Since I (Rob) am a big DC Comics fan, and I enjoyed Batman Vs. Superman, I'm now looking forward to the next DC comics movie called "Suicide Squad" that comes out in August.
This is not about super heroes, but a band of the worst supervillians hired by the government to do suicide missions to reduce their jail sentence. There has been a couple of runs of series in the comics, and all were popular. In this movie, you'll even see the familiar Joker and a surprise appearance from Batman, but it centers around the villains. The trailer looks entertaining.
WHO is in the movie? Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne and Viola Davis.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/MZwsbcW-d-E
For a brief span Sunday, the "C" in CHP stood for Chihuahua. That's
because a black dog led what police
describe as a high-speed pursuit
over the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland, before being
placed in official custody.
The dog's only identifying tag —
black, with a silver human skull — served to cement his status as a
hardcore animal who's not wowed by authority. His flight from the law
was captured on a dashboard camera and posted to social media in what
quickly became a well-liked video. It took at least three units
— two officers on motorcycles and one in a car — to corral the animal,
which had been streaking its way toward San Francisco.
Police issued a call for help in finding the dog's owner, asking on Facebook, "Missing a Chihuahua?"
At
one point in the chase, the dog appeared to toy with his pursuers,
stopping to face an officer on a motorcycle — who then starts to
dismount from his machine — before tearing off again.
The Associated Press adds, "After it was captured, the Chihuahua was
taken to a San Francisco animal shelter where staff members named it
Ponch, after the CHP Officer Frank Poncherello played by Erik Estrada in
the TV series CHiPs."
On Monday, officials at San Francisco Animal Care and Control sent an update on Ponch, saying he's doing well "but he would love to see his family." Actor Erik Estrada retweeted that message, much like he did after seeing an earlier tweet about the Chihuahua's escapade.
Since I (Rob) am still dealing with a double-dose of asthma and bronchitis, I thought I'd share this helpful information I learned about viral (vs. bacterial) bronchitis. Yesterday was day 4 that I've been dealing with it on medications (Tussin cough med,, Prednisone, 2 inhalers, mucinex, sudafed, and meloxicam) . Although not feeling as horrible as I did Wed through Friday, I am still coughing (up) every couple of hours. Sleeping lasts in 3-4 hour bouts before the coughing commences. So, still not feeling decent yet. MY TIP FOR NIGHT TIME: have water by your bed, kleenex, and a rescue inhaler. Also keep the cough syrup nearby to help clear the congestion). CLOSE the windows at night, or you're inviting more pollen inside. DON'T DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON - Yesterday, we went for an English Tea with our friend Linda who bought us tickets to the event. It was a wonderful time, and the company, tea, food, music and mansion were wonderful. However the 2 hours out wore me down. - So today, it's back to bed rest, tons more water and the vaporizer. UGH. Nothing like being sick when it's FINALLY warm outside. Stay well everyone!
Productive cough which brings up mucus. If the mucus is yellow-green in color, then it indicates a bacterial infection.
Weakness.
Low grade fever.
Patient experiences shortness of breath which is worsened upon mild physical activity or exertion.
Wheezing is also present.
Investigations for Viral Bronchitis
Physical exam and medical history; where the doctor will use a
stethoscope to listen to any abnormal lung sounds such as rales and also
any abnormal breathing sounds which may be present. Other than this,
tests which are done include:
X-ray of the chest.
Lung Function Tests (LFTs) help in diagnosis.
Pulse Oximetry: This test helps in determining the quantity of oxygen in the blood.
Sputum samples are also taken to look for signs of bacterial infection or inflammation.
Treatment for Viral Bronchitis
Viral bronchitis does not require any specific treatment and
antibiotics are not advised, unless you develop secondary bacterial
infection. A case of viral infection usually subsides on its own in a
week or two.
Symptomatic Treatments for Viral Bronchitis Are As Follows:
Antiviral medications such as Relenza (Zanamivir) or Tamiflu are
prescribed. These help in limiting or alleviating the symptoms and also
help in preventing secondary bacterial bronchitis.
Therapeutic options to treat viral infections are limited.3
Using decongestants, nebulizers to help with breathing.
Cough syrups, which are expectorants to relieve chest congestion and pain.
Cough drops/ lozenges can also be used.
Humidifier or a steam should be used in the bathroom.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin can be taken for fever; however, children should not be given aspirin.
Your doctor may also prescribe inhalers if you have wheezing.
Other Steps Which Help In Easing The Discomfort Are:
Drinking plenty of fluids.
Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke and other such irritants.
Taking plenty of rest.
