdrawal was supposed to prevent unpleasant symptoms that can result from stopping antidepressants cold turkey. But it didn't work. "I felt so sick that I couldn't get off my couch," O'Brien said. "I couldn't stop crying." Overwhelmed by nausea and uncontrollable crying, she felt she had no choice but to start taking the pills again. More than a year later the Michigan woman still takes Paxil, and expects to be on it for the rest of her life. In the almost two decades since Prozac - the first of the antidepressants known as SRIs, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors - hit the market, a number of patients have reported extreme reactions to discontinuing the drugs. Two of the best-se...

Aug 3, 11:10 PM (ET) HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. (AP) - A family's dog is being lauded as a heroine after waking an 8-year-old girl when a fire broke out at their home. Katarina Scholz jumped from her bed about 4 a.m. Thursday and followed her barking 2-year-old bull mastiff, Daisy, downstairs to alert the rest of the family, Suffolk County fire officials said. The girl and her dog plus mom Teresa, dad Paul and brother Jake, 4, fled the home uninjured. Another brother, Paul Jr., 10, was sleeping over at a friend's house. "Daisy is definitely going to get filet mignon for dinner, and Katarina can have as much ice cream as she wants," Teresa Scholz told Newsday. "My husband always yelled at the dog for going in the flower beds, but now we're going to build one just for her. She deserves it." Two other family dogs, Chihuahuas, died in the blaze, which was being investigated by the county's arson squad but wasn't considered suspicious. The home was seve...

Dog Destroys Elvis' Teddy Bear at Museum Aug 2, 4:11 PM (ET) LONDON (AP) - A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum. "He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney. Barney ripped the head off a brown stuffed bear once owned by the young Presley during the attack, leaving fluffy stuffing and bits of bears' limbs and heads on the museum floor. The bear, named Mabel, was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. The collection, valued at more than $900,000, included a red bear made by Farnell in 1910 and a Bobby Bruin made by Merrythought in 1936. The bear with Elvis connections was owned by English aristocrat Benjamin Slade, who bought it at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, Tenn., and had lo...

Jul 28, 10:12 AM (ET) LONDON (Reuters) - A British woman has been ordered by police to take down a sign on her garden gate which read "Our dogs are fed on Jehovah's Witnesses." Janet Grove, who owns a terrier puppy called Rabbit, insisted the sign was a gentle joke to discourage callers at her front door. Her late husband put the sign up more than 30 years ago when members of the church called at their house on Christmas Day. But police were forced to act after receiving a complaint. "We were informed by a member of the public who found the sign to be distressing, offensive and inappropriate," a police spokesman said. "Officers attended the address and the sign was voluntarily taken down." Filed under: News

Filed under: Pictures Funny FLS

Jul 14, 11:39 AM (ET) CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - A nude sunbather is suing for the right to bask "au naturel" with his rat terrier, Cheekies, at his side. The plaintiff, Mark DelCore, says he needs Cheekies with him because he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. And he needs full sun exposure as balm for a skin condition he links to World Trade Center toxins. Those are the arguments DelCore presents in his suit, filed in federal court in Central Islip. DelCore, of Forest Hills, Queens, favors a "clothing optional" beach near Kismet, on Fire Island. But officials at the Fire Island National Seashore say Cheekies is not welcome. The park allows only guide dogs on its swimming beaches. DelCore says his dog's healing presence qualifies him as a "service dog." --- Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com Filed under: News

(From Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.) Keep Austin Weird is the slogan adopted by the Austin Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin , Texas . The phrase arose from an offhand remark by Red Wassenich in a phone call to a local radio station. He and his wife placed the slogan on bumper stickers , distributing them free to businesses in Austin; it was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts , hats , and mugs . The slogan refers to the numerous small businesses in Austin, and that it is these businesses that give Austin its unique cultural identity. A similar campaign continues in Santa Cruz, California . The slogan has been seen by some as not only supporting local business but also Austin's relatively liberal politics in a conservative state. For example, Austin's county, Travis County , was the only county statewide to vote against a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in a 2005 referendum. Austin Weirdos Indeed...

Jul 17, 10:44 PM (ET) PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A toddler who climbed out a second-story window onto the porch roof of his family's row house was followed by his dog, whose barks alerted neighbors who rescued the child. Phillip Redmond Jr., who will be 2 years old next month, apparently climbed out of a broken bedroom window Sunday and scampered across the narrow porch rooftops of at least eight homes, neighbors said. The row homes have connected porch roofs; neighbors heard barking and saw the boy running from roof to roof followed by the family's German shepherd, Alfie. "He was following the baby across," neighbor Tina Mitchell told WPVI-TV. "He was protecting the baby, making sure the baby was all right." A neighbor, Shavyonn Robinson, was able to grab the toddler from the porch roof of a home a few doors down. The footprints of Phillip and Alfie could be seen in the blacktop coating on the porch roofs. "First I had my hand sticking out (of the window) try...

