text:
(This has been in the comments before, but I just rewatched it and it really does need the spotlight of the main page.)
I know lots of horses are starving. But this one is going to get his neck broken or these redneck idiots are going to get pissed and shoot him or something. Probably stuff his head and hang it on the wall with a beer can between his ears after that!
Their "friend" updated since posting with the following explanation:
"Well, we found out why this horse is going over backwards when we took him too the vet to get shots. The trainer there felt him and said he's still too young to have a lot of weight on him, he's tinder in some spots around his back legs. So, no more riding until he's a little older. I guess 2 1/2 isn't old enough. Let me say for the record: I don't know anything about horses, nor do I have any desire to learn more....they are dangerous as far as I'm concerned. I can't say anything about what happened here, because I don't know what was done wrong. I can say slapping him on the ass to get him to go over the fence looked pretty damned stupid though. This isn't the first time this horse has done this. He's not a bad horse and he isn't abused. None of the horses are abused. This horse has already had 3 different owners. That's something to be said. I guess no one has the patience for him. I think he will be ok. He isn't going to be ridden for a long time yet... "
1. Tinder? Is that like TIMBER! He's going over again!?
2. The vet has a trainer there? Well for god's sake hire them and stop it with the abusive DIY training. I bitch about silly Parelli stuff but even that would be better than what you are doing to this poor little colt.
3. "he isn't abused" - um, you admitted you know nothing about horses. This statement is proof. He IS abused. He's being BADLY abused. HEINOUSLY abused. The horse is going to BREAK HIS NECK OR HIS BACK if this continues. Your friends are NOT capable of training him and they need to give him up.
Good God, thanks to this video, about 12,000 youtube viewers are willing to give him a better home. I know we all have different opinions about training and various ideas of what is or is not excessive, but I'm going to guess there is absolutely not one person reading this who agrees that this isn't abuse.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
I've never seen a horse more in need of being rescued
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 10:19 PM
Not even vaguely horse related...
But I HAD to post this because it seems like a lot of my readers are from my, erm, vintage and will remember all of this stuff when we...somehow...inexplicably...didn't realize how fugly it was.
J.C. Penney 1977
I was 10 in 1977 and recall wearing such atrocities as an aqua plaid pantsuit of the type that now would only be seen on ladies over 70 years of age with at least some degree of dementia. What was my mother thinking? The mind boggles.
(I wonder if this is the same phenomenon that causes people to breed furry little yaks and think they are beautiful? If enough people tell you an aqua plaid pantsuit is cool, do you eventually believe it, despite all evidence to the contrary? Hmmm...)
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 9:10 PM
Yak Attack!
While I freely admit it's not my favorite cross, it is possible to breed a nice looking, athletic Quarab.
Where do I even start? First of all, who breeds for late fall? That breeding has "that gol-darn colt, we just can't keep 'im in the fence!" written all OVER it. Secondly, could this critter be ANY worse put together? Holy crap, she has virtually no hip, no butt, shortest croup ever, she's got a stumpy neck, she's back at the knees, and she's got a fugly head. There's no way the parents were much better. Finally, everything in these pictures looks like it needs a good deworming.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 2:20 PM
Monday, October 29, 2007
News of the Day: Things You Write Online Are Not Invisible!
Selling due to lack of feed!
(On the same forum)
But I want pictures of your gelding for sale and are you willing to take trades?
I see this stuff ALL the time.
Oh, and look what ELSE she has for sale under the same e-mail address and phone number?
"Shih Tzu/Chihuahua/Terrier Puppies, 2 female, 1 male, will stay very small! $250/300 cash only. 1st shots & wormed; Sheltiepoo puppies 4 males, 1 female, 1st shots & wormed. $250/300 cash only. Can meet or deliver. For pictures email."
Lady, you are a sack of shit. Get a damn job, you loser, and stop breeding things.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 4:53 PM
Hey, you people who told me I was spreading misinformation about the PMU problem?
I seem to recall a few months ago commenting on the PMU industry and how the mares are kept pregnant and then they ship the foals off to slaughter at 6 months, and being told that I was ignorant and misinformed, that doesn't happen anymore, the PMU farms are out of business, blah blah b.s. b.s...
OK, whoever told me that. How do you explain this? 59 draft and draft cross PMU colts flipped over in a double-decker in Wadsworth. What, did they fall from the sky? They were going to nice riding homes in a double decker?
So apparently about 45 are still alive and breathing and got transported to a horse dealer's in Wadsworth (I'm guessing Fred Carney, though I haven't seen it confirmed). The insurance company now owns them and is deciding what to do. I haven't heard who the insurance company is yet.
Here are the pictures. Warning, dead/dying horse pics. Don't look if you can't deal.
Yeah, that PMU industry? It's cleaned right up. There's no problem anymore. They're not still up there killing baby horses left and right and keeping mares pregnant forever just so some menopausal woman can have fewer hot flashes. No, that doesn't happen at all anymore...
Sorry. You can somewhat arguably (although I don't agree) justify animal research and animal assisted drug production when a human life is at stake, but it's different when all you're doing is relieving totally non-fatal symptoms (for which there ARE other remedies and medications!). As far as I'm concerned, the entire PMU thing is completely impossible to justify. It's about greedy drug companies making money off the pain and suffering of mares kept confined and pregnant, and foals born to be disposed of as a unneeded by-product of production...the same greedy drug companies that throw their political donation dollars at people like Bob Goodlatte. Follow the money!
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 9:02 AM
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Equine Mythology 101...class #1
I'd like to do a little series talking about classic equine myths that I grew up with (and you probably did too if you're around my age). These are things that are absolute fallacies that horsepeople believed for years, and bad horsepeople still do believe. The only difference between us and them is the willingness to be educated (and of course, the brains to pay attention over our years with horses and learn from what we observe).
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, an alert reader sent me this photograph of a school horse. The girl was upset because she went to a show and the judge knocked her for the horse's condition. Well HOORAY for the judge. Wish I knew who she/he is, I'd like to award them the First Annual FHOTD Gold Medal For Responsible Professional Horsemanship. The girl feels like she got screwed, because the horse's condition isn't her fault and the horse is getting plenty of feed. To quote her: "he's over 23 years old, gets 3 or 4 scoops of grain PER DAY! (which is a lot, our grain is like 25% fat) 3 flakes of hay per feeding, beet pulp, and supplements to keep his weight." She also describes how she had to ride in spurs because he was dead sided ("like, complete breakdown right before the fence, basically landed in halt mode, so i'm crazy digging my spurs in him trying to get the six in"), how he refused, and how he was starting to get sore at the end of the day. And how her trainer was going to go yell at the judge for not placing him because he's skinny "because that's how cool my trainer is."
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 10:08 AM
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The weekend potpourri of fugly horses and stupid owners!
My mailbox is so full that I am just going to spotlight a whole bunch of the worst of it for you! By the way, if you are going to send me a Craigslist post, try to save the page and send that or screen cap it. Craigslist expires pretty fast and often the post is gone by the time I get to it.
Let's start today with another parental Darwin award. Observe the lead rope made into a noose around the horse's neck. That will be a great means of restraint if something startles him - hey, it may even tighten enough to choke him and throw him to the ground! He won't be going anywhere. Now add the child with no helmet and the badly, badly fitting hunt saddle sitting RIGHT on the horse's withers. The horse doesn't look happy and I can't say I blame him. When you have an old coot horse with high withers, you must invest in a saddle that fits and a proper riser pad. Otherwise you just wind up on horse boards posting "my hors bucks and I dont no why?!" and annoying the shit out of the rest of us.
Here's the ad text: "shy is a sweet and easy keeper.she stands for farrier and loads,clips,and loves to have a bath.she is a good mother to her babies. she is trail broke and will go any where you want her to. any level of rider can ride her. "
Well of course they can, she is too weak to protest! Easy keeper? Yeah I guess it is EASY for you to not FEED her. OMG. And she has babies? With that horrific shoulder and hip? And of course NO mention of registration. Arrrrggggh. Someone please buy this poor mare, feed her and make her your trail horse. She will never have good conformation but I bet she would be very grateful to you.
I actually kind of like these little tanks in the picture, until I get to the ad copy and want to strangle the breeder with my bare hands.
Just some excerpts: "due to the fact that this mare is OLWS H/N & the stud she was bred to (see bloodlines below) is also H/N it is a 25% chance the foal could be OLWS, we are not offering a live foal guarantee...The mare has ringbone and thus limps, however she was a working cowhorse as a young horse and recently one of my girls rode her bareback in the arena for about a half hour..possibly could do light riding or trails, very quiet but does limp "
STOP breeding for babies that may DIE!
STOP breeding your LAME mare that is crippled up at age TWELVE!
I think I should do a "guess the breed" on this one. This is a breeding stallion who is allegedly a futurity winner. Can anybody even begin to guess what breed he is supposed to be? I swear, you won't get it...I just stared in shock.
I will tell you that, and I quote the ad, "He is a magonhany bay stallion." I do not know what a magonhany bay would be. I just know that this thing needs its balls off ASAP, a good deworming, its teeth done, and someone to get off the couch and clean up the paddock it has to live in.
