Greetings to our blog readers in Belgium, Canada, and Japan......
Tonight, we are desperately trying to catch up on our 10 for 10 series, and we now know you perhaps cartoonist Bill Griffith must feel if he has gotten behind on drawing his comic strip "Zippy the Pinhead." But, we imagine he is not a notorious procrastinator.
We are featuring an image of Yorkshire terrier, also known as yorkies.
You may not find a yorkie at your community animal shelter here in America, but you may just find a friend for life, so here are two animal local shelters we will provide links for:
https://www.coastalhumanesociety.org/ (Animal shelter in Brunswick, Maine)
http://www.hshponline.org/ (Animal shelter in Hays, Kansas)
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
The Last Ten Movies We've Seen (as of Wednesday)........Are We the Doom Generation?
Greetings to our blog readers in South Korea, Romania, and Egypt......
Happy Ramadan to our Muslims friends.....
Today, we look at the last ten films we've seen; this is an idea we originally got from "Film Comment" magazine, where Gavin Smith is the editor-in-chief.
The last ten films we've seen, include two that are in theatres ("Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl;" "The Overnight"). The earliest Hollywood film on the list is "The Brothers Karamazov" (bottom image) which is a 1958 film which marked the film debut of William Shatner (Captain Kirk on "Star Trek") and the earliest film overall is "Torment" from 1944, a Swedish film with a screeenplay from a young Ingmar Bergman.
The other two foreign-language films on the list are "Inside" (Yeralti) by Turkish director Zeki Demirkbuz and "Stray Dogs" (center image) from Taiwanese filmmaker Ming-ling Tsai.
It is not very often that we have a film from the 1990s, or the "Seinfeld" decade as we like to call it, on the list, but the very last film we saw on this survey is a strange spree killers road movie called "The Doom Generation" (top image: Courtney Love, we are using her symbolically as she is not in the film) which features a supporting character played by Parker Posey, who is one of the film's few highlights! (We agree with the late Roger Ebert who called it an awful film!).....
Here is the last ten:
1. "The Doom Generation." director: Gregg Araki. 1995.
2. Stray Dogs. Taiwan. dir: Ming-ling Tsai. 2013
3. The Dark Crystal. Jim Henson and Frank Oz. 1982.
4. Next Stop, Grenwich Village. Paul Mazursky. 1976.
5. Death Hunt. Peter R. Hunt. 1981 w/ Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin
6. The Brothers Karamazov. Richard Brooks. 1958.
7. The Overnight. Patrick Brice. 2015 w/Jason Schwatzman
8. Torment. Sweden. Alf Sjoberg. 1944
9. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. Alfonso Gomez-Rejan. 2015
10. Inside. Turkey. Zeki Demirkubuz. 2012
http://www.filmcomment.com
http://www.tcm.com
Happy Ramadan to our Muslims friends.....
Today, we look at the last ten films we've seen; this is an idea we originally got from "Film Comment" magazine, where Gavin Smith is the editor-in-chief.
The last ten films we've seen, include two that are in theatres ("Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl;" "The Overnight"). The earliest Hollywood film on the list is "The Brothers Karamazov" (bottom image) which is a 1958 film which marked the film debut of William Shatner (Captain Kirk on "Star Trek") and the earliest film overall is "Torment" from 1944, a Swedish film with a screeenplay from a young Ingmar Bergman.
The other two foreign-language films on the list are "Inside" (Yeralti) by Turkish director Zeki Demirkbuz and "Stray Dogs" (center image) from Taiwanese filmmaker Ming-ling Tsai.
It is not very often that we have a film from the 1990s, or the "Seinfeld" decade as we like to call it, on the list, but the very last film we saw on this survey is a strange spree killers road movie called "The Doom Generation" (top image: Courtney Love, we are using her symbolically as she is not in the film) which features a supporting character played by Parker Posey, who is one of the film's few highlights! (We agree with the late Roger Ebert who called it an awful film!).....
Here is the last ten:
1. "The Doom Generation." director: Gregg Araki. 1995.
2. Stray Dogs. Taiwan. dir: Ming-ling Tsai. 2013
3. The Dark Crystal. Jim Henson and Frank Oz. 1982.
4. Next Stop, Grenwich Village. Paul Mazursky. 1976.
5. Death Hunt. Peter R. Hunt. 1981 w/ Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin
6. The Brothers Karamazov. Richard Brooks. 1958.
7. The Overnight. Patrick Brice. 2015 w/Jason Schwatzman
8. Torment. Sweden. Alf Sjoberg. 1944
9. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. Alfonso Gomez-Rejan. 2015
10. Inside. Turkey. Zeki Demirkubuz. 2012
http://www.filmcomment.com
http://www.tcm.com
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Top Ten Things To Do List (Satire): Catch Up on Michael Caine Flicks
We haven't done this for a while, and we experienced tech glitches. Where is Javier the Intern when we need him?