Preventative Measures for Viral Bronchitis
Quit smoking.
It is important to get a yearly flu vaccine with a pneumococcal vaccine.
Avoid irritants such as smoke and air pollution.
Wash your hands frequently so as to prevent the viruses and other contagious infections from spreading.
I recently finished reading one of the best collections of local ghost stories I've ever read. It's called "Haunted Boulder" as in Colorado, and it was written by Roz Brown and Ann Alexander Leggett. The book is really interesting and makes you feel like you're inside the haunted properties they're talking about. The authors provide pictures of the properties, too, which really helps enhance the stories. Each story is well-written, and the authors did an amazing job of researching the histories of the past residents, interviewing current residents, and referencing newspaper articles. Some of these stories are sure to stick with you for some time, like the Obsessive (grown-up) Boy Scout who is apparently still attached to his scouting awards long after his death. The hanging ghost of William Tull is another story I won't soon forget. If you're planning to be in or around Boulder, Colorado, this book is a must-have. You can use it to make your own personal ghost tour. I highly recommend it! As a side note, Roz and I have worked together from time to time over the years (long-distance) and I just found out she co-wrote this paranormal book, so we have that in common. Amazing how after working with someone (she's in Colorado, I'm in the Mid-Atlantic) you learn something new. Available on Amazon.com: Amazon.com/Haunted-Boulder-Ghostly-Tales-Flatirons
Want to see a great new TV show? Although the first season just ended, you can find it on-demand or likely on-line on the Fox network. We LOVE the show and the supporting characters.You should check it out. Here's what it's about...
WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The series follows the life of Jimmy Pritchard, a 75-year-old former King County, Washington, sheriff who was morally corrupt and eventually disgraced and forced to retire.
After he is murdered, Pritchard is brought back to life in the improved
body of a younger man by billionaire tech-genius twins Mary and Otto Goodwin.
However, despite having a new life and a chance to relive his life and
find a new purpose, the temptations that led to his career being
tarnished continue to haunt him. He works as a consultant with his son who is an FBI agent.
the cast of Second Chance
Second Chance is a science fiction crime drama television series created by Rand Ravich. It is inspired by the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The show debuted online on December 25, 2015,[1] and started broadcasting January 13, 2016, on Fox
Reminder! Tomorrow Saturday, Apr 16 from 12 to 5 p.m.EDT is the Mid-Atlantic Spring DoxieFest!
Bigger and better than ever with LIVE MUSIC, wiener races, raffles and MORE! This year's event will feature 2 wiener races- 1pm and 3:30pm.
WHERE: Heavenly Waters Park - 608 N. Tollgate Road, Bel Air, MD 21014
**FREE, but donations are accepted to benefit Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue.
ABOUT Show the softer side of your family or business by supporting one of the
nation’s fastest growing Dachshund Rescue Events! Share your compassion and enthusiasm
for dachshunds and their owners while ensuring that we are able to provide the best event,
yet! All donations that exceed our need for this year’s event will be given back to CCDR, to be
used for the medical needs of pups in foster care.
For more information, please
email info@bmorewieners.com.
Coming from out of town? Get a discounted rate on pet friendly hotels in Bel Air, or call 877-411-FIDO to speak with one of our pet travel experts!
This photo article from the Huffington Post follows a photographer who showed the transition of neighborhoods in various cities over the course of almost 4 decades.
Camilo Jose Vergara
Ransom Gillis Mansion, Alfred at John R St., Detroit, shown in 1993, 2000, 2002, 2012, 2015 and again in 2015.
When Vergara isn’t
criss-crossing the country, he is poring over his extensive collection,
digitizing older photographs and looking for common threads. Trained as a
sociologist, he conducts research and interviews to flesh out stories
he pulls from his images.
He’s focused on churches and the role of religion in the poor neighborhoods he is drawn to. In another series, he highlights urban folk art that never makes it into museum collections: the hand-painted signs and murals that adorn liquor stores, laundromats and community centers. A recent collection captures the agricultural scenes painted on food trucks in Los Angeles’ Latino neighborhoods — possibly endangered as they shift toward more gourmet fare, Vergara said.
“Things disappear so quickly,” he said. “And then you realize … your city doesn’t look like that anymore.”
Vergara has won a National Humanities medal and MacArthur fellowship. And the Library of Congress acquired Vergara’s archive last year, cementing its value. But his work did not initially earn approval from art world gatekeepers, nor from the artist himself.
His first project, more traditional street photography in Harlem and
the Bronx in the early ‘70s, attracted little interest. Vergara scrapped
the idea, but at the time chose to hold onto the images because “they
reminded me of how I had wasted my life.” They’ve since been published widely.