OK, after I found this in my comments, I HAD to add it to today's post. This is NOT a LITTLE UNDERWEIGHT. This is HOLY SHIT, CALL ANIMAL CONTROL UNDERWEIGHT. Ad text: "Thunder Is a large older pony that was an awesome show pony in his younger days. He is around 27+ yrs old. He is a little underweight now and a hard keeper But if your willing to do that, He will make some little kid very happy! He was Grand champion English and preformance pony 2006 and Reserve Champion Western Pony. He is VERY sadly for sale But I cant have 3 Horses! And he is the one thats not getting used! Price Is Neg to the right Home... He is ONLY FOR SALE TO APPORVED HOMES!"
APPROVED HOMES? What, like YOURS? I don't give a SHIT if he's 27+. Here's my friend's THIRTY FIVE YEAR OLD for comparison.
Call the damn VET, do a blood panel and see if he has any TEETH and find out what to feed him if he doesn't! I cannot believe you think this is a "little underweight." The other picture shows him fat and shiny in the show ring, was that a year ago? Do you honestly think he dropped like this in a YEAR because he is ONE MORE YEAR older at his age?
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 7:33 AM
Friday, October 26, 2007
Gee, I sure hope not!
I get tons of Craigslist ads sent to me but this one might be my absolute favorite! I bolded my favorite part.
"8 Years old ARAB and THROUBRED mix. This is a Flaxin chestnut gelding never been bred. Pro trained by Del Raymond out of Delhigh, Ca. 15.1 hands tall and is bomb proof, Loads, Clips and is high spirited and loves to run. Hasn't been road for about a year. Very friendly. Experienced rider perfered. "
I sincerely hope no one hopes to breed this gelding in the future, and that no one will be "roading" him. He is a cute guy who looks like he has some potential. Maybe his next owner will be literate!
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 12:36 PM
We FINALLY have a solution to the problem!
From an alert reader. I think she's absolutely right!
"Fugly, this is great:
It's an online game for virtual horse breeding! That way, you CAN BREED ALL THE HORSES YOU WANT and you won't have any fuglies that end up as rescues or in the slaughterhouse! Not only that, but you can " Take responsibilities and manage an equestrian center!" DUDE!!! So people could like, actually learn how to buy good hay and what to feed so their horses don't DIE OF STARVATION!
And best of all, it's FREE!!! It's practically the perfect answer to our fugly horse problem!"
There you go, everybody! Try it in the VIRTUAL world first and see if you can keep up with it. I'm guessing most will see what a pain in the butt it is just having to regularly click on activities like grooming and training, much less getting off your couch to do it in REAL life.
This is kinda like that baby doll that screams bloody murder that they make teenagers carry around for a few days to remind them to use condoms. Brilliant!
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 8:10 AM
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thank you for proving my point...yet again
Frequent readers of this blog know that I often characterize the breeders of fugly horses as illiterate rednecks. This breeder's response makes that point for me. Enjoy!
(My comments are in blue, as usual)
and how can you sit there and write about a horse you have never seen or met or no anything about.you should be ashamed of your self.
I am merely commenting on pictures on the Internet. Many people comment on their opinion of President Bush, and they have not met him or seen him in person, either. I am not ashamed of myself, but I would be ashamed if I could not spell simple words such as "know" and "yourself."
this picture of Annie was taken in march which was still winter and her baby was sold she has a winter coat which we get up here in the north.
I honestly don't remember who Annie is, but I am quite sure I never criticized a horse for merely being furry.
and yes she might be pregnant again so what. she is healthy and happy .
The Mexican slaughterhouses thank you for keeping supply up and prices down! By the way, if you call a vet, you might be able to resolve the "might" issue. Just a thought!
do you think i care what you say about us when you have never met us of our horses,
Well, obviously you do or you wouldn't be e-mailing. Duh.
figures a yankee has to cause shit once again.
Damn yankees! Ever since those bastards freed our slaves it's been nothing but trouble! On behalf of my Southern friends, please stop embarassing the South.
i am still pressing charges of Theft.
OK you go talk to the cops about that, sweetie pie. You might learn something.
You bet I know what copyright means. I can spell it, too. Did you know you cannot press charges for copyright? You have to sue me in Federal Court for that. I hope that helps!
SMOKIN HORSE RANCH/WALKERS FARM DENEZE LUJANEN & GARY WALKER WEBSITE : http://groups.msn.com/smokinhorseranch
FHOTD in: And these people think I'm the one making them look bad...
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 2:33 PM
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Today's 5 Things I Hate About Horsepeople
3. They keep things like this a stud because his great grandfather was a cutting champion and, hey, he is yellow.
And then they expect me not to make fun of them on this blog. OMG. Those post legs! That fugly short neck and mutton withers! Downhill! Virtually NO muscles. The only thing good about him is his head and you can't ride the head.
4. They can afford a sleazy hood and a big poofy waterproof blanket for the mini, but they can't get off the couch and replace the barbed wire with hot tape.
P.S. Turning out in a nylon halter? Also stupid.
5. They do not feed their horses and then provide lame excuses. They should be starved to death themselves. I will volunteer to supervise. Evil miserable scumsucking bastard. Bet he managed to afford food for HIMSELF.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 12:48 PM
Monday, October 22, 2007
Southern California Fires
First of all, for those of you who just can't go a day without seeing something snarkworthy, here is some dimwit who needs to sell one hundred and thirty horses NOW because she is pregnant. Of course, they are "foundation bred," most are colored and nearly all are as long as Britney's hair extensions! Bet nothing is broke, either. My head hurts.
Evacuees are invited to stable their horses at a horse farm in the Thermal-Indio area.A private citizen, recommended by a California Department of Food & Agriculture veterinarian, has volunteered enough property, staff, food, and water resources to care for up to 1,700 horses. For more information, County residents can call (760) 399-2716.
Industry Hills Expo Center will take 125 large animals (626) 330-0324. They are located off of the 60 Freeway between the 57 and 605 freeways
Orange County Animal Shelter off of The City Drive will take 150 dogs and 75 cats.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 8:16 PM
Saturday, October 20, 2007
A match made in Heaven, or a match made in Hell?
I want to talk a little today about what kind of stud you choose for a mare who is good but not great. I am somewhat of a realist. I will never say that the ONLY mares who should be bred are the perfect 10's. You are going to be able to fault most horses in some way. The point of selective breeding is to improve, so if you have a mare who's a 6 or a 7, it's entirely possible to get a baby who is an 8 or a 9 out of her if you breed intelligently (and yes, a bit of luck helps). You are not likely to get a 3 or a 4 (the kind of horse who shouldn't get born in the first place) out of her unless you make a really bad breeding choice. These mares are registered APHA mares that I do not think are 9's or 10's but I think are fine to breed from if you make intelligent choices.
This first mare was priced at $3500, and has sold (sounds like to a riding home). Here's what I really like about her: First of all, you could see from other pictures in the ad that she rides, so she's not just a baby machine. She is in beautiful condition, so kudos to her seller for that. I love her hip. She's slightly sickle hocked but that's not a flaw that bothers me much as it usually does not impact performance. Her tail is set on just where it should be for an APHA mare - she will carry it low and flat. Her back is a nice medium length. It's appropriate for pleasure but not so long that she would be unable to do something more athletic than the rail classes. Her neck is low set but it's not a "nest" - it comes out high enough that you can still see where the chest begins, and low set is what you want in an APHA pleasure horse. Her head is nice enough. It's not super fancy but she has cute little ears and that always makes for an attractive look. You can't fault her color - she's got nice overo markings dressing up a pretty dappled dark bay. The main flaws here are that the shoulder is upright and she's slightly back at the knee. She's got a nice pastern angle which is going to compensate somewhat for the shoulder.
While I would not call this mare a top broodmare prospect, she is the sort of mare where I wouldn't be upset if someone bred her, assuming they chose the stud wisely. For this mare, you definitely want a stallion with a great shoulder. Looking only at conformation, I do not have time to look at the bloodlines and see if these would indeed be a match, if I were breeding for halter, an example of something I might choose would be Skips Rio Grande. The only thing I do not like so much about him is his neck, and she has a thinner, prettier one. If I were breeding for pleasure, an example of something I might choose would be Red Riot. This is a half-Thoroughbred overo with awesome bone, awesome feet and a lovely shoulder. She's got a better hip than he does. With any luck, you'd get his front end and her hip. (Obviously, more research goes into it than this. Again, I DID NOT LOOK AT PEDIGREES and if I were really breeding, I would, as well as looking at pictures of these stallions' existing foals.) Now, if you bred her to say, one of these stallions, then I would come to your house and beat you with a wet noodle.
J.K. Kind of.
This mare is quite the bargain - a Reserve World Champion selling for $2500 on DreamHorse. Yes, she's older and in pasture shape, but it's still a good deal. This is a bad picture, and I suspect it was taken out in the horse pasture with other loose horses and we could certainly comment about the wisdom of that, but I'm talking mares today. Even from this terrible picture, I can see that this mare has an awesome hip and a beautiful shoulder. I do not like how high her tail is set on. Her neck looks short due to the angle but I think it is average length. The head is a very classic type with a big cheekbone and small muzzle. You can't see her feet but you can see she's got good bone. Since she's old fashioned looking and I suspect not the world's greatest mover (a lot of halter horses from this era and with this look move with a ton of knee, I own one of them and that's how she moves...it ain't pretty), if I were going to breed her, I'd want to breed her to something modern, more elegant, and super good moving. Again, looking only at conformation and type, not trying to match up the pedigrees intelligently, I absolutely love The Big Sensation (video here - scroll down to find). Wow, what a nice horse. He's half Thoroughbred, too, and if you're thinking I'm partial to that cross, you're right.
