Outstanding Novel- Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

Recently I read and thoroughly enjoyed "Deck the Hounds" by David Rosenfelt. This is the third
novel I've read by this author and I absolutely LOVE the characters and the mysteries.
   Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who has a soft spot in his heart for dogs (he and his wife and son have 2 dogs and help fund a rescue). Andy's wife Laurie is his private investigator and he has a team of others to help him, including some that know how to access any info on the Internet, phone records, and he even has a hired muscle named Marcus. The novel is written in a first person narrative from Andy's perspective, and I LOVE the very short chapters. All authors should write this way.
  In this story, Andy helps a homeless vet with a dog, and then puts him up in the apartment in his house. The vet is later accused of murder of a rich man, and Andy and his wife decide there's no recourse but to defend his new friend. The storyline is so amazing and complex and it will keep you on edge!! 
     I loved, loved, loved this story (like the others) and can't wait to read all of David Rosenfelt's novels!

ABOUT THE BOOK  "The perfect holiday gift for animal lovers.” – Publisher’s Weekly

This Christmas mystery, featuring criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara, showcases Rosenfelt’s trademark humor and larger-than-life characters.

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter doesn’t usually stop to help others, but seeing a dog next to a homeless man inspires him to give the pair some money to help. It’s just Andy’s luck that things don’t end there. Soon after Andy’s encounter with them, man and dog are attacked in the middle of the night on the street. The dog defends its new owner, and the erstwhile attacker is bitten but escapes. But the dog is quarantined and the man, Don Carrigan, is heartbroken.

Andy’s wife Laurie can’t resist helping the duo after learning Andy has met them before… it’s the Christmas season after all. In a matter of days Don and his dog Zoey are living above Andy’s garage and become two new additions to the family. It’s not until Andy accidentally gives away his guest’s name during an interview that things go awry; turns out Don is wanted for a murder that happened two years ago. Don not only claims he’s innocent, but that he had no idea that he was wanted for a crime he has no knowledge of in the first place. It’s up to Andy to exonerate his new friend, if he doesn’t get pulled into the quagmire first.

David Rosenfelt’s signature wit, charm, and cleverness are back again in this most exciting installment yet.

My Experiences: Sea Level Rise in MA, MD, FL- Global Warming Reality

Flooding along  Annapolis City Dock & street closures. Cr:Elly Tierney)

 I live in Maryland and I'm from Boston, and both Annapolis, Maryland and Boston, Massachusetts  have had a lot of recurring flooding, especially over the last 5 years - whereas they only had it before on rare occasion. AND further south, because some roads in the Florida Keys that are NOW so prone to flooding, Florida is no longer going to try and fix them. 
I've Seen More Frequent Flooding in Boston, MA and Annapolis MD in Last 10 Years: - If you listen to NOAA weather radio, they'll tell you when coastal areas will flood. 10 years ago, it was rare for the parking lot near the Annapolis city docks to flood. Now, they flood at least once a MONTH.  
Here are the stories>> 

Flooding in downtown Annapolis closes Spa Creek Bridge, Compromise Street
https://www.capitalgazette.com/maryland/annapolis/ac-cn-city-dock-flooding-20191012-20191012-xkx4c2gozvaqfpwmoo7hmmlfii-story.html
Oct. 12, 2019
A combination of seasonal high tides, a full moon and a tropical storm stalled off the eastern seaboard have caused flooding in downtown Annapolis Saturday, leading city officials to close Spa Creek Bridge and Compromise Street, among other streets, city officials said.
 Annapolis City police spokeswoman Amy Miguez said residents should expect the bridge that connects Eastport and downtown to be closed well into the evening as the tides continue to rise, peaking at high tide around 5:30 p.m.