“The irony is that all my life I’ve been interested in failure, and now I can’t consider myself a failure,” he said, laughing.
There’s failure lurking in many of Vergara’s photographs, but there’s
also much more to see, if you keep looking. Vergara certainly will —
he’s compelled to return to the sites he’s chosen, capture how they’ve
changed yet again and bring his archive up to date.
“This work sort of pulls you in, it’s like a river,” he said. “I imagine I’ll be doing it until the last day I live.”
Camilo Jose Vergara
Views Along Fern St., Camden, New Jersey, shown in 1979, 1988, 1997, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Camilo Jose Vergara
7316 South Broadway, Los Angeles, shown in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2012 and 2014.
Credit: Camilo Jose Vergara
New St. and Newark St., Newark, New Jersey, shown in 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 2014, 2015.
Many more photographs from Vergara’s “Tracking Time” series can be seen on his website.
BBC news reported that a village is for sale in England.
An entire North Yorkshire village has gone on the market for a guide price of £20m.
West Heslerton, near Malton, has a 21-bedroom mansion, pub, petrol station, 43 homes and 2,116 acres of land.
The village has been owned by the same family for over 150 years, but has been put up for sale after the most recent owner died. Cundalls estate agents said it had already attracted interest "from far and wide".
Image copyrightCundallsEve Dawnay owned the estate until her death five years ago, with the family now deciding to sell.
West Heslerton also has a church, primary school and a playing field with a pavilion.
Tom Watson, of Cundalls, said: "Miss Dawnay was a wonderful lady.
"She was very kind and the property rents are - and have always been - very low.
"This
has helped keep a vibrant village community with a mixed group of ages
and there are obviously a lot of people hoping that somebody with a
similar benevolent nature will come along to take over the estate."
More than 110 acres of woodland is also being sold by the family.
Mr
Watson added: "All the tenants were told it was going on the market in
September, since then the rumour mill has started going about potential
buyers.
"We already have had interest from far and wide."
Image caption
The village boasts a pub called the Dawnay Arms
Miss Dawnay's sister, Verena Elliott, said: "We all
loved it and it would be very hard to find a village with more loyal and
lovely people living in it.
"There is a real sense of community which is hard to find these days." Other previous village sales Linkenholt, Hampshire - Sold for £25m in 2009 - the sale included 22 cottages and houses, 1,500 acres of farmland, a village shop and a blacksmiths. Bantham, Devon - The 750-acre seaside estate exceeded the asking price of £11m and included about 20 cottages and a beach. Little Rollright, Oxfordshire - The Cotswold village went on the market in 2014 with an asking price of £18m, including a manor house, rectory, five cottages and 500 acres. Image copyrightCundalls
The TV show "Lucifer" on the Fox Network is really fun and entertaining. Tom Ellis, the Welsh actor who plays Lucifer is brilliant. Charming, sarcastic and blunt.
WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT?
Welsh actor Tom Ellis is very charming
The series focuses on Lucifer Morningstar, "who is bored and unhappy as
the Lord of Hell and resigns his throne Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals".Lucifer runs a piano bar in Los Angeles called "Lux," with the
assistance of his demonic ally Mazikeen. After a minor celebrity whom
Lucifer once helped achieve fame is murdered outside his club, Lucifer
becomes involved with the LAPD when he takes it upon himself to assist
Detective Chloe Decker in finding the one responsible so that he can
"punish them." So, in essence he becomes a good guy with a twist.
BACKGROUND: It features a character adapted from the character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg as a supporting character in the comic book series The Sandman. The character later became the protagonist of the spin-off comic book series Lucifer from DC Comics Vertigo line, although so far, the comic hasn't lived up to the TV show. The TV show is much better!
Fox renewed the series for a second season.
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/X4bF_quwNtw
Ruari is a black and tan Dachshund who is adoptable through
Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue as of April 2, 2016 Go to www.c2cdr.org
and look for him under "Dachshund BT smooth"
His ID number is #16002
ABOUT RUARI - Ruari is a
9 year old black and tan smooth coat sweetheart. He came into foster as
an owner-surrender. Ruari is such a good boy! We are learning that he
loves to play tug, snuggle in the big bed, and go for walks. GOOD
WITH OTHER DOGS! He gets along just great with our two other doxies, a
female and a male and they play together. No aggression issues have been
witnessed. He rests peacefully all night in his crate and during the
day when we are all at work and school. When we come home, he has free
roam of the house and follows us around wagging his tail. We have
noticed that he will slip out of the house at a moment’s notice if we
are not super careful, but will come back to us if we don’t chase and
yell. So therefore a fenced-in yard is probably a good idea for Ruari,
or at least he would need a micro-chip. Ruari will make a great
addition to a family with another dachshund or other dog that he can pal
around with. Or in a home with someone who will take Ruari to a dog
park for some social time. He really is a sweet dog. FOR INFORMATION: Email Nadine at : teachna@hotmail.com Location: Pennsylvania.