Here is a satirical top 10 things we need to do list:
1 ) Read "The Great Gatsby" again
2) Plan 2016 trip to Peru (pict. center)
3) Watch four Michael Caine films even if you have seen them before, perhaps you can watch them with Zappa the Family Cat
4) Watch stars at night
5) Play Angry Birds for 4.5 hours in a row
6) Mow the neighbor's lawn
7) Wash Car
8) Laundry
9) Read the latest issue of "The Economist"
10) Find a missing pug
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Last Ten French Films We've Seen: Hopefully, Godard is Pleased with Us
Here are the last ten French-language films we've seen, including "Aaltra," a VERY dark comedy that is a Belgian film which is partially filmed in Finland. It was distributed here in the United States through the Film Movement. And, it aired at 2:00 a.m. back in December on Turner Classics Movies as a film selected by comedian/actor Patton Oswalt who was guest programmer.
This month's Star of the Month on TCM is Mary Astor, who played the femme fatale opposite Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" (she is not French!)
Here is the list (we got this idea from "Film Comment" magazine):
Any film with an (*) is one we watched via Netflix
1) "Aaltra" (Belgium. 2004. dirs.- Gustave de Kervem and Benoit Delepine)
2) "Rules of the Game" (1939. dir-Jean Renoir; see image #1)
3) "Rust and Bone" (2012. dir-Jacques Audiard)
4) "A Woman is a Woman" (1961. dir-Jean-Luc Godard) *
5) "Les Cousins" (1959. dir-Claude Chabrol)
6) "A Burning Hot Summer" (2011. dir-Philippe Garrel) *
7) "Leaving" (2009. dir-Catherine Corsini w/Kristin Scott Thomas) *
8) "Farewell, My Queen" (2012. dir-Benoit Jacquot; see image #2 which of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands)
9) "Un Flic/A Cop" (1972. dir. Jean-Pierre Melville w/Catherine Deneuve; see image #3, which is of a K-9 officer)
10) "Hadewijch" (2009. dir- Bruno Durmont)
http://www.filmcomment.com/
http://www.netflix.com
http://www.tcm.com/
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.filmmovement.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FrenchFilms
This month's Star of the Month on TCM is Mary Astor, who played the femme fatale opposite Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" (she is not French!)
Here is the list (we got this idea from "Film Comment" magazine):
Any film with an (*) is one we watched via Netflix
1) "Aaltra" (Belgium. 2004. dirs.- Gustave de Kervem and Benoit Delepine)
2) "Rules of the Game" (1939. dir-Jean Renoir; see image #1)
3) "Rust and Bone" (2012. dir-Jacques Audiard)
4) "A Woman is a Woman" (1961. dir-Jean-Luc Godard) *
5) "Les Cousins" (1959. dir-Claude Chabrol)
6) "A Burning Hot Summer" (2011. dir-Philippe Garrel) *
7) "Leaving" (2009. dir-Catherine Corsini w/Kristin Scott Thomas) *
8) "Farewell, My Queen" (2012. dir-Benoit Jacquot; see image #2 which of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands)
9) "Un Flic/A Cop" (1972. dir. Jean-Pierre Melville w/Catherine Deneuve; see image #3, which is of a K-9 officer)
10) "Hadewijch" (2009. dir- Bruno Durmont)
http://www.filmcomment.com/
http://www.netflix.com
http://www.tcm.com/
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.filmmovement.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FrenchFilms
Monday, September 23, 2013
Image to Fill Space: A Pug
Greetings to our blog-readers in Canada, El Salvador, Venezuela, Sweden, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Ghana, Malaysia, Tajikistan and The Bahamas.
We'll have something more substantial in tomorrow's blog entry.
We'll have something more substantial in tomorrow's blog entry.
Labels:
Canada,
Cyprus,
dogs,
El Salvador,
Ghana,
house pets,
Malaysia,
pug,
Saudi Arabia,
Slovakia,
Sweden,
Tajikistan,
The Bahamas,
Venezuela
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tweets of the Day_ Politcs, Weather and Halloween Stuff
Earlier today, I overheard the following at a pancake house in the Roanoke, Va., metro area: "I got these great Swedish candies for Halloween, there are called Toberlone." Uhmm...just one problem, that's a Swiss candy! Those, I must profess, I didn't know how to spell the name of the Swiss chocolate candy until I googled it just now.
And, Happy Anniversary to us! This blog was launched four years ago today on Oct. 31st, 2008.