BOSTON FLOODING - 
1) King tides bring flooding — and a glimpse of the future — to downtown Boston
By Nik DeCosta-Klipa Boston.com Staff  October 29, 2019
Boston Harbor inundated the city’s waterfront Tuesday for the second time this week. But it wasn’t because of any rain or storm surge. Rather, it was the semiannual return of the king tides.
The unusually high tides occur once or twice a year when the orbits of the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned and result in a sea level rise up to two feet higher than average high tides. This week, that meant minor flooding in downtown Boston, particularly at Long Wharf, where onlookers took the opportunity to splash through the few inches of ocean water that had overflowed onto the historic pier.


2) See Boston streets awash during its worst coastal flooding in 40 years

Jan 4, 2018-  Vehicles got caught in water-logged Boston streets on Thursday, as the city experienced its worst coastal flooding in 40 years. Firefighters had to rescue people from their cars, as the water continued to travel inland.

3) Flooding in the Florida Keys: AT $60 MILLION A MILE, THE KEYS MAY ABANDON SOME ROADS TO SEA RISE RATHER THAN RAISE THEM
Dec 2019 Miami Herald
Last month, the Keys asked the state for $150 million to address sea level rise. Newly released cost estimates show the county could blow that entire amount on a few miles of road elevation. Elevating less than three miles of Old State Road 4A on Sugarloaf Key to withstand sea rise and king tide by 2025 could cost $75 million dollars, Monroe’s head of resilience revealed. More from the Miami Herald.

My Experiences: More Intense Hurricanes/Typhoons- Global Warming Reality

As a meteorologist, I have seen how the climate (a long term viewing of weather) has changed, especially in the last 15 years. My specialty is tropical meteorology, and I've noticed more intense tropical cyclones (that is hurricanes/typhoons) since 2005.  

MORE INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONES/HURRICANES/TYPHOONS -
The tropical cyclone intensity increases  became very apparent in 2015, when the most intense Eastern Pacific Ocean hurricane hit Mexico (see below). I've also seen a LOT more Category 5 Hurricanes and Typhoons since 2005 than ever before. That's because sea surface temperatures are warming, just as land surfaces and the atmosphere continues to warm.

REMEMBER THIS? The most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the eastern Pacific will made a catastrophic landfall  in southwestern Mexico, the National Weather Service said. On Oct. 23, 2015, Hurricane Patricia was bringing SUSTAINED winds over 215 mph (and higher gusts). This has NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

2019 Wraps Up The Hottest Decade In Recorded Human History

This is the first in my series of blogs this week that will look at how the Earth is warming. We need to pay attention to our scientists (yes, I'm one of them). Below is an article from Forbes Science about the past decade and how the Earth continues to warm to record levels.

Here's the article:
2019 Wraps Up The Hottest Decade In Recorded Human History
Eric Mack, Dec 3, 2019, 12:48pm, Forbes Science

With the COP25 international climate change convention underway this week in Madrid, the United Nations announced that the decade of the 2010s now coming to an end was the warmest in recorded history.

“Since the 1980s, each successive decade has been warmer than any preceding decade since 1850,” the World Meteorological Organization wrote in its provisional “State of the Global Climate” report for 2019.

It also appears that 2019 will wind up as either the second or third warmest year on record. This would mean that all of the ten warmest years on record have come since 2005, with eight of the top ten occurring in the decade now ending.

“Once again in 2019, weather and climate related risks hit hard. Heatwaves and floods which used to be “once in a century” events are becoming more regular occurrences,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Countries ranging from the Bahamas to Japan to Mozambique suffered the effect of devastating tropical cyclones. Wildfires swept through the Arctic and Australia.”

The report claims that by the end of December, up to 22 million people worldwide could be displaced by weather extremes in 2019 alone.

Global average temperature is now over a degree Celsius higher than it was before the industrial revolution. Keeping warming under 2 degrees, which most nations set as a goal under the Paris Agreement, is not looking likely.

“If we do not take urgent climate action now, then we are heading for a temperature increase of more than 3 degrees C by the end of the century, with ever more harmful impacts on human well being,” said Taalas. “We are nowhere near on track to meet the Paris Agreement target.”