Woman Regains Use Of Her Arms Thanks To Device WHITEHOUSE, Ohio, July 17, 2006 Annette Coker (CBS/The Early Show) Here's a link to the CBS video. "F.E.S. is functional electrical stimulation. And functional electrical stimulation is using low levels of electricity in order to activate nerves and muscles in order to restore movement." Dr. Hunter Peckham (CBS) A clinic in Cleveland is making incredible medical advances. As CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports, doctors have found a way for paralyzed patients to learn how to move their once dormant limbs. "I basically ... just wanted to close my eyes and not wake up again," remembers Annette Coker, who was paralyzed in a car accident. It was the lowest point of Annette's life; the woman who once trained dogs to assist the disabled would now be relying on one herself. "If it hadn't been for my sister by my side 24-7," Annette says. "She could tell you it was tough." Imagine be...

Jul 14, 6:11 AM (ET) By MARGARET LILLARD RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Children with disabilities are more likely to live with a single woman - whether she is a mother, grandmother or a female foster parent - than other children, according to a new study. The findings by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicate that organizations aimed at helping disabled children must also consider the particular problems faced by the single women who often care for them, said Philip Cohen, an associate professor of sociology at the university. "In the patchwork of arrangements to care for children with disabilities, we have to realize that the system is also dealing with issues of gender equity," Cohen said. The study, conducted by Cohen and his former student Miruna Petrescu-Prahova, now a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, was published Friday in the quarterly Journal of Marriage and Family. The study examined 2000 Census data on 2.3 million ch...

Jul 13, 10:39 AM (ET) OGDEN, Utah (AP) - A police dog that was left in a pickup with the engine running apparently knocked the vehicle into gear and ran down a woman who was walking to her mailbox. Mary F. Stone, 41, was expected to remain hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and tailbone until at least Friday, said her husband, Paul Stone. The dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, had been left in the truck while its handler responded to a domestic disturbance call Tuesday, police Lt. Loring Draper said. The truck's engine was on so Ranger would have air conditioning. Draper said Ranger must have hit the shift on the steering column, putting the automatic transmission into gear. As the truck slowly rolled forward, police officers yelled to Stone, but she couldn't get out of the way in time, he said. A front and rear tire ran over her. "She had tire marks on her clothes," her husband said. The truck then went through the Stones' yard and struck a vehicle in the dri...

Jun 14, 7:14 AM (ET) CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) - A police pursuit ended when the suspect's dog, not happy about being bounced around in the car, bit its owner on the face. Iron County sheriff's officers approached Nicholas T. Galanis, 47, of Salt Lake City to talk to him about some stolen property. Galanis got in his car and fled with his dog. The chase went southbound on Gold Springs Road, a windy, bumpy dirt road about five miles northwest of Modena, at around 5:38 p.m. Monday, said sheriff's detective Jody Edwards. "Deputies could see the dog in the passenger seat getting slammed into the window," he said. The dog, which is partly pit bull, "became so agitated that he bit his owner in the face," Edwards said. "And this is what ended the chase." The bite removed part of Galanis' nose and he stopped. Galanis was taken to Valley View Medical Center before being booked into Iron County Jail. His dog was taken to the Enoch Animal Shelter. Galanis...

One of the things I try to do to maintain some semblance of "fitness" is to do yoga almost every day. I do a modified version of yoga found on Section One (A.M) of this DVD: A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners by Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden I do what I can, and don't do what I can't do. Simple. Here's a related article. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------- Class Aims to Increase Fitness of Disabled Jul 10, 3:51 AM (ET) By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH MISSION, Kan. (AP) - Lee Jones' Down syndrome doesn't keep him from exercising - or from getting others to join in. "I know some people with Down syndrome can be a bit overweight," said the 31-year-old fitness instructor, who leads a weekly class of seven to eight disabled people. "I'm trying to get them to shed off the pounds by taking the class." About half the class participants have Down syndrome, a chromosomal glitch that causes a range of birth defects, including lear...

May 12, 7:15 AM (ET) By The Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A Thai entrepreneur has launched an Internet radio station to put dogs in a better mood. Anupan Boonchuen, director of a dog grooming school, said he launched Dog Radio Thailand this week because he has seen music improve the mood of dogs he grooms. During classes, he turns on music for the dogs because "the music puts the dogs in a good mood and they're more willing to let the groomers handle them," he said. The programming on dogradiothailand.com mainly comprises Thai pop music, but Boonchuen plans to expand offerings in which the disc jockey will "talk to the dogs in Thai," and the canine listener will be encouraged to respond. "At 9 a.m., we may have a dog greeting show, in which we'll repeat 'sawasdee' ('hello') over and over... If we say 'sawasdee,' in some houses, the dog may lift both paws in response. In some houses, the dog may lift only one paw. It d...

TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY! The first Tuesday of every month is hereby proclaimed as Talk To The Disabled Tuesday . NOW, THEREFORE, I, The WillaWoman, do hereby proclaim the First Tuesday of every Month as TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY . I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, and all the people of the World to observe this day with the appropriate actions outlined below. Pretty official sounding, eh?! Goals : Raise awareness of the Disabled's plight of feeling invisible or feeling like a circus freak. Demonstrate to the abled-bodied that The Disabled are just like everyone else. Cause a generational avalanche of knowledge to the abled-bodied 's children. Make the day of a lonely, ostracized Disabled Person . Actions : Say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Nod and smile to a Disabled Person . Strike up a conversation with a Disabled Person . Have your child say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Look a Disabled Person in the eye and a...