With that, let's look at the afternoon tweets:
1) (@occupywallst) Occupy Wall Street: "#OWS (Occupy Wall Street) rapid response to #Sandy shows importance of building network for mutual support. When government falls short, people stand tall."
2) @WSJ (Wall Street Journal): "Halloween is on hold for many kids in #Sandy's path as municipalities cancel trick-or-treating."
3) @SheHasWorth (She Has Worth, a women's publication in California): "Happy Halloween! And remember you can still dress up cute without giving away your 'treats.'" (hmmm....yeah, we think there is a double-meaning there too).
4) @LOLGOP (LOL GOP, a liberal satirist): "You notice that for Halloween, I'm dressed up as a sluty elephant."
5) @TeaPartyCat (Top Conservative Cat, another liberal satirist): "The real victims of Hurricane Sandy are the pundits desperate for polling which has been postponed."
6) @Keswick_theatre (Keswick Theatre is a venue in Philadelphia): "Happy Halloween! What are you dressing up as this year? Anything music related?"
7) @RockyMtnMike (Rocky Mountain Mike, a radio personality in Vail, Colo.): "Happy Halloween! Mitt Romney Vampire Hunter."
8) @nprnews (NPR News): "If Dick Cheney's dogs can dress up for Halloween, so can you."
And, Happy Anniversary to us! This blog was launched four years ago today on Oct. 31st, 2008.
With that, let's look at the afternoon tweets:
1) (@occupywallst) Occupy Wall Street: "#OWS (Occupy Wall Street) rapid response to #Sandy shows importance of building network for mutual support. When government falls short, people stand tall."
2) @WSJ (Wall Street Journal): "Halloween is on hold for many kids in #Sandy's path as municipalities cancel trick-or-treating."
3) @SheHasWorth (She Has Worth, a women's publication in California): "Happy Halloween! And remember you can still dress up cute without giving away your 'treats.'" (hmmm....yeah, we think there is a double-meaning there too).
4) @LOLGOP (LOL GOP, a liberal satirist): "You notice that for Halloween, I'm dressed up as a sluty elephant."
5) @TeaPartyCat (Top Conservative Cat, another liberal satirist): "The real victims of Hurricane Sandy are the pundits desperate for polling which has been postponed."
6) @Keswick_theatre (Keswick Theatre is a venue in Philadelphia): "Happy Halloween! What are you dressing up as this year? Anything music related?"
7) @RockyMtnMike (Rocky Mountain Mike, a radio personality in Vail, Colo.): "Happy Halloween! Mitt Romney Vampire Hunter."
8) @nprnews (NPR News): "If Dick Cheney's dogs can dress up for Halloween, so can you."
Saturday, October 27, 2012
PSA- October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
October seems to be the month for a lot of things, and as it turns out the presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, is that the only debate as some animal groups are jokingly asking Americans which do you prefer: cats or dogs?
Ironically, we are cat people here at "The Daily Vampire," but as it turns out, this is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month across America.
By the way, thanks for those of you in Bahrain, Norway, Panama and Malaysia for checking out our blog today.
Here are some useful links to help you find a good dog that suits your needs, as well as a list (with links) of animal shelters in my home state of Virginia including Arlington, Salem, Richmond and Lynchburg. Virginia also happens to be a swing state with a competitive U.S. Senate race between two former governors: Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R).
In case you are wondering, the dog in this image is a shih tzu; don't leave out the 'h!.
Here are the links:
http://www.americanshihtzuclub.org
http://www.americanhumanesociety.org
http://www.awla.org
http://www.salempets.org
http://www.richmondspca.org
http://www..lynchburghumanesociety.org
Ironically, we are cat people here at "The Daily Vampire," but as it turns out, this is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month across America.
By the way, thanks for those of you in Bahrain, Norway, Panama and Malaysia for checking out our blog today.
Here are some useful links to help you find a good dog that suits your needs, as well as a list (with links) of animal shelters in my home state of Virginia including Arlington, Salem, Richmond and Lynchburg. Virginia also happens to be a swing state with a competitive U.S. Senate race between two former governors: Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R).
In case you are wondering, the dog in this image is a shih tzu; don't leave out the 'h!.
Here are the links:
http://www.americanshihtzuclub.org
http://www.americanhumanesociety.org
http://www.awla.org
http://www.salempets.org
http://www.richmondspca.org
http://www..lynchburghumanesociety.org
Monday, October 22, 2012
Monday Night Pre-Debate Tweets: Can Dogs Decide the Election?
Hmmm.....there are no images here which actually match tonight's presidential debate in Boca Raton, Fla., which will focus on foreign policy...oh well!