Another disturbing development is that the trend line for global hunger has reversed, increasing to affect one in nine humans after a decade of declining. The WMO says drought and floods are largely to blame and both phenomenons are on the increase against the backdrop of warming air and oceans.

“One of the main impacts of climate change is more erratic rainfall patterns. This poses a threat to crop yields and, combined with population increase, will mean considerable food security challenges for vulnerable countries in the future,” Talaas explained.

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are also now at record levels, meaning that the changes we’re seeing now and for decades to come are all but locked in.

News You May Have Missed Last Week

Every day, we take a quick look around the news to see what we don't hear on television or social media, and there's a LOT. Here are some unique and interesting things that may even affect YOU from airplane malfunctions to food recalls, to millions fleeing from climate change, and of course, a couple of cronies. Read on!

EVACUATION SLIDE FALLS FROM DELTA JET, LANDS IN MILTON YARD

MILTON, Mass.— Authorities say no one was hurt when an evacuation slide fell from a jetliner into the yard of a suburban Boston home. The uninflated slide fell from a flight from Paris to Boston around noon Sunday.  The Federal Aviation Administration says the pilot reported a loud noise as the plane approached Logan Airport and landed safely.

***HOW MANY MORE RECALLS FROM TRADER JOE’S? ** - Sushi, salads, spring rolls sold at Trader Joe’s and other chains recalled for listeria. Fuji Food Products recalled ready-to-eat sushi, salads and spring rolls that went to 31 states and 10 chains after the FDA found listeria in Fuji’s Brockton, Massachusetts, facility.

BREAKING: US PROPOSES 100% TARIFFS ON FRENCH PRODUCTS OVER DIGITAL TAX

The U.S. government proposed tariffs of up to 100% on a range of French imports, including cheese, champagne and handbags, after announcing Monday that it found France’s newly enacted digital service tax to discriminate against U.S. companies.

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Duncan Hunter, Corrupt GOP politician

PLEADING GUILTY- Duncan Hunter To Plead Guilty In Campaign Finance Case He Called ‘Witch Hunt’
The Republican congressman claimed the federal investigation into his spending was because of his support for President Donald Trump. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) appears poised to plead guilty to federal campaign finance charges on Tuesday morning after more than a year of claiming the federal investigation into his spending habits was a “witch hunt. Hunter was indicted in August 2018. Months later, he won reelection after launching false, racist attacks against his opponent, who was of Palestinian and Latino descent. Hunter’s wife previously pleaded guilty in the campaign finance scheme, admitting that the couple used campaign funds for a wide variety of family expenses, including flying their pet rabbit around. Hunter also used campaign money to fund extramarital affairs, according to federal prosecutors.

20 MILLION HAVE FLED HOMES DUE TO CLIMATE CRISIS SINCE '08 Fiercer weather and worsening wildfires drove more than 20 million people from their homes over the last decade ― a problem set to worsen unless leaders act swiftly to head off surging climate threats, anti-poverty charity Oxfam said.

NY DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST TRUMP TAKEN OVER BY NEW ATTY
Trial attorney Beth Wilkinson has stepped in to represent a former contestant on "The Apprentice" in her lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of smearing her by denying her allegation that he sexually assaulted her.

Cool Video Collection: A Great Look at Batman of the 1940s!

Recently I learned that there were two sets of 15 minute live-action movie serials of Batman and Robin that showed in Movie theaters in the 1940s. Now, those 15 minute serials are available on DVD called "Gotham City Serials - Batman/Batman And Robin: The Complete 1940s Movie Serials Collection."
 What's interesting here is how the world has changed even with movie viewing. Back in the 1940s it was apparently common for people to go to the movies every week. These 2 series have 15 installments in each one. So, to see the entire story in the movies, you had to go once a week for 15 weeks!!  