What you don't want to breed her to is something like this. (video) Mind you, I think this stallion is a total SAINT and probably deserves a MEDAL (check out the first jumping picture at top, and then watch the whole video to see the appalling o/f form of the rider), but he is short, stumpy, old fashioned looking and has a ton of knee when he moves. He does appear to have a cute jump, and probably would be even cuter with a rider who didn't get left behind and whap all over his back like a sack of potatoes. I'm kind of thinking a better niche for this guy is as a hunter pony sire. The APHA world isn't interested in 15.0 hh high-kneed hunt seat horses.
This one is more borderline. Again, it's an awful picture. (I'm kind of deliberately choosing these today, it's a good drill to try to see through bad photography). And it's a cheap horse. $700 papered mare. You know what, I don't hate her. Admittedly she's got the croup, hip, and tail set of my rescued $500 blind mare, but the rest of her isn't so bad. This mare's got a pretty head and neck, good bone, good sized feet (pic was taken down so you have to account for that - that is why her head looks so big, it's not), nice sloping pasterns. She looks like a mare who'd stay sound for some serious work. I don't think a mare like this should be chosen for someone's breeding program, but if she winds up with an owner who loves her and really really really wants a foal out of her with at least the intent of keeping it, I won't be horrified so long as they choose a good registered stallion with an awesome back end. She isn't breeding quality in my opinion but I bet she's a sweet mare and I do have some understanding for those who say their mare is the best damn mare they've ever had and they want a baby out of her. Note, ONE baby. Don't get all excited after that and decide you're breeding her every year just because all of your friends think she is awesome. Note that they are your friends, and will also not tell you that you look like a stuffed sausage in those jeans. Your friends are not an unbiased source of information. If you want a genuine opinion on your horse's quality, take her to a horse show or better yet three horse shows and see what the judges think.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 8:45 AM
While I'm writing open letters to celebrities...
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 7:31 AM
Thursday, October 18, 2007
An open letter to Ellen Degeneres
(Yeah, I know, slightly OT but we do discuss rescues and rescue ethics here a lot and I think this is in keeping with that. Also, I have a strong opinion on the matter and this is what I feel like typing about this morning so this is what you get.)
Yes, I stole the pic from TMZ.
Dear Ellen:
I read the rant on your official web site about how terrible you think it is that Mutts & Moms took back the dog they adopted out to you because you violated the contract by giving it to someone else that you think is a good home. I have read elsewhere how your girlfriend signed the contract, you didn't read it, blah blah.
Well, Ellen, let me tell you a few things about rescue. I've done small animal rescue (in Los Angeles, as a matter of fact - but cats instead of dogs) and I've done large animal off and on over the past 20 years. I have seen pets dumped because they bit someone, pets dumped because they scratched someone, pets dumped because they scratched a piece of furniture, pets dumped because of allergies, pets dumped because of moves, pets dumped because of human pregnancy, pets dumped because of their own pregnancy, pets dumped because they got sick, pets dumped because they shed, pets dumped because they are too expensive, pets dumped because they did not magically become trained with no effort put forth on the part of the owner, pets dumped because a new boyfriend or girlfriend did not like them, pets dumped because they got old and were not any fun anymore and pets dumped to punish a child for failure to clean their room. The vast majority of those pets are dead today. In Los Angeles, more animals leave the shelter dead than alive. This has, understandable, made most rescuers - and particularly those in places like Los Angeles - more than a little cautious about someone's good intentions.
You see, Ellen, most of those homes who dumped their pets to die started off with the same joyful enthusiasm about owning a pet. The kids were excited, Mom and Dad were excited, everybody was on the same page. The kids said they'd love the pet forever! Well, forever did not happen. Instead, those pets ended their lives on a metal table in the back room of one of those horrifically smelly Los Angeles shelters. (I am not kidding about this. Go take a walk through North Central sometime. The nasty smell will hang on your clothes til you wash them.)
And among the pets who do not get dumped, there are pets who get beaten for peeing in the house, pets who have their tails pulled and ears poked by unsupervised toddlers, pets who are lit on fire by sociopaths of various ages, pets who die on the road because no one made the slightest effort to confine or train them, pets who wind up as bait for fighting dog operations...the list goes on. The public does not often understand how widespread horrible deaths among small animals truly are. They grew up watching "Lassie" and firmly believe most dogs and cats live in these great, loving homes. Well, many do, but many do not, and you cannot tell from knowing someone socially whether or not they are a good home. How many of us have been shocked to learn a friend has ditched an animal at the shelter, someone we thought was "too nice" to do that? Or learned that someone with a Master's Degree, who should be "too smart" for this, has a cat that is not fixed shooting out unwanted kittens at an alarming rate? Most of us, I'm guessing. And of course said friend has rationalizations...because, you know, they are the only person ever to have to deal with moving with a pet, or allergy shots, or whatever, and it's just so hard and they really feel awful.
Ellen, speaking of feeling awful, may I point out that most of your post on your blog is about your feelings? I'm going to be absolutely honest with you, so listen up: No one in animal rescue cares about your feelings. They have one intent: To ensure the dog is never in peril again and lives as good a life as possible, including proper medical care, until he dies of natural causes. That is the only intent of most rescuers. That is why they are called ANIMAL rescuers, not human psychiatrists. Their only interest in you is how well you will take care of the animal. That's it. That's the goal of animal rescue. If you take great care of the animal, we don't care anything else about you. You can be in a polygamous relationship, worship trees and hold radical political beliefs, but if you keep your pets forever and take them to the vet and don't let them get dragged down the street by the UPS truck, you get five stars from us.
Ellen, you are not trained in screening adopters. I am. The ladies at Mutts & Moms are. Screening adopters is very enlightening and teaches you a great deal about human nature you would have preferred not to know. You will learn that people will lie about anything they can lie about. A family member with a conviction for animal abuse? Well gee shucks, we didn't know about that, even though it's our kid. A landlord that does not allow animals? Well, who knew that was on our lease! Golly gee. A drunken, loud, abusive family member that greets the rescuer doing the site check at the door? Damn, where did he come from? People lie to get animals, and they learn the right answers to give. They learn that they cannot say that they have ever dumped an animal at a shelter, that they should say the landlord is TOTALLY cool with that fourth cat, and that all of their animals are fixed, of course they are, the pregnant cat in the back room is just a stray they are oh-so-kindly taking care of. So, rescuers have learned to screen more carefully. We background check. We call the landlord. We ask to see the lease. Every rescue I know forbids rehoming without prior permission. This is not an unusual condition. It is absolutely standard. Some people think we're overdoing it but we take the steps we feel are necessary to protect the pet. And that's why we have a legal contract that you, the adult, must sign before you get the pet. Your hairdresser may be a great home, but you didn't give her the chance to prove that. Or perhaps you knew she'd fail the screening and therefore took matters into your own hands? We will never know.
Ellen, legal contracts are not foreign to you nor are they foreign to your girlfriend. Neither of you is a cashier from a Quik Stop in East Texas. You two sign legal contracts for every single thing you do in your professional lives and many things in your personal lives. I am sure you have a lawyer. Why did he or she not review the contract before Portia signed it if you were unclear about the terms?
The fact is, you weren't unclear. You just didn't read the contract OR you knew what was in it but you decided you knew better than the rescue and you were going to place that dog - which did not work out for you for some reason you have not disclosed, but I'm guessing it's a reason that could also cause your hairdresser to want the dog gone, it usually is. Well, Ellen, you didn't have the legal right to do so, and it was NOT the best decision for the dog to be placed in an unscreened home.
If your hairdresser wanted to adopt the dog, all you had to do was return the dog to the rescue and tell them that someone else would like to apply for ownership. Not hard. You didn't do that. Instead, you just skipped the process - much like Britney not bothering to get a California driver's license, perhaps you thought the rules did not apply to you. That was a choice. Now you have made a further choice to act like a 5 year old. You went online and trashed the rescue and whined about your hurt feelings and emotionally manipulated the public in an attempt to get the dog given back to the home you picked out for it. Well, that went a little too far. You forgot that some of your audience is crazies that sit at home all day watching daytime TV and now they are sending death threats to the rescuers. Wonderful. See, this entire situation could have been avoided if you had simply taken the time to read what I am sure is a one page contract. And if you didn't want to be bound to any terms, for god's sake get a dog off Craigslist or from the animal shelter. Again, you had a choice. If two little girls are sad today, YOU, Ellen DeGeneres, are the person who is at fault. Look in the mirror, sunshine. Nobody should have given them that dog and represented to them that it was their dog when legally it could not have been their dog. You gave them the legal equivalent of stolen property.
I've repossessed animals, and I've also taken them back - again per my contract - when the owner honestly came to me and said it wasn't working out. I just took the cat shown back this year when the owner suffered a stroke and had to go into a home. In fact, I decided to keep that one - he's a nice cat and he's already been in the actual euthanasia room once - a friend of mine pulled him at the last second for me, as I frantically texted her while at an arbitration hearing in Century City. He's not going there ever again.