The reasons why we are featuring images of a Scottish terrier, the cast of "Freaks and Guns," reruns of which are still on The Sundance Channel and a Cayman blue iguana will soon be revealed....just scroll down....
Here are tonight's tweets:
1) @Albertbrooks (Albert Brooks, a comedian/actor/film director/novelist): "Going to watch the debate tonight with 12 undecided voters, well actually they're dogs." (Yes, that's the reason for the Scottish terrier, which was the breed of George W. Bush's White House dog).
2) @WSJ ("Wall Street Journal"): "Bad news for nerds. Popular kids in high school earn 10% more 40 years after graduation." (Yes, that's the reason for the image of the "Freaks and Geeks" cast).
3) @HuffingtonPost (Huffington Post): "Grand Cayman's blue iguanas no longer listed as critically endangered" (yes, that's the reason for the blue iguana).
4) @ABC11_WTVD (WTVD is Raleigh, NC's ABC affilaite): "Obama camp says battle for NC is not over. Romney's team telling us the president's campaign yanking ads from the state."
5) @JenGanholm (Jennifer Granholm is a former Democratic Michigan governor and a tv show host on Current TV): "John Kerry: Mitt Romney has 'Rosetta Stone' foreign policy."
6) @Dailykos (Daily Kos, a liberal blog): "Open thread: Lesley gore tells Romney: 'You Don't Own Me," this is in reference to pop singer Lesley Gore from yesterday who had hit song "You Don't Own Me," at first we thought she was one of Al Gore's daughters....good thing we googled Lesley Gore!
7) @MarketPlaceAPM ("Market Place" is a daily radio show airing on most NPR stations): "Yes, it's true. Some voters are still undecided. Lynn @Vavreck on why some voters haven't picked a pony yet." (The segment said that women voters were more undecided than male voters due to household pressures).
8) @thenation ("The Nation" is a liberal magazine): "Romney campaign, media collude in unprecedented politicization of Benghazi, Libya, affair."
http://www.caymanislands.ky
http://www.albertbrooks.com
http://www.sundancechannel.com
http://www.current.com
http://www.thenation.com
http://www.stca.biz (Scottish Terrier Association of America)
The reasons why we are featuring images of a Scottish terrier, the cast of "Freaks and Guns," reruns of which are still on The Sundance Channel and a Cayman blue iguana will soon be revealed....just scroll down....
Here are tonight's tweets:
1) @Albertbrooks (Albert Brooks, a comedian/actor/film director/novelist): "Going to watch the debate tonight with 12 undecided voters, well actually they're dogs." (Yes, that's the reason for the Scottish terrier, which was the breed of George W. Bush's White House dog).
2) @WSJ ("Wall Street Journal"): "Bad news for nerds. Popular kids in high school earn 10% more 40 years after graduation." (Yes, that's the reason for the image of the "Freaks and Geeks" cast).
3) @HuffingtonPost (Huffington Post): "Grand Cayman's blue iguanas no longer listed as critically endangered" (yes, that's the reason for the blue iguana).
4) @ABC11_WTVD (WTVD is Raleigh, NC's ABC affilaite): "Obama camp says battle for NC is not over. Romney's team telling us the president's campaign yanking ads from the state."
5) @JenGanholm (Jennifer Granholm is a former Democratic Michigan governor and a tv show host on Current TV): "John Kerry: Mitt Romney has 'Rosetta Stone' foreign policy."
6) @Dailykos (Daily Kos, a liberal blog): "Open thread: Lesley gore tells Romney: 'You Don't Own Me," this is in reference to pop singer Lesley Gore from yesterday who had hit song "You Don't Own Me," at first we thought she was one of Al Gore's daughters....good thing we googled Lesley Gore!
7) @MarketPlaceAPM ("Market Place" is a daily radio show airing on most NPR stations): "Yes, it's true. Some voters are still undecided. Lynn @Vavreck on why some voters haven't picked a pony yet." (The segment said that women voters were more undecided than male voters due to household pressures).
8) @thenation ("The Nation" is a liberal magazine): "Romney campaign, media collude in unprecedented politicization of Benghazi, Libya, affair."
http://www.caymanislands.ky
http://www.albertbrooks.com
http://www.sundancechannel.com
http://www.current.com
http://www.thenation.com
http://www.stca.biz (Scottish Terrier Association of America)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
GOP Pre-Convention Tweets: If We Had a Real Media
The 2012 Republican National Convention gets underway in Tampa, Fla., tomorrow, and we have decided to be both objective (in the Charlie Rose sense) and subjective as can be (in the Cenk Uygur sense). So, I guess for the next five days, we will essentially be like Fox News in reverse.