Here's my review: A Great Look at Batman of the 1940s!
A wonderful collection. This set contains 2 series of serials that were shown before main attraction films in the 1940s. It shows a more simple world and gives you a feel for the 1940s. There are 15 parts to the first serial run, and they were very entertaining. 
   These were not done in the fun campy style of the 1966-1968 Batman Television show, but in a more serious tone, similar to how Batman and Robin were perceived in the 1940s comic books. The first set of movie serials had a villain who was Japanese, and it referenced World War II and Japan's involvement. 

ABOUT THE SERIALS: Batman starred Lewis Wilson as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Douglas Croft as Robin/Dick Grayson, and J. Carrol Naish as the diabolical Japanese criminal mastermind Dr. Daka. Daka was Batman's only villain – all 15 chapters of the serial revolved around Batman and Robin's efforts to find him and bring him to justice.

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Both Tom and I enjoyed them. What an amazing look at the 1940s. I do remember my dad telling me about these, so it was especially cool to watch these, because I felt him beside me watching them.  We'll watch these over and over again. Highly recommended for any Batman fan! 

Idiots of the Week: Emailing Your Opponent Your Strategy

This week's idiot of the week is about a bunch of idiots. A political group put together a plan of negative advertisements to target places their opponents are trying to win in an election.  Seriously, if you're THAT IDIOTIC, you deserve to lose. Here's the story:


Texas Republicans Mistakenly Email 2020 Strategy to Democrats, Seek to Reduce 'Polarizing Nature' of Trump
By Benjamin Fearnow On 11/26/19 at 12:51 PM EST

Texas Republicans blamed a "staffer" Monday after their blueprint for winning 2020 elections and plans to mitigate President Donald Trump's "polarizing nature" began showing up in Democrats' email inboxes.

The Texas Republican Party mistakenly sent a document laying out their upcoming 2020 primary and general election plans to Democrats Monday evening, including a target list of 12 statehouse districts they are focusing negative ads on ahead of next year's elections. In a move The Dallas Morning News described as the party's latest "bizarre political blunder," the internal strategy email offered advice on how to counter the "narrative driven by Democrats" about the GOP's lack of diversity as well as a timeline for a rollout of websites which will bash specific Democratic opponents.
 The email urges Republicans to encourage people to vote straight GOP tickets "all the way down" and warns of Trump's unpopularity with moderates.

Texas GOP chairman James Dickey told the Dallas News Monday night that a staffer "drafted some initial thoughts for discussion" before mistakenly sending it to people outside the party's upper echelon. The move comes as Texas Democrats are preparing to potentially take their first majority in the Texas House since 2003.

Texas Republicans blamed a "staffer" Monday after their blueprint for winning 2020 elections and plans to mitigate President Donald Trump's "polarizing nature" began showing up in Democrats' email inboxes. Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Staff

The email was titled with the subject line, "Primary/General Election 2020 [Draft]." Dickey went on to downplay the incident, saying it "should not be news" that Texas Republicans want to retake seats lost in the last election.

Democrats noted that the level of seemingly embarrassing detail in the emails is unusual, such as the listing of specific domains being purchased to attack Democrats. The identifying of "ZwienerforTexas.com" pushes back on some concerns the GOP purposely leaked the content. Democratic Representative Erin Zwiener of Driftwood, Texas is one of the six House members on the GOP hit list.

GOP targets in the North Texas regional districts include Dallas County Democratic Representatives Ana-Maria Ramos, Terry Meza, Rhetta Bowers, John Turner, Julie Johnson and Denton County's Michelle Beckley. According to the email, these candidates will be targeted by a barrage of negative ads and websites because their districts were within 5 percentage points of competitors in 2018.

"Starting after the Primary, the RPT will generate microsites for negative hits against the Democrat candidates in our twelve target race—we expect each microsite to be roughly $500," the Republican draft reads. "We will then begin rolling out these websites, prioritizing the races that were within 4% in the 2018 election."

Democrats across Texas mocked the latest blunder by the state's Republicans. This botched email follows a lengthy scandal involving secret recordings of GOP House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who announced he won't seek reelection in 2020. Those recordings also overheard Bonnen complaining Trump was "killing" Republicans in the suburbs of Texas.