The goal of responsible rescue is ensuring the animal's safety forever, not on the day you pull them from the shelter, or off the slaughter lot. You, Ellen, interfered with that goal - and you got called on it. Grow the fuck up and stop whining already.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 7:13 AM
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
There are simply no words...
Before I address our topic of today, a $58,000 sterile Gypsy Vanner stallion, I want to point out that I have purchased a small horse farm on 5 acres with a house for $67,000 and, while it was not exactly Southfork, it was a hell of a lot better use of that kind of money that this critter would be to anyone. Seriously, if you are dumb enough to fall for this and have this kind of cash to spend, come sit next to me. OK, I'm kidding, but at least I'd spend it rescuing sweet old Thoroughbred mares and that would at least be useful.
But hey, forget trying to go after the seller (other than talking smack about them on Equinehits: memo to you, No One Cares), let's just try to get someone buy the world's most overpriced gelding.
(Has anyone here read this Cali Canberra novel "Trading Paper?" I just started it and it's a thinly disguised account of the sale of NH Love Potion in the 1980s Arabian world. Was that really the story, some dumb rich guy who got bamboozled into signing a contract for $2.4 million for a mare? I'm sure we have some Arabian insiders here, fill me in. Although really that should be another post because I heard how that mare ended up and it pisses me off big-time. I met that mare, by the way. She licked my hand when I was 15. Your trivia for the day.)
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 6:52 AM
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
But his horses are all pedigreed!
I thought about this guest blog today because the guy sitting next to me at computer training said his brother in North Dakota can't sell any horses right now even though they're all "pedigreed Quarter Horses!" I pointed out to him that AQHA papered horses are approximately as common as mosquitoes and the low end is not selling. Not in North Dakota, not in Florida, not in California, not anywhere.
First, before we get into the boring stuff – It is essential that if you're doing any sort of pedigree research, or documenting their bloodlines in any way, the horses' names MUST BE SPELLED CORRECTLY. Don't put an apostrophe or an "s" where there isn't one. It just screws things up for everyone else. Many times, just an apostrophe or an "s" in the name is the only thing that separates two entirely different horses. If you can't spell the names correctly (as they are documented by the breed associations), you probably shouldn't be messing around with pedigrees - at least, not anywhere where someone else is going to refer to your work.
In this illustration, you will find a 4-generation pedigree. (That would be the subject horse PLUS four generations of ancestors.) No, the subject horse doesn't count as a generation, contrary to what the foundation Quarter Horse and foundation Appaloosa "registries" will have you believing. If, for example, you WERE to count the subject horse as a generation, would that make the dam the "first dam in the second generation"? And the grand dam would be "the second dam in the third generation"? How confusing is that? The DAM is the FIRST DAM in the FIRST generation. The fourth dam is the fourth mare back on the mare line in the fourth generation. (That would be INFRA RED in the pedigree shown). It's so much easier to understand when used correctly.
In most accepted pedigree formats, the sire is always shown on the top half of any pair; the dam is on the bottom. That's easy enough to remember, for obvious reasons. Sometimes you will find pedigrees showing the opposite, or a pedigree that goes to the left instead of the right. Whatever…as long as you are proficient in reading a pedigree and are familiar with the names, I guess you can read it that way, too, although the above pedigree is the standard, accepted international format for pedigrees. Pedigrees have been formatted this way for many centuries worldwide. The ones who had the money (and the education) that bred the high class horses, were usually the ones who got it right. We probably should pay attention and not change it to suit our silly preferences. You can't change who the ancestors are anyway, no matter how you format a pedigree.
Within each pedigree are sections, called "quadrants". If you were to separate each quadrant, you could isolate and look at the pedigree of each of those horses in those quadrants. Each section can be divided equally, all the way back. You can divide the pedigree in half, then divide those two sections in half, etc. In this pedigree, the quadrants would be NASRULLAH, LALUN, PRINCEQUILLO and VIRGINIA WATER. You can see two generations of ancestors on each of THOSE horses. (I don't see "three" generations of ancestors behind them, do you?) I don't know about you, but when I ask for a 4-generation pedigree, I want to see four generations of ancestors I didn't know about, not three. So we do not count the subject horse as a generation.
Since the number of horses double in each generation going back, the numbers are equal - meaning they can be divided in half infinitely as you go further back. For example, there are 2 horses in the first generation, 4 horses in the second generation, 8 horses in the third generation, 16 horses in the fourth generation, and so on. (There are a total of 30 ancestors in a 4-generation pedigree; there are 62 ancestors in a 5-generation pedigree; 126 ancestors in a 6-generation pedigree; 510 ancestors are in an 8-generation pedigree; there are 2,046 ancestors in a 10-generation pedigree; there are 8,190 ancestors in a 12-generation pedigree. A 20-generation pedigree has 2,097,182 ancestors! We must keep in mind, though, that many of those ancestors are the same horses.
When calculating blood percentages (such as for one of the foundation QH or Appy registries), you will see a pedigree chart illustrated as 50% for each parent, 25% for each grandparent, 12.5% for each great-grandparent, 6.25% for the great-great grandparents, etc. Each horse, in each generation, does not represent equal INFLUENCE on the subject horse. For example, in the above pedigree, BIMELECH and INFRA RED do not equal 6.25% each in influence on the subject horse. Infra Red probably DOES has more influence, if a genetic test could prove that. (It sort of HAS been proven, with the recent MtDNA studies on Thoroughbred mare families).
The sire, the sire's sire (grandsire), the grandsire's sire (great grandsire), etc. on back along the very top of the pedigree, is called the TAIL MALE LINE, SIRE LINE or MALE LINE. On the bottom side of the pedigree, the dam's dam (granddam or 2nd dam), the granddam's dam (great granddam or 3rd dam), etc. on back along the very bottom side of the pedigree, is called the TAIL FEMALE LINE, FEMALE LINE, or MARE LINE. Each horse in the pedigree also has a tail male and tail female line if you looked at their pedigrees individually.
Reading a sale catalog page is pretty self-explanatory if you read enough of them, are familiar with your breed, and know the horses in the pedigrees. Usually, a 3-generation pedigree is given, a little blurb on the sire of the horse selling, and then as much information that will fit is given on the female line of the horse. If the female line was a good one, sometimes only one or two dams are shown so their best performers and producers can be highlighted. I've seen poor quality mare lines in a sale catalog, going back 6 generations of females, looking for something decent to highlight in that family. The highest quality foals are always shown. On this catalog page for a running Quarter Horse, note that there are three foals listed under the first dam, yet she produced 7 foals (including the one selling). Those three foals (all half-siblings to the horse going through the sale) are her best three. Note that it mentions at the 2nd dam that she's a half-sister to BUZZ TE and SUMPIN SILLY. Rita Seis, Buzz Te and Sumpin Silly all share the same dam, but have different sires. (I looked them up). They are HALF-SIBLINGS. If the compiler of the catalog were to use half-siblings to mean "same sires", there wouldn't be room to list even the best ones. Buzz Te's sire is Easy Jet. Easy Jet sired 2,505 foals! Which ones would you identify as Buzz Te's "half-siblings" if you believe half-siblings mean they share the same sire? Since Buzz Te and Rita Seis share the same dam, now that is telling us something. Rita Seis is a big time mare, and a half-sibling to her tells us a lot about that half-sibling.
The BLACK TYPE (bold type) indicates horses who have achieved higher levels of success. All bold caps denote horses who were stakes winners; lower case bold indicates horses who were stakes-placed. In other breeds, the black type indicates other levels of achievement such as AQHA Champion, ROM, Superior Event, and others. The more black type, the better quality the family is. The colt going through this sale is out of a mare whose full sister is one heck of a producer. This is good. While his dam didn't produce any black type foals (yet), HER dam sure did.
Back to pedigree characteristics…There are other features of a pedigree that could give us a clue about the quality of the subject horse. Aside from the obvious successful or famous horses in a pedigree as opposed to poor quality ancestors no one has ever heard of, the SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS are important. These are the duplicated ancestors and their full and half-siblings. This can intensify the influence of that particular blood. It might be something you want, and it might be something you want to stay away from, depending on the success of those horses and your preferences. For example, those of you who hate IMPRESSIVE in a QH pedigree might want to also steer clear of any horses in a pedigree who were SIBLINGS to Impressive. (You need to know your pedigrees in order to spot them). Siblings are not equal. They may share the same parents, but they are not equal, in phenotype, performance or production ability (but they can be similar), so that's another thing to keep in mind. Unsuccessful siblings to successful horses are also not recommended. They didn't do well themselves, and probably don't have the genetic strength to pass on their good breeding. There are exceptions, but not many.
Another important aspect of a horse's pedigree chart is the positions of certain ancestors in that pedigree. For example, you wouldn't want a stallion sired by a horse that is a known, successful sire of broodmares, but doesn't have any good siring sons. Likewise, you wouldn't want a mare whose sire isn't known to sire good daughters. These are "ingredients" of a pedigree that can be analyzed throughout the whole bloodline; as far back as you want to research. You don't have to be a breeder to know your pedigrees. When you are well-versed in the bloodlines of your breed, you are able to analyze a prospect's pedigree well, with knowledgeable insight into the potential of that horse. Knowing this, it is easy to see why a horse with a pedigree full of obscure, do-nothing horses (his genotype) most likely is NOT going to have the ability to perform at high levels or produce anything of real quality. His "phenotype" (conformation and class) will confirm that.