On Twitter tonight, east coast USA time, one of the main trending topic was #IfWeHadARealMedia; though most tweets were right-leaning, some liberals chimed in as well.
Before we post tweets ranging from right wing comic, talk-show host Dennis Miller, who will perform in Durham, NC, on Sept. 8, ironically the most liberal zip code in the Tarheel State, to Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist who was part of Bill Clinton's War Room, let's go over the images:
1) Travis Tritt: The country singer has let his conservative views be well-known, but to our knowledge he has not resonated the same hate speech rhetoric as Hank Williams Jr. Tritt will be the feature performer at the Shenandoah County in Woodstock, Va. on Aug. 31st.
2) Big Splash. At $1.5 million, this Tibetan mastiff is the most expensive dog in the world, which means Mitt and Ann Romney could afford to have the dog as a pet. Today (Sunday) is incidentally National Dog Day.
3) Vincent Lecavalier. We don't know the political views of the Tampa Lightning captain, which is just as well, as he is a Canadian, and presumably can't vote in the American presidential election.
Here are the tweets:
1) @DennisDMZ (Dennis Miller): "Biden told Obama that's not how you spell Phio. You've got the O's switched around."
2) @LisainDallas (Lisa in Dallas): "#IfweHadARealMedia: They would report on the wars the same way they did under Bush."
3) @word_34 (Spread the Word): "If.......: You would know that Bush kept 1.2 trillion off the books for two unfunded wars."
4) @noiwillnotbe (I Will NOT Be Quiet): "#If......the republican war on women would be covered."
5) @exrepublicans (Ex-Repubs for Obama): "#If......: Bill O, Hannity, Hush, and Beck wouldn't exist."
6) @Reagan-Girl (Marjorie Haun): "#If......: Keith Olbermann would be behind glass in a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" museum."
7) @PaulBegala (Paul Begala): "Sure, Romney's humor is lame & offensive. Could it be strategic_ to distract from new docs on Caymans tax dodge?"
http://www.shencofair.com
http://www.travistritt.com
http://www.dennismillerradio.com
http://www.visittampabay.com
http://www.current.com
http://www.gopconvention2012.com
http://www.nationaldogday.com
http://www.twitter.com
http://www.vinny4.com
And, for more tweets from tonight about the GOP Convention, and see an image of a Tampa Bay Bucaneers cheerleader, visit our sister blog at:
http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com
On Twitter tonight, east coast USA time, one of the main trending topic was #IfWeHadARealMedia; though most tweets were right-leaning, some liberals chimed in as well.
Before we post tweets ranging from right wing comic, talk-show host Dennis Miller, who will perform in Durham, NC, on Sept. 8, ironically the most liberal zip code in the Tarheel State, to Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist who was part of Bill Clinton's War Room, let's go over the images:
1) Travis Tritt: The country singer has let his conservative views be well-known, but to our knowledge he has not resonated the same hate speech rhetoric as Hank Williams Jr. Tritt will be the feature performer at the Shenandoah County in Woodstock, Va. on Aug. 31st.
2) Big Splash. At $1.5 million, this Tibetan mastiff is the most expensive dog in the world, which means Mitt and Ann Romney could afford to have the dog as a pet. Today (Sunday) is incidentally National Dog Day.
3) Vincent Lecavalier. We don't know the political views of the Tampa Lightning captain, which is just as well, as he is a Canadian, and presumably can't vote in the American presidential election.
Here are the tweets:
1) @DennisDMZ (Dennis Miller): "Biden told Obama that's not how you spell Phio. You've got the O's switched around."
2) @LisainDallas (Lisa in Dallas): "#IfweHadARealMedia: They would report on the wars the same way they did under Bush."
3) @word_34 (Spread the Word): "If.......: You would know that Bush kept 1.2 trillion off the books for two unfunded wars."
4) @noiwillnotbe (I Will NOT Be Quiet): "#If......the republican war on women would be covered."
5) @exrepublicans (Ex-Repubs for Obama): "#If......: Bill O, Hannity, Hush, and Beck wouldn't exist."
6) @Reagan-Girl (Marjorie Haun): "#If......: Keith Olbermann would be behind glass in a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" museum."
7) @PaulBegala (Paul Begala): "Sure, Romney's humor is lame & offensive. Could it be strategic_ to distract from new docs on Caymans tax dodge?"
http://www.shencofair.com
http://www.travistritt.com
http://www.dennismillerradio.com
http://www.visittampabay.com
http://www.current.com
http://www.gopconvention2012.com
http://www.nationaldogday.com
http://www.twitter.com
http://www.vinny4.com
And, for more tweets from tonight about the GOP Convention, and see an image of a Tampa Bay Bucaneers cheerleader, visit our sister blog at:
http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Quote of the Day/Week-Greg Louganis
Today, we conclude our quotes from American athletes who won gold or silver at previous summer games, in honor of the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, with a quote from diver Greg Louganis, 52.