A Houston Democrat targeted by Monday's GOP email, Rep. Jon Rosenthal, was described by Speaker Bonnen as "vile" and baselessly accused of being homosexual in the recording leaked by a conservative PAC.

"Republicans have already fumbled the ball and we aren't even in 2020 yet," said Manny Garcia, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, in a Tuesday statement. "They know they're in deep trouble 'given the polarizing nature of the President' and expect 'Republicans will refuse to turnout during the General Election because they don't want to vote for him.' The Texas Republican Party is desperate."

"Texas is the biggest battleground state and Texas Democrats are poised to win in 2020," Garcia's statement concluded.

E.T. and the Real, Grown-Up Elliott Reunite…in a Commercial!

This new commercial from Xfinity will bring a tear to your eyes, especially if you fondly remember the movie E.T. from the 1980s.

E.T. and the Real, Grown-Up Elliott Reunite…in a Commercial!

When you woke up this morning, we bet you didn’t expect to see an official E.T. sequel—but that’s kind of what’s happened, just in a slightly unconventional, very commercial way.

io9 is exclusively premiering the online version of a completely out of left field Xfinity commercial called “A Holiday Reunion.” It aired this morning during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and that “reunion” just so happens to be between actor Henry Thomas and E.T., the stars of the legendary 1982 Steven Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

After 37 years, E.T. comes back to visit his friend, Elliott, for the holidays. During his stay, E.T. learns that Elliott now has a family of his own and that technology has completely changed on Earth since his last visit. Learn more at xfinity.com/ET


Video: https://youtu.be/Pdgk3ERKdug

In the News: How an 18,000-year-old puppy could change everything we know about dogs

Dogor was two months old when he died and has been well preserved in the Siberian ice. But is he an early modern wolf – or one of the world’s very oldest domesticated dogs?

We love palentology and we love dogs, so we're really excited about this amazing find of a 2 month old prehistoric puppy (wolf or dog is unknown, but looks like a dog) that was recently found in Siberia's permafrost by Mammoth tusk hunters. This little guy may help provide scientists with the link between dogs and wolves or ?  Here's the story from the UK Guardian:

How an 18,000-year-old puppy could change everything we know about dogs

UK Guardian Newspaper, Nov. 28, 2019 and CNN
The 18,000-year-old body of a near perfectly preserved puppy has left scientists puzzled.

Russian scientists discovered the body of the canine near Yakutsk, in eastern Siberia. Preserved by permafrost, the specimen's nose, fur and teeth are remarkably intact. 

Using carbon dating on the creature's rib bone, experts from Sweden's Centre for Palaeogenetics were able to confirm that the specimen had been frozen for around 18,000 years, but extensive DNA tests have so far been unable to show whether the animal was a dog or a wolf.

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Name: Dogor.

Appearance: Sharp teeth, soft nose, fluffy all over, cute as hell.

Age: 18,000 years and two months.

Dogor was found by tusk hunters in the summer of 2018, buried in the permafrost near the Indigirka River, north-east of Yakutsk, Siberia.


Radiocarbon dating shows that Dogor is 18,000 years old, but he was so well preserved that even his eyelashes and whiskers are in good condition. On close inspection, scientists were able to tell that he was a puppy aged two months when he died.

 Before clean up - the 18,000 years old.

Credit: Love Dalen

Poor Dogor! I hope he didn’t suffer? From the position of his body, it seems that he was not in distress.

Genome analysis at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Sweden confirmed that he was male. He feels like a “very recently dead animal”, according to Love Dalén, one of the researchers.

He could have been some cave family’s beloved pet, right? That is the key question here.


 So far, DNA analysis has not been able to establish Dogor’s species. He might have been a very early modern wolf. He might have been a very late ice-age wolf. He might even have been be a very early domesticated dog.

Is that why he’s called Dogor, because he’s either a dog or a wolf? No. It’s because dogor means “friend” in Yakutian.
Dogor might turn out to be a halfway creature, from the time when some wolves were turning into dogs.