With "ancestral influence" in mind, we can see that a 43.5% Poco Bueno "blood percentage" doesn't mean a whole lot (other than the horse needs to be tested for HERDA). Linebreeding to one ancestor does not equal a quality individual, nor does it mean a whole lot if all of those crosses are through SONS of one particular ancestor. A pedigree needs be BALANCED in order to be improved upon and predictable, which means any siblings in the pedigree should be of opposite sex, distributed equally throughout the pedigree among all quadrants, and not all clumped together in one area of the horse's chart. Linebreeding methods of breeding are used to set a type, or at least, maintain a type, but it can only be predictable when using sons AND daughters of certain ancestors. Take a look at any Hank Wiescamp pedigree (whose horses were virtual cookie cutters), and you will see that he linebred to stallions AND mares equally.
Pedigrees are only a small part of knowing horses, breeding them, showing them, etc. Pedigrees are the only tool we have that we have some control over, and there are documented records to draw from. Check out some of the pedigrees of proven horses, and you will find successful ancestors, and lots of sibling relationships in the pedigree, (even if they're 12 generations back). We can't always predict the outcome of a mating, but we CAN give the potential foal the best chance at having a quality life if that foal is born from quality individuals and successful, quality ancestors.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 2:23 PM
Monday, October 15, 2007
Conversations with the vampire...er, kill buyer
So, yesterday was a typical Adventure in Horse Rescue. It began with the alarm going off at 4 AM and trying to get out the door to wake up the horses and feed them. As I opened the door, the barn cat rocketed in like a furry black missile, causing me to dive after him while simultaneously attempting to make no noise that would set off the three large dog-shaped alarm clocks and wake up the completely innocent non-rescuer type person sleeping on the couch.
Believe it or not, I actually accomplished this, and also accomplished getting 200 miles away to pay for the elusive Futlooseanfancyfree mare from last week's auction, who had been spotted the previous night by an alert friend, who unfortunately was not an alert friend in possession of $350 or a paypal card. While I did not have any spare cash either, I did have a paypal card, and another rescuer kind enough to send money to it, so off I went to save the Way Too Nice To Can mare.
(I confess. I'm a bad rescuer. I don't think all horses are equal and beautiful. I do think some horses are Too Nice To Can and for others it is unfortunate and cruel, and I wish they'd have been euthanized instead if there was no home for them, and I wish slaughter by the current methods was illegal, but I am not sorry they are out of the gene pool. Yes, I know, this is against the Rescue Oath and I'm going to Hell now, but at least I am honest about it.)
We finally got there and Ole's assistant cheerfully led us to the pen where they'd separated out the mare. Only, it wasn't the mare. It was a big fugly flaxen chestnut mare that looked nothing like our mare. "Oh shit," she said, "I was afraid of that. We loaded up in the dark last night.
Argh! 4 hours drive and no mare? Did we just miss her by 10 hours? I began asking if there was any way at all to pull a mare off that truck once it got started. I said I could probably hop online and get someone to pick her up pretty much anywhere in the USA. We then began searching the pens of horses. In the last one we looked in, I saw a cluster of horses grouped around a plentiful supply of hay. I looked down and saw an old bowed tendon on the right front. Suffice it to say, I have never been so happy in my life to see a bowed tendon.
So here's the lucky girl on the left. I had to back up in a 10 x 15 pen to take this picture, so it is an example of really bad photography, but you can still see what attracted us to her. This is a big mare with a hip like a Quarter Horse, big bones, big feet and deep through the heart. Her neck is longer than it looks in the pic, and her head isn't fancy but she is still a super mare and (also important) a multiple race winner with a sweet and friendly disposition. She is just one that fell through the cracks - she got traded around a bunch lately and wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I actually had a nice chat with the buyer. He says he tries to resell the ones that ride well and he works with various other resellers to do that - he has guys in various cities who put riding time on horses, fatten them up and try to resell for a profit. He did, however, and listen up, all of you crossbred breeders who think I am picking on them, say that "if a mare don't have papers, I can her." Well, yes. That is what most of these guys do. Because, for the one millionth time, there is NOWHERE NEAR the market for these horses that the delusional crossbred "sport horse" breeders seem to believe there is. Most people want to buy a good broke AQHA or Paint gelding. That is the VAST MAJORITY of the low end, under $2500, market. I don't mean "most people at YOUR barn." I mean most people who buy from auctions and horse dealers. So those of you who think your 1/4 Friesian, 1/4 Clydesdale, 1/4 Arabian and 1/4 TB is special, just so you know, you better keep her forever because Mr. Kill Buyer does not think so. A fugly AQHA mare with AQHA papers is much more likely to get on the trailer to the resale-for-riding guy than your part-draft "sport horse" is.
Now I'm going to put forth an opinion that may be unpopular (ha ha, 'cause that never happens here!) Ole or any other dealer who sells some to slaughter is not the villain here. The villain here, in this particular case, is a girl named Dawn. Dawn had this mare last, according to her papers.
Dawn has big, round, perky handwriting. It's the handwriting of a young girl. She's probably under 25, if not under 21. Dawn had written a note on the pen at Enumclaw to say that this mare rides well, trail rides, goes english, blah blah. Well, you know what Dawn? You are full of shit. This mare isn't riding sound. I can see it in the hind end when she walks. You knew that. Now, you only owned her for two months so maybe the person who sold her to you lied to you, too, but I don't care. This nice mare was pushed on a floodtide of lies down the wrong path and you, Dawn, had the chance to change that path. A little time and effort and a good pic on DreamHorse, and she would have had a broodmare home. Or you could have listed her with a rescue and tried to place her as a companion. But I guess that was too much work for you, Dawn, or maybe you just HAD to have her gone and HAD to have your $200 (shit, less than that, the auction took their cut), because you left her at the auction with no reserve and she was in the ring for maybe 30 seconds and went straight to the dealer. She didn't have a mark on her at the sale; now she has numerous little bites and scrapes from being thrown in a trailer with strange horses and then out in that pen. You, Dawn, are the one who sucks here. Slaughter isn't the problem, not really. It's irresponsible, cheap, heartless, careless and/or just plain ignorant ownership that is the problem.
Or as I like to say, the slaughter buyer is merely the garbageman. He is not the one who put the horse out with the trash.
Thanks to Marilyn of High Desert Equine Rescue in California, who fronted the cash to make sure this mare didn't become a steak. My understanding is the mare's breeder wants her back and we will be coordinating that today. I have another interested party if he doesn't want her.
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 8:36 AM


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Illustration by Charles Rivard. Stephanie, stop calling Chuck.
The greatest work of skateboarding fantasy sports is now live. Frozen in Carbonite's "Song of the Summer" x "Video Part of the Summer" post is as great as it always is, despite a nowhere to be found Young Thug nod. Fwiw, QS S.O.T.S. vote is "Black Beatles." [multiple Flex bombs; dons XXL Avirex jacket and quarter-inch-too-big fitted]
"Peels" is the new montage from QS-fave, Antosh Cimoszko.
We were talking about why The Bunt is the best, and figured it's probably because it's made by skateboarders who follow sports. Sports have been doing this shit for ages. Skaters, not so much. There's a new one with Paul Rodriguez now live.
Jenkem did mini-interviews with Jahmal, Joel Meinholz and Steve Brandi, and has all their Static 4 sections live. Brb, making Jahmal's part my homepage.
"We're all beautiful wastemen." Breaks has an in-depth interview with Hold Tight Henry, discussing every morsel that goes into making a skate video in 2k16.
"unused shit from BG and BG2 BIRDGANG IS THE TRUTH."
"Smoke Show" is a new 20-minute video out of Westchester from Matt Conner.
Here are a couple bro cam clips from the Adidas demo at Tompkins last week, and a bunch of photos via Transworld. #TFreport overload.
"Aging may be the great skate industry adventure of the '10s, as grizzled pros test the tolerance of weathered ligaments and brittling bones in an ongoing quest to avoid that unholy wyrm, the Real World, and its most loathsome prison, the Day Job." Boil the Ocean re: the constant dilemma of whether to quit while you are ahead, as pined from Jason Dill's recent Playboy interview.
Reviews are generally a lost art in the fickle skateboard universe of today, where opinions have been condensed to "wack, "dope" or "mad wack." Always nice to read an opinion composed out of full sentences. Speedway Mag reviewed Emerica's Made 2 video (spoiler: Heath), and The Green Zine reviewed the Jenkem book.
Uh. "The shooter bolted from the scene on a skateboard, heading east on 141st St."
Quote of the Week
Inquisitive Gentleman: "How do you get used to skating with long hair but no hat?"
Daniel Kim: "You don't, you just learn how to skate blind."

subset: commoncrawl


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Physics307L:Schedule/Lab signup
We are likely to run into unforeseen difficulties and conflicting needs of students. Please be courteous and we'll try to work things out. In general, sign up below when you know what experiment you want to do. It probably doesn't make sense to sign up more than one week ahead of time. Try to work things out with other students face to face during class.