During his Olympic career, Louganis, a native of California, won a total of four gold medals (two each at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics) and a silver medal (1976 Montreal Olympics).
Following his success at the games in South Korea, Louganis made headlines regarding his personal life when he disclosed that he was both gay and HIV-positive. Three years later in 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson stunned the world by disclosing that he was HIV-positive, marking the first time Americans fully realized that heterosexuals could be affected by the deadly virus as well.
But, Louganis, has lived a seemingly normal life since the revelation. Today, he is active in dog agility competitions and he also coaches diving.
Here is his quote:
"Well, unless, you are Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan, you need the support of your team."
http://www.greglouganis.com
During his Olympic career, Louganis, a native of California, won a total of four gold medals (two each at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics) and a silver medal (1976 Montreal Olympics).
Following his success at the games in South Korea, Louganis made headlines regarding his personal life when he disclosed that he was both gay and HIV-positive. Three years later in 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson stunned the world by disclosing that he was HIV-positive, marking the first time Americans fully realized that heterosexuals could be affected by the deadly virus as well.
But, Louganis, has lived a seemingly normal life since the revelation. Today, he is active in dog agility competitions and he also coaches diving.
Here is his quote:
"Well, unless, you are Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan, you need the support of your team."
http://www.greglouganis.com
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Image of the Day/Week- Pitbull Puppy
Since we are a cat-leaning blog (forgive the political humor), we thought we'd be nice and feature an image of a puppy dog today. Due in part to the dog-fighting scandal involving NFL quarterback and former Virginia Tech star Michael Vick, the breed has a reputation for being a rough dog. But I've been told from folks who have pitbulls and people who work in animal shelters, that the dogs can actually make for very loving pets.
We're not sure if McKamey Animal Center, an animal shelter in Chattanooga, Tenn., has any pitbull puppies up for adoption, but they are a seemingly large animal shelter in a major metro area. For those of you living in that part of the Volunteer State, the shelter's phone number is 423-305-6500.
SIDEBAR: We just got back from Washington, DC, and we are hoping to post a story about the trip up here either next week or within the coming weeks depending on our schedule here at our offices Toledo, Ohio (now where we are really located). The working title for the series, on this particular blog, is "Ronald Reagan Was on the Blue Line."
NOTE: We just noticed that our tag for 'animal shelters' was not spelled correctly, so we are including both the proper spelling and the incorrectly spelled versions here...in case, anyone wants to see past entries on this blog regarding animal shleters (animal shelters).mckameyanimalcenter.org
We're not sure if McKamey Animal Center, an animal shelter in Chattanooga, Tenn., has any pitbull puppies up for adoption, but they are a seemingly large animal shelter in a major metro area. For those of you living in that part of the Volunteer State, the shelter's phone number is 423-305-6500.
SIDEBAR: We just got back from Washington, DC, and we are hoping to post a story about the trip up here either next week or within the coming weeks depending on our schedule here at our offices Toledo, Ohio (now where we are really located). The working title for the series, on this particular blog, is "Ronald Reagan Was on the Blue Line."
NOTE: We just noticed that our tag for 'animal shelters' was not spelled correctly, so we are including both the proper spelling and the incorrectly spelled versions here...in case, anyone wants to see past entries on this blog regarding animal shleters (animal shelters).mckameyanimalcenter.org
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy Saint Patrick's Day
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to everyone, and I also want to wish a very special happy birthday to my sister Zeynep Akili (pse)* who now resides in Capetown, South Africa,** and kudos to her alma mater Lehigh University*** for pulling a tremendous upset over Duke last night in the NCAA tournament. I am not as stunned as some people that the Mountain Hawks (now 27-7) beat the Blue Devils, as they had essentially the same record, but yes, I had presumed Duke would have hit a three-pointer in the last minutes of the game to win it, but that never happened.
Hopefully, at least one person from Ireland will visit out blog today. And, if I actually had an Irish greyhound perhaps I would get at least one date with a woman who is as gorgeous as the Swedish supermodel Vendela, who still looks quite attractive at 45.
But, we must get going or as the late Dr. Seuss would put it:
"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to great places!
You're off and away!"
*Zeynep, a common Turkish name for girls is not my sister's real name; akili is the Turkish word for smart.
**-'Zeynep' does not actually reside on the African continent.
***-She did not go to Lehigh, but her SAT scores would have allowed her to go there (Lehigh is considered a smart school) or pretty much any college she may have been inclined to study at!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Has It Been Three Years Already
Hopefully, this does not come across as self-congratulatory, but it has indeed been three years since the first entry of "The Daily Vampire."