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Modern dogs are thought to have been domesticated from wolves, but exactly when is unclear -- in 2017, a study published in the journal Nature Communications found that modern dogs were domesticated from a single population of wolves 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Are your Senior Dog's Eyes Getting a Blue Film? Answer/Solution

If you have a senior dog (we have 3), sometimes they will develop a blue film on their eyes. That's
water build up and retention in the eyes,
 and it's called Corneal Endothelial Degeneration (CED). It can lead to serious complications and pain. Here's how to recognize it, and one way to treat it before the dog gets blisters (one a blister pops, go to the vet, ASAP). 

WHAT HAPPENS IF UNCHECKED? If unchecked  it can accumulate and develop into blisters that pop and become painful as the skin of the eye sticks to the inside of the eyelid, and your dog will be in pain all the time.  Our 15 year old Weimaraner, Dolly, developed it when she was 13 years old.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE? If your dog is squinting a lot, and if you notice that there appears to be a blue film on their eyes.

Tyler (left) and Dolly (right) who has Corneal Endothelial Degeneration (CED)

WHAT IS IT CALLED? - Corneal Endothelial Degeneration (CED) is a degenerative condition in dogs that affects the clarity of the cornea. This age-related disease can result in blindness and severe ocular pain from secondary complications. ... This function is critical to ensuring that the cornea remains transparent for vision. This age-related disease can result in blindness and severe ocular pain from secondary complications. 

WHAT IS THE CORNEA? The cornea is the clear window at the front of the eye. It is a very delicate structure which is less than a millimeter thick. Endothelial cells are located at the most inner layer of the cornea and contain tiny “pumps” that are responsible for maintaining a proper fluid balance in the corneal tissues. This function is critical to ensuring that the cornea remains transparent for vision. 

FOGGY BLUE EYES - When these endothelial cells become sick and deteriorate and are no longer functional, the normally clear cornea becomes water-logged, swollen, and opaque. This condition is termed corneal edema. Typically eyes with corneal edema have a foggy or blue appearance to the normally clear tissues at the front of the eye. 

Hypertonic Saline Solution 5%.

IF BLISTER DEVELOPS ON EYE AND BURSTS- Immediately go to the vet. They will stain the eye and confirm the blister. They will apply a healing drop and insert a contact lense so the eye will heal. It took about 2 weeks for our dog's eye to heal

WHAT CAN YOU GIVE YOUR DOG? One drop that you can instill in your dog's eyes 2 times a day, without any issue is very inexpensive. It reduces the water build up in the eye and helps prevent these corneal ulcers.  It's called Hypertonic Saline Solution 5%. You can order the GENERIC brand at your local pharmacy and it's under $10.  

MORE INFORMATION from the College of  Veterinary Opthalmologists:
http://www.acvo.org/common-conditions-1/2018/2/23/corneal-endothelial-degeneration 

Today's Pet Peeve

Everyone has pet peeves, and today I wanted to tell you

about one of mine!
Over the past couple of months, several people have written an email or sent me a facebook messenger note that says "Can I ask you a question?" 
   That makes me crazy.
- First, that IS a QUESTION. 
- Second, if you're taking the time to write that, you could have already asked the question.
- Third, if you know someone and you think it may be a sensitive issue, just preface your question with the fact that the following may be sensitive - then just ASK the question! 
  Does this drive anyone else crazy??
What are your pet peeves? 

Exorcising Dogs or Poor Spelling?

When people misspell words it can be as funny as it is sad. The misspelled word makes you think of the paranormal, so I thought I would share this!
 You would think that the people who make signs would have a better grasp on the language. Unfortunately, some don't and that was evidenced by this sign in a park... telling people not to "Exorcise" their dogs in a certain location.
  "Exorcising" means to drive demons or ghosts out of a living being.
  "Exercising" means to move your body to improve physical fitness.
  For those who think their dog needs to be exorcised, perhaps the dog needs obedience training. Or maybe you are craving a Drake's bakery Devil Dog pastry!