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Lab choices (this list will evolve)
Experiment | Koch notes | Links |
The oscilloscope | ||
e/m Ratio for Electrons (dark) | Set up for this lab is extensive (3 total power supplies) & there is high risk of damaging apparatus. Large systematic error and a big part of lab is hypothesizing why the error exists and figuring out how to minimize it. | |
Electron Diffraction (pretty tough to see) | High Voltage -- Discuss safety with Koch! | TEL Atomic Commercial site |
Balmer Series (dark) | This one works very well, and you can get probably the most precise answer out of all the labs, which is very fun. | |
Planck's Constant (dark) | Be careful about systematic errors! | MIT OpenCourseWare Planck's Constant exp. (An explanation of a different setup though) |
Excitation Levels of Neon | Students had a tough time getting this one working -- make sure all connections are good and that you're getting some peaks to avoid spending a bunch of time taking meaningless data. | |
Electron Spin Resonance | A pretty complicated setup, but a lot of fun. These capacitors have a specific polarity!!! | |
Poisson Statistics (MCA) | a site about the MCA software (maybe) | |
Mass of the Electron (MCA) | Apparently we cannot do this lab because the instructor (Koch) hasn't had radiation safety training. | |
Speed of Light (MCA) | Be careful w/ the photomultiplier tube...do not expose it to room light when the high voltage is turned on | |
Oil drop experiment (charge of electron) | This one is tricky and taking the data is fatiguing ... but it's a really cool one. | Manual from Pasco |
Other new experiments? | If you know of one, we may be able to make a purchase or you could take on a project of setting it up Also, Koch has ideas for experiments he'd like to get going, so if you're interested in blazing a trail, talk with him! |
List of MIT Junior Lab Experiments |
More details of the experiments can be found in the 2006 lab manual.


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The Southern Poverty Law Center and Violent Bullying (EXCLUSIVE)
Bullying is not a new phenomenon; it's as old as man. But bullying has reached a point of near epidemic proportions, with one in four children experiencing bullying and up to 35 percent of the U.S. workforce reporting being bullied at work. Bullying is wrong, and should have no defenders.
Bullying knows no boundaries. It's not just boys on the playground or people at work; it can even be organizations on the national stage as was revealed in a federal courtroom on February 6th.
What was unveiled in the court chambers was the reality that some of the nation's biggest bullies hide behind the façade of being against bullying!
Consider the following:
In July 2011, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) sued the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, in apparent coordination with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, for discrimination based on sexual orientation related to bullying.
The Anoka-Hennepin School District is located northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since the early 1990s, Anoka-Hennepin had witnessed an ongoing debate over the nature of its sex education curriculum. Concerned parents founded the Parents Action League (PAL), located within the school district in Champlin, in 2010 to participate in the process of the development of bullying policies.
The SPLC said the school district's anti-bullying policy that was neutral toward homosexuality, declaring it was neither a moral right or moral wrong, was "discriminatory" and sued the District. PAL, which opposed the SPLC's imposition of their pro-homosexual bullying policy, was then placed on the SPLC's national hate group list along with the Klan.
Who is the real bully?
Lest one might think this was an isolated case of bullying, in January 2013, a federal magistrate judge in Colorado called out the Southern Poverty Law Center for their tactics.
In this case Eugene Delgaudio, the president of the Public Advocate of the United States, a non-profit advocacy organization, had opposed political candidates in Colorado, who supported the redefinition of marriage, and used a photograph of two homosexual men to illustrate his opposition to the candidates. The SPLC teamed up with the two homosexual men to file suit against Delgaudio's organization and in their public filings posted Delgaudio's home address for the sole purpose of intimidation.
In the recent investigation of Floyd Corkins, the armed gunman who attacked the FRC headquarters, seriously wounding our colleague Leo Johnson, it was reported that Corkins was seen casing the headquarters of Delgaudio's group in Northern Virginia. This information was apparently a factor in the order handed down by Judge Kathleen M. Tafoya.
Judge Tafoya ordered the SPLC to remove Delgaudio's private address because it might subject Delgaudio to "politically motivated harassment, or even violence."
The threat of violence was clearly not speculative. Judge Tafoya's order came six months after the August 15 attack on FRC. How did Corkins choose FRC and his other targets?
According to statements of the federal prosecutor the evidence revealed the source of Corkins' hit list was, in fact, the SPLC's "hate map," that listed FRC's address.
At FRC, we hate no one. We actively affirm God's love for everyone. We also affirm what we believe to be sound theological and sociological reasons for upholding sexual morality and preserving marriage as the institution between one man and one woman.
Is this hate? Most reasonable people would say no. Evidently the Southern Poverty Law Center disagrees, and under the guise of "anti-bullying," the SPLC is willingly fomenting hostility and violence that is jeopardizing the lives of the people with whom they disagree, just to advance their cause.
It is time the public sees the SPLC for what they really are – bullies intent on intimidating and silencing those who oppose their anti-parent, anti-Christian policies.


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-- Country Study & Guide --
Until the mid-1970s, when a major restructuring of the nation's police system was undertaken, the Philippine Constabulary alone was responsible for law enforcement on a national level. Independent city and municipal police forces took charge of maintaining peace and order on a local level, calling on the constabulary for aid when the need arose. The National Police Commission, established in 1966 to improve the professionalism and training of local police, had loose supervisory authority over the police. It was widely accepted, however, that this system had several serious defects. Most noteworthy were jurisdictional limitations, lack of uniformity and coordination, disputes between police forces, and partisan political involvement in police employment, appointments, assignments, and promotions. Local political bosses routinely used police as private armies, protecting their personal interests and intimidating political opponents.
In order to correct such deficiencies, the 1973 constitution provided for the integration of public safety forces. Several presidential decrees were subsequently issued, integrating the police, fire, and jail services in the nation's more than 1,500 cities and municipalities. On August 8, 1975, Presidential Decree 765 officially established the joint command structure of the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National Police. The constabulary, which had a well-developed nationwide command and staff structure, was given the task of organizing the integration. The chief of the Philippine Constabulary served jointly as the director general of the Integrated National Police. As constabulary commander, he reported through the military chain of command, and as head of the Integrated National Police, he reported directly to the minister (later secretary) of national defense. The National Police Commission was transferred to the Ministry (later Department) of National Defense, retaining its oversight responsibilities but turning over authority for training and other matters to the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National Police.
The Integrated National Police was assigned responsibility for public safety, protection of lives and property, enforcement of laws, and maintenance of peace and order throughout the nation. To carry out these responsibilities, it was given powers "to prevent crimes, effect the arrest of criminal offenders and provide for their detention and rehabilitation, prevent and control fires, investigate the commission of all crimes and offenses, bring the offenders to justice, and take all necessary steps to ensure public safety." In practice, the Philippine Constabulary retained responsibility for dealing with serious crimes or cases involving jurisdictions far separated from one another, and the Integrated National Police took charge of less serious crimes and local traffic, crime prevention, and public safety.
The Integrated National Police's organization paralleled that of the constabulary. The thirteen Philippine Constabulary regional command headquarters were the nuclei for the Integrated National Police's regional commands. Likewise, the constabulary's seventy-three provincial commanders, in their capacity as provincial police superintendents, had operational control of Integrated National Police forces in their respective provinces. Provinces were further subdivided into 147 police districts, stations, and substations. The constabulary was responsible for patrolling remote rural areas. In Metro Manila's four cities and thirteen municipalities, the Integrated National Police's Metropolitan Police Force shared the headquarters of the constabulary's Capital Command. The commanding general of the Capital Command was also the director of the Integrated National Police's Metropolitan Police Force and directed the operations of the capital's four police and fire districts.
As of 1985, the Integrated National Police numbered some 60,000 people, a marked increase over the 1980 figure of 51,000. Approximately 10 percent of these staff were fire and prison officials, and the remainder were police. The Philippine National Police Academy provided training for Integrated National Police officer cadets. Established under the Integrated National Police's Training Command in 1978, the academy offered a bachelor of science degree in public safety following a two-year course of study. Admission to the school was highly competitive.
Integrated National Police was the subject of some criticism, and the repeated object of reform. Police were accused of involvement in illegal activities, violent acts and abuse. Charges of corruption were frequent. To correct the Integrated National Police's image problem, the government sponsored programs to identify and punish police offenders, and training designed to raise their standard of appearance, conduct, and performance.
Dramatic changes were planned for the police in 1991. The newly formed Philippine National Police was to be a strictly civilian organization, removed from the armed forces and placed under a new civilian department known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Local police forces were supported at the national level by the National Bureau of Investigation. As an agency of the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation was authorized to "investigate, on its own initiative and in the public interest, crimes and other offenses against the laws of the Philippines; to help whenever officially requested, investigate or detect crimes or other offenses; (and) to act as a national clearing house of criminal records and other information." In addition, the bureau maintained a scientific crime laboratory and provided technical assistance on request to the police and constabulary.
Local officials also played a role in law enforcement. By presidential decree, the justice system in the barangays empowered village leaders to handle petty and less serious crimes. The intent of the program was to reinforce the authority of local officials and to reduce the workload on already overtaxed Philippine law enforcement agencies.