In this time, I've learned that folks are apparently more interested in pictures of dogs dressed in hot dog buns than quotes from the late, great Russian Nikolai Gogol.
But, somehow, I think I was fully aware of that going in!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Silly Photo to Fill Space- Halloween Dogs
If there is one thing about Americans which might make folks in Qom, Iran, Basra, Irag, or Pyongyang, North Korea (Forgive the political humor: I had to use the Axis of Evil countries to make fun of George W. Bush), it might well be our obsession with dogs.
There are lots of dogs and even some cats in very amusing photos in the current edition of "The Washingtonian."
While this is not from that magazine, it nevertheless is amusing.
And, with college football season in full-swing, one has to wonder if Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Northwestern will lobby the NCAA to join the Ivy League (the joke here for those of you in Axis of Evil nations is that these schools seem to be more interested in academics than athletics hence they may have even more problems competing in high sweepstakes sports than ever before)! Personally, if I were the dog, I'd go with Vanderbilt.
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Backpackers Are Beside BestBuy (entry 4 of 6)

We had great difficulties finding an image of "In Flux" by All Creations, which consists of two Wyoming artists Matt Rink and Bland Hoke, so we also went with this image of a big black dog, since the public art display is located behind Black Dog Salvage off Memorial Avenue in Roanoke, Va.
The fourth image of Art in Roanoke that I photographed is also the hardest one to find as there is a sharp curve behind the Black Dog Salvage antiques store which leads to Vic Thomas Park where "In Flux" is located. The turn comes right after one passes Memorial Bridge, and if you literally blink you will miss it.
The artists state that their mission is to: "Try to make constantly evolving work that adapts to a landscape."
"In Flux" is perhaps the most complicated of the seven sculptures, and it is one that makes the passerby study and scrutinize it more closely than some of the other pieces.
SIDEBAR: We are happy to report that DJ Cigdem Arca is returning to WUVT (90.7 FM-Blacksburg, Va.) with "The Turkish Music Hour," from 1:00-2:30 p.m. on Saturdays this fall. WUVT-FM is the student-run college radio station of Virginia Tech. The station also airs "The Greek Show" from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays.
Thanks to "The Turkish Music Hour," I have become more aware of contemporary pop singers like Nil Karaibrahimgil which is quite refreshing given that the likes of Sezen Aksu ( who has been called The Turkish Madonna) and Tarkan, the internationally-known singer who has dominated Turkish pop for well over a decade.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Greensboro vs. Roanoke- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Entry 4 of 6)

We have not had an entry in this series since the Fourth of July when we compared two eateries, the Texas Tavern the 24/7 mini-diner in Roanoke and Fincastle's, which is a burger joint in Greensboro.
Ironically, Fincastle's is indeed named for Fincastle, Va., a small town 20 miles north of Roanoke.
Today, we are comparing the cities' two minor leage baseball teams. For those who are not familiar with the Roanoke Valley, Salem, Va., my hometown, is the main 'suburb' of Roanoke. There is actually a 'lemon tree' rivalry between the two cities which is made a bit ridicilous because Roanoke, with a population of 92,000, has a lot more folks than Salem, which has a population of 25,000 (ok, we actually need to confirm that through Wikipedia or the U.S. Census, but I do want to get out of the house today).
So the Salem Red Sox serve as the main baseball team for Roanoke. The team has been called the Salem Avalanche, the Salem Redbirds, the Salem Bucaneers and the Salem Pirates over the years. Former Pittsburgh Pirates great Dave Parker, who helped the team win the 1979 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles, is arguably the best player to play for a Salem team.
The most noteable thing about the Red Sox has to be their mascot Muggsy, a tall dog, which replaced a nut as the team's mascot (yes, we are not making this up) during the Salem Avalanche years.
The Greensboro Grasshoppers, who play in the South Atlantic League, actually play in downtown Greensboro. They were previously the Greeensboro Bats, and Derek Jeter, the current New York Yankees superstar, played for that team.
Greensboro is believed to be the largest city in America with a single-A team, as the city has approximately the same population as Salt Lake City, Utah. They play teams like the Asheville Tourists and the Hickory Crawdads from towns that are much smaller in population. The Minnesota Twins actually considered relocating to Greensboro several years ago.
The 'Hoppers also have bat dogs. They are specially trained to retrieve baseball bats (one is pictured here).
Both teams were in action last night. The Salem Red Sox, who play in the Carolina League, split a home double-header with the Wilmington Blue Rocks (that team is actually from Wilmington, Del., not Wilmington, NC) a night after losing to the Winston-Salme Dash 14-0 in the team's worst loss of the season.