You can't make up stupid like this. Today's "Dumb File" is one from Athens, Georgia with a gun-happy guy who wanted to blow up a lawnmower. The story is below from Online Athens.
Walton County man's leg severed while blowing up lawn mower
SOURCE: On-line Athens, March 24, 2016 (URL below)
Walton County, Georgia
A 32-year-old Walton County man's leg was severed just below the knee by
a piece of shrapnel when he and his friends blew up a lawn mower.
The men
were using Tannerite to blow up the riding mower, according to the
Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Tannerite is a combination of chemicals
sold legally at most gun and sporting goods stores.
David Thomas Presley was airlifted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, where his condition was unavailable Wednesday.
Deputies were called to the wooded location about 3:50 p.m. on Emmett
Doster Road between Monroe and Bethlehem, according to the report.
One of the men at the site explained they put about three pounds of
Tannerite inside the mower and Presley was shooting a gun at the
Tannerite to ignite an explosion.
When a piece of the metal sheared Presley’s leg off, the friends
placed him in a vehicle and drove to the end of a driveway, where they
were met by an ambulance, according to the report.
The witnesses videotaped the explosion, deputies said.
Sheriff Joe Chapman told Atlanta TV Fox News that Presley was standing about 30 yards from the mower when it exploded.
Tannerite is composed of two chemicals and only explodes if hit by a
high velocity object such as bullet. The mixture is sold as an exploding
target. One state, Maryland, has banned its sale to the public except
those with a license to have explosives.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office urged users on its Facebook page to be careful with the substance.
“Yes, it is legal and no, we can’t make people stop doing it. But why
folks, just why,” the post read. “Please adhere to the warnings and use
this dangerous material with caution or maybe consider other less
dangerous hobbies.”
About six months ago near Muskegon, Mich., a man had his leg severed
when he used Tannerite to blow up a 55-gallon metal drum, according to a
report by Muskegon’s Fox 32. That man was standing about 50 yards away
from the drum.
Earlier this week the news reported the passing of country legend Merle Haggard. A couple of years ago, we actually got to see him in concert at an Arts hall in Annapolis. I (Rob) am a huge fan of classic country music so it was a tremendous treat for me (Tom isn't a fan but came with me). Merle has had so many classics and I have his greatest hits CD. Some of my favorites from Merle are "Rainbow Stew," "Working Man's Blues," "Mama Tried" and of course "Okie from Muskogee."
Back in 2007 he wrote a song supporting Hillary Clinton for her presidential bid. (See below for the lyrics) He was a SMART southern Democrat. All the more reason to love him. He will be missed, but his music is eternal.
It wasn't until the mid-80s that I became aware of classic country music (Because I grew up in Boston and they never had a country music station until the late 1990s). I was introduced to a catalog of Merle's songs when he appeared on the Dolly show in 1987 and he did a duet with Dolly covering many of his hits. I was immediately a fan. Here's that video:https://youtu.be/x0AQ4rZlFeU
THE STORY: Merle Haggard Passes Source: Huffington Post
Merle Haggard died Wednesday after battling double pneumonia, his manager confirmed to TMZ. The country singer died at his home in California on his 79th birthday.
The famous country singer recently canceled a series of shows, citing health problems, but had plans for upcoming performances with Willie Nelson.
Haggard was born in 1937 in Bakersfield, California. Known for his
songs like “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Sing Me Back
Home” and “Mama Tried” among countless others, the singer earned 38 No. 1 hits over the course of his career. Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and is considered “the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history.”
“If we don’t elect Hillary, then we’ll never know.
“She is the right lady, and her husband’s a pro.
“Eight years in the White House with the know-how we need.
“When you walk with a leader, you learn how to lead.
“And who kept her head high when it could have been down?
“And who ran the show when the scandal hit town?
“This country needs to be honest. Our changes need to be large.
“What we need is a big switch of gender. Let’s put a woman in charge.
“A woman in charge of the Army, put a woman in charge of the wheel.
“The country owes it to Hillary, and Hillary owes it to Bill.
“This country needs to be honest. Our changes need to be large.
“What we need is a big switch of gender. Let’s put a woman in charge.”
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