Data as of June 1991
Philippines - TABLE OF CONTENTS
Information Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Interview on MIX Online
I ramble on for about 20 minutes on topics in personalization, recommendations, and some thoughts on MapReduce and Dryad. Nothing earth-shattering in there, but perhaps worth twenty minutes if you just can't get enough Greg Linden in your day.
Watching the video requires downloading Microsoft Silverlight, sorry about that. If you do go ahead and install Silverlight, you might as well check out its nifty multiresolution image zoom demo on the Hard Rock site too.
Update: In the comments to this post, Simon Lyall pointed out that the video is available in many formats at the bottom of the page (under the "Downloads" section), so Silverlight is not required to watch it.
4 comments:
If you click on the "Downloads" link at the bootom of the page the video is available in 7 (!) formats. So Silverlight is not required.
- March 21, 2008 at 6:40 PM
- Greg Linden said...
Thanks, Simon! I missed those links. Much appreciated!
- March 21, 2008 at 6:48 PM
greg, could you elaborate on the types of computations that are suited to dryad over mapreduce?
- April 5, 2008 at 3:47 AM
- Greg Linden said...
Hi, Shane. The Dryad EuroSys 2007 paper (PDF) goes into details and has several examples.
I could give you an answer, but they do it better than I would. Here is an excerpt from the paper:
Google's MapReduce ... addresses a similar problem domain. The fundamental difference between the two systems is that a Dryad application may specify an arbitrary communication DAG rather than requiring a sequence of map/distribute/sort/reduce operations.
In particular, graph vertices may consume multiple inputs, and generate multiple outputs, of different types. For many applications this simplifies the mapping from algorithm to implementation, lets us build on a greater library of basic subroutines, and, together with the ability to exploit TCP pipes and shared-memory for data edges, can bring substantial performance gains. At the same time, our implementation is general enough to support all the features described in the MapReduce paper. - April 5, 2008 at 7:41 AM


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Early LCD monitors had some pretty awful issues when not viewed from directly in front of the screen. These days the technology has really minimized this flaw, but if you still have a cheap monitor on hand you might want to pull it out and give this hack a try. [Chris Harrison] is using oblique viewing angles to display additional information on cheap montiors.
Take a look at the two images above. The one on the left is taken from directly in front of the monitor and looks normal. But if you view the same screen from the side, the financial information is obscured. This is by design. Using very light colors, the obscuring characters are almost indiscernible from straight on, but you can just see them there a little bit (they look like burn-in does on a CRT screen). But from the side, these light colors become quite bold and blend with the rest of the data on the screen.
This works because of the polarizing filters on an LCD screen. You might want to watch [Bill Hammack] explain how an LCD works if you're not familiar. Because the viewing angle color changes are a flaw and not a feature, manufacturers make the up-and-down angles the worst to improve on side-to-side viewing. [Chris'] experiments play into that by using a computer monitor on its side. Check out the video after the break to see some of the different applications that he uses this for.


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Back in 2009, President Obama's "Cash for Clunkers" program was supposed to be a boon for the environment and the economy. During a limited time, consumers could trade in an old gas-guzzling used car for up to $4,500 cash back towards the purchase of a fuel-efficient new car. It seemed like a win for everyone: the environment, the gasping auto industry and cash-strapped consumers.
Though almost a million people poured into car dealerships eager to exchange their old jalopies for something shiny and new, recent reports indicate the entire program may have actually hurt the environment far more than it helped.
According to E Magazine, the "Clunkers" program, which is officially known as the Car Allowance Rebates System (CARS), produced tons of unnecessary waste while doing little to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The program's first mistake seems to have been its focus on car shredding, instead of car recycling. With 690,000 vehicles traded in, that's a pretty big mistake.
According to the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), automobiles are almost completely recyclable, down to their engine oil and brake fluid. But many of the "Cash for Clunkers" cars were never sent to recycling facilities. The agency reports that the cars' engines were instead destroyed by federal mandate, in order to prevent dealers from illicitly reselling the vehicles later.
The remaining parts of each car could then be put up for auction, but program guidelines also required that after 180 days, no matter how much of the car was left, the parts would be sent to a junkyard and shredded.
Read more here: http://news.yahoo.com/why-cash-clunkers-hurt-environment-more-helped-024848694.html


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James Bond Auction Raises $2.6 Million for Charity
James Bond memorabilia auctioned off by Christie's auction house yielded nearly $3 million last week in a charity event set to commemorate the tail chasing playboy's 50th anniversary on the silver screen.
Bond fans from some 42 countries participated in the auction, which took place both online and at black-tie swaray at Christie's auction house over the weekend.
Unfortunately, Sean Connery (the greatest Bond to ever live) was not in attendance, although his successor, Roger Moore, was - alongside veteran Bond actress Judi Dench who also appears in the latest Bond film 'Skyfall' slated for release October 24.
Auction highlights included the Aston Martin DBS driven by Daniel Craig in the opening scene of 'Quantum of Solace', which was estimated to sell for between $207,000 and $310,000. Much to their surprise, some lucky Bond connoisseur nabbed the ride for a whopping $504,400.
Other hot items like the titanium Omega watch worn by Craig in the upcoming film 'Skyfall' sold for $323,250 along with his Tom Ford tuxedo for $96,975.
All proceeds from the auction went to benefit multiple charities including UNICEF.


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Popular SciencePopular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve
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Sirius Meter - Analog Oil Press Gauge
Sirius Meter evolves the classic, easy to read, analog GReddy gauge dial with three-dimensional elements to bring vital engine readings to life. The improved form allows the unit to be combined with a Sirius Vision to overlay additional information.
(Sirius Meter Video Clip)
* [ Requires sirius Control Unit p/n 16001721 sold separately ]
● Oil Pressure Range: 0 ~10.0 kPa (JDM Spec.)
● Sirius Control Unit (sold separately) is required for the Sirius Unify set
● Included with each Sirius Meter is the corresponding Boost Sensor and Harness set
● Peak Hold Memory function recalls the maximum value readings recorded
● White LED illumination for normal conditions and red LED for warning
● Each Sirius Meter includes a dedicated meter mount and meter harness
● Compatible with 12V vehicles
Replacement Sensor sets: [ Boost / Pressure / Temperature ]
Also see GReddy Sirius (Analog) Meters:
Turbo Boost / Fuel Press / Oil Press / Oil Temp / Water Temp
and GReddy Sirius Unify sets:
1x Sirius Vision + 1x Sirius (Analog) Meter:
Turbo Boost / Fuel Press / Oil Press / Oil Temp / Water Temp
* GReddy Sirius Control Unit required.


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In Mississippi, identities of pardon applicants must be public
By Dafna Linzer, ProPublica
The legality of last-minute clemency decisions by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour appears to hinge on whether the recipients gave sufficient public notice of their intent to seek release. The state's attorney-general, Jim Hood, has said there was not proper notice. A state judge, responding to the attorney general's request, temporarily blocked the release of 21 prisoners, ordered by Barbour.
In Mississippi, public notice is a constitutional requirement for acts of clemency, which include pardons, or acts of forgiveness after the completion of a sentence, and commutations, or shortened prison sentences. Under Mississippi law, the notification onus appears to be on the applicant and allows time for victims to comment on a potential pardon or early prison release before it takes effect.
At ProPublica, we recently reported on bias and transparency in presidential pardons, which require no such public notice. The Justice Department keeps the identity of an applicant secret until the president has granted or denied the pardon. But sometimes victims are privately given an opportunity to weigh in. The Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, which processes pardon claims and makes recommendations to the White House, can seek comments from victims.
At the federal level, most successful pardon and commutation applicants go through a rigorous application and interview process conducted by the pardon office. Although it is rare for a pardon to be granted for someone who has not applied through the pardon office, presidents can pardon anyone charged with or convicted of a federal crime at any time, with or without paperwork.
Marc Rich, for example, did not file an application through the Office of the Pardon Attorney when he sought a pardon in late 2000 from then-President Bill Clinton. Clinton granted the pardon to Rich, a fugitive financier, on his last day in office in January 2001. The Rich pardon was controversial because he had not applied through the pardon office and because his ex-wife was a major donor to Democratic causes and the Clinton presidential library.
Clinton granted nearly 400 pardons during his two-year presidency. George W. Bush granted 189. So far, President Barack Obama has pardoned 22 people.
ProPublica's examination of pardon decisions from 2001-08 found that white applicants were nearly four times as likely to receive pardons than minorities. Other factors, such as financial stability, employment, marital status and the support of a member of Congress, also increased the likelihood of receiving a pardon.
Presidents have also granted few commutations in recent years. Bush granted 11, including one to I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who had served as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney and was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in a leak case. Obama has commuted the sentence of one person.
Not all governors have the power to pardon. In some states, the power is shared by the legislature and the executive. Some states have set up pardon boards to review applications and either act independently or advise governors of their recommendations.
Pardons are more common in some states than at the federal level. During the period in which Bush pardoned fewer than 200 ex-felons, the governor of Pennsylvania pardoned more than 1,000 people.
Pardons and other acts of clemency can also be controversial and, in some cases, riskier for a governor who may have political ambitions beyond his or her home state. Many federal pardon recipients were convicted of financial or drug-related crimes and very few of violent crimes. One exception during the Bush presidency was a pardon granted to a bank robber who was armed during the crime. But murderers have been pardoned or won early prison release at the state level.