The 'Hoppers scored a road win over the Delmarva Shorebirds in Salisbury, Md., by a
5-4 score. The two teams are slated to play again tonight at 7:05 p.m., but one should expect that Hurricane Irene will probably prevent that game from being played.
If I had to choose one of the teams, it would ultimately be the Salem Red Sox. Yes, it is a hometown bias, but the sox offer one thing that the 'Hoppers do not- free parking!
SIDEBAR ONE: Alas, last night my alma mater Glenvar High School in Salem, Va., lost to another school with GHS initials as Galax High School from Galax, Va., came to Salem and beat the Highlanders by a 17-14 score.
But, Cave Spring High School, the Beverly Hills 90210 high school in the Roanoke Valley (reportedly, some students actually drive BMWs) won their home opener as the Kinght bear the William Byrd Terriers 28-14.
SIDEBAR TWO: I want to take a moment to wish my great aunt Jo of South Carolina a happy 101st birthday. To put that in perspective, when she was born in 1910, William Howard Taft was president.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
In Turkish, It's Called Tembellik
I am suffering from laziness today.... (tembellik does mean laziness in Turkish)
Boy, this is really bad. I know this image doesn't suit the season, especially since it might snow in Cary, NC, (a suburb of Raleigh) tonight, where I was hoping to see a movie at the Galaxy Cinema, but we like it and that's all that matters. Right?
There happens to be a Lazy Dog Cafe chain in southern California, with locations in Irvine. Thousand Oaks and Torrance.
And, there is a Lazy Dog Vineyeard in Sonoma, Calif.
Ahh, it's time to take a nap.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Silly Photo to Fill Space- Darth Vader Dogs
Since we're on the verge of celebrating Halloween here in les estats unis, I thought I would find a goofy costume and we across this one with a dog dressed like Darth Vader that I'm sure my blogger friend Chris Knight of Reidsville, NC, will really enjoy.
Knight reported in July that a man dressed Darth Vader robbed a Chase Bank in Setauket, NY, (Long Island) on July 22. The suspect has yet to be arrested. A customer that the robbery was a prank even though Vader was carrying a firearm.
On the lighter side of life, the Lynchburg Humane Society in Lynchburg, Va., is hosting Meow-O-Ween, aimed at giving special discounts on cats and kittens at their shelter for the weekend of Oct. 29-31. Adult cats will be on sale for $20, while kittens can be adopted for $40.
The shelter also offers dogs (rates for dogs vary, call 434-846-1438 for more info), including Midnight, a 11-month-old black lab terrier/pit bull, Diesel, a male hound dog and Diva, a female Australian cattle dog who is one year and two months old.
Labels:
animal shleters,
cats,
Chris Knight,
crime,
Darth Vader,
dogs,
Halloween,
Lynchburg,
NC,
Reidsville,
Star Wars,
Va
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Things We Learned on Twitter Last Night- Dog Rescue in Northern Canada
We learned on Twitter last night through a tweet from "The Vancouver Sun" that an animal protection group rescued some 36 dogs from being executed in nothern Quebec this week.
The dogs include Buddy, a black lab breed, and Rosco, a Duck Tolling Retriever mix. The animals were going to be shot by local native Inuits (Eskimos), but they were saved by the Canadian project manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The dogs were later sent to shelters in Ontario and New York state.
The defenders of the planned dog shoot said the animals were a danger to local residents, especially school children, in the secluded area of Canada where there is no SPCA.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Silly Photo to Fill Space- Dog Washing
This week, we are posting our Silly Photo to Fill Space on Monday instead of Tuesday for two reasons.
The main one is that as a Virginian who still works in Virginia (though I live in North Carolina), I desperately want to see Democratic state senator Creigh Deeds (pictured here) upset Republican attorney general Bob McDonnell, an alumnus of Pat Robertson's Regent University, tomorrow......!!!!!
So, I am posting this by saying if we indeed win tomorrow, I will personally come to your home and wash your dog.......that is as long as you are a resident of Virginia and you vote for Deeds. I don't care if you live in the far southwestern Virginia town of Grundy or in a busy DC suburb like Alexandria.........we really, really need this one folks and most polls show McDonnell with a substantial lead right now.
I volunteered for Deeds when he ran for attorney general against McDonnell four years. He lost by a mere 700 votes. He is a wonderful, warm and charming guy.
In order to make sure this entry is not purely political, I also want to use it to give attention to the Salem Animal Shelter in my hometown of Salem, Va., regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican, these animals need a good home, and my mom already has too many pets!
Their web site is http://www.salempets.org
You can also log onto http://www.rvspca.org
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