In the court order blocking the 21 pardons, issued Wednesday in Mississippi, Senior Circuit Judge Tomie Green noted that during Barbour's tenure he had granted clemency to individuals convicted of "murder, manslaughter, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, domestic violence, etc."
Barbour's last day in office was Jan. 10. His pardons and commutations, Green's restraining order (PDF) notes, were issued on or just before that day. Some of the individuals who have been or would have been let out of prison early "failed to publish a petition for pardon ... for thirty days prior to the purported pardon granted to them by former Governor Barbour," the order says. Alternately, the order notes, some had failed to prove that they had published a notice.
Among those pardoned were five men convicted of murder. Green concluded that it was possible the clemency acts had violated the state constitution. The 21 will remain behind bars while the order is in effect.
Margaret Colgate Love, who served as the U.S. pardon attorney from 1990-97, said the Mississippi "case seems to be another example of how a governor's failure to observe established pardoning procedures can get him in trouble. It also shows how waiting to the last minute to use the pardon power is a really bad idea."
Barbour was criticized early in his governorship for a lack of pardons, then faced new criticism when he began issuing them. By the time he left the governor's mansion, Barbour had issued more than 200 acts of clemency, more than any recent predecessor.
A 2009 Slate article examined Barbour's decision to release convicted murderers who had been part of a state trusty program that allowed them to work odd jobs around Barbour's official residence. Others pardoned last week appear to have worked in the same program.
Barbour, a former Republican Party chairman and lobbyist, last year had explored running for president but decided against it.
(Photo of Haley Barbour by Gage Skidmore via Wikipedia.)
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.


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Matthews Fan Company has been at the forefront of bringing unique ceiling, wall and portable fan designs to both the residential and commercial markets since 1992. Their innovative fans combine traditional, contemporary and industrial designs with retrospective elements and always with high quality performance. Matthews proudly integrates American parts and labor into the production of all of their products.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in Wisconsin, Stephen applies honest and straightforward design principles to all of his projects. His goal is to achieve a balance between beauty and utility. Stephen studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis where he received a Master of Architecture degree. His undergraduate studies were at Hobart College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and at Columbia University. He is a licensed Architect in Chicago with over two decades of professional practice on building projects in locations that include Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai.
"Whether it is a fan, chair, table, office building or train station, each design solution should provide a universal and approachable statement on beauty, purpose and function."
Stephen's Eliza Ceiling Fan for the Matthews Fan Company was inspired by the idea that a fan blade could be shaped to maximize air movement at the outer edge of the blade where it does the most work. The other goal was to make a clean and modern visual statement when the fan is not in use. The fan's namesake is Stephen's daughter Eliza Moore Katz.
If you need to return a product, our Customer Service professionals are ready to assist you. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-677-6890 to obtain return authorization. Returns without a valid return authorization will be refused and no credit will be issued. For return shipping/restocking fee information please see below.
All returned merchandise requests must be initiated within 30 days upon receipt of the item. All products must be in their original manufacturer packaging, in new condition, and must have all original labels/tags attached to it. Items that have been installed, used, worn, or modified in any way cannot be returned. If you receive an item that arrived damaged, please contact us within 7 days to arrange for a replacement. Return or damage requests beyond 30 days of receipt will not be honored.
Any shipping fees (including, but not limited to, standard shipping fees, expedited shipping fees, international shipping fees, shipping to HI or AK) are non-refundable. Please note, that as we offer free shipping on all orders above $75, if your return lowers the original order price to below $75, the standard $7.95 shipping fee will be applied to your original order when your credit is issued.
It may take up to 2 - 5 business days from the time you contact us requesting to return an item, until you receive your return authorization number. Once you receive authorization to return, you may return the product at your expense within 30 days of receipt. Returns received beyond 30 days of authorization will be refused and no credit will be issued. If an item is received back damaged, or showing to have been previously installed, credit will not be issued.
We sell products from some manufacturers that are custom made or built-to-order. These items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order has been placed.
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Credit will be issued for the original amount paid on the merchandise returned, excluding any shipping and/or restocking fees.
Please allow up to 10 to 14 business days from the date we receive your package,for your credit to be issued.
If a credit card refund is issued, allow an additional 2 to 4 business days for the credit to post to your credit card account and 1 to 2 billing cycles for the transaction to reflect on your billing statement since each bank's processing time varies.


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Small businesses and small, as in "young," business owners are the driving force behind Lemonade Day, a national event that occurs Saturday. Joining the million kids in 100 cities across the nation, Homer's participants are not only smart-minded when it comes to developing their businesses, but are warmhearted when it comes to their earnings.
Hot beverages, homemade goodies, chili and some "spectacular sandhill crane figures" will be sold by The Birds of a Feather — comprised of Connections students and good friends Annalynn Brown, Teddy Handley, Jazlyn Fankhauser, Serena Fankhauser, Rachel Seneff and Ian Taylor — at their stand at the top of Homer Harbor's Ramp 2.
With Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival this weekend, the six youngsters decided serving something hot to drink and eat would be a perfect way for birders to ward off chilly temperatures. Choosing their location also required some careful planning.
"We looked at the shorebird festival schedule and it had the most activities," said Annalynn of selecting an area near the top of Ramp 2. "Then we talked to the harbormaster and he said it sounded great."
They will be open at 7:30 a.m., another decision based on research.
"The first activity that day is at 8 a.m.," said Teddy.
With weather as unpredictable as it has been this spring, The Birds of a Feather will situate two 30-inch-by-8-foot tables under a canopy tent for their protection and the comfort of their customers.
For the past two weeks, the youngsters have been putting their plan together and making the sandhill crane figures they will have on sale. Each uniquely posed figure will sell for $15-$20, with each of the six youngsters creating three.
"We've met every morning, four days a week," said Teddy of the time each of the youngsters has committed to the business venture.
To fund their effort, each of the six partners invested $35. Once they recover their costs, they have committed half their proceeds to help their classmate and friend, Desmond VanLiere, who is recovering from heart surgery in Seattle.
For the second year, 9-year-old Hannah Vance is taking Lemonade Day literally. She will be selling raspberry lemonade during the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Homer garage sale at the gazebo behind Glacier View Baptist Church from 9 a.m.-1p.m. Saturday.
The popular beverage is made from raspberries Hannah picks and lemons she squeezes. Last year Hannah also sold brownies, but this year she has modified her treat selection to include Rice Krispie treats, peanut butter cookies and chocolate coconut macaroons, all of them gluten-free.
Also new this year is a tea that can be sampled or purchased loose-leaf in 2.5-ounce bags from Hannah. It was blended especially for Relay For Life and is available in Hannah's grandmother's teashop, Ivory Goose.
Last year, Hannah, who is a member of the Relay For Life Team Puppies, donated her earnings to the American Cancer Society fundraiser. Her donation totaled $480. She plans to do the same again this year. In addition to Saturday's lemonade stand, she also will be selling lemonade and treats in front of Ulmer's between 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on May 25 and June 1, the two Saturdays preceding the June 7-8 Relay.
"This year she's experienced and knows what she wants," said her mother, Sara. "It touches my heart because she doesn't want to make anything. She wants it all for Relay. I hope she's able to be a good example to others."
Lemonade Day was founded in 2007 by Michael Holthouse in Houston, Texas. Holthouse had a vision of empowering youth to become future entrepreneurs by helping them start, own and operate their own business. In includes a 14-step process that begins with a dream, progresses to developing a business plan and includes steps for making a successful business.
Coordinating the event in Homer is Debbie Speakman, the membership manager of the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.
"We help the kids register, set up workshops with Wells Fargo, one of the main state sponsors, and then, on the actual day, we will put a map out showing where the stands are so people can visit them," said Speakman.
This year the Homer chamber received 100 Lemonade Day backpacks filled with information for the youngsters and for parent or someone advising the youngsters.
"This is not just a day's work," said Speakman. "These kids are preparing and putting in some really good work."
For more about Lemonade Day, call the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center at 235-7740 or visit www.lemonadeday.org.


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The Southern Baptist Convention, which kick-started a widespread conservative religious boycott of Walt Disney Co. eight years ago, voted Wednesday to end the action but warned Disney that it was keeping its eye on the company.
The vote by the 11,000 "messengers" here at the convention's annual meeting added the nation's largest non-Catholic denomination to the list of conservative evangelical groups that have stood down from a confrontation that the American Family Association began in 1996. The AFA began the boycott to protest what it saw as Disney's promotion of a gay agenda.
The AFA dropped its boycott last month, and Focus on the Family, the influential evangelical ministry led by James Dobson, quickly followed suit. Like them, however, the SBC said it would continue to "monitor the products and policies" at Disney, whose ABC television series "Desperate Housewives" has been criticized for its sexual content.
Critics said Christian groups were throwing in the towel, noting that Disney, which had no immediate comment Wednesday, maintained that it never changed any of its policies or practices in response to the boycott.
But the Southern Baptist resolution defended the boycott as having "rightly and appropriately" challenged Disney and said that for a boycott to work, "it must be specifically targeted and of limited duration." It said the action had "communicated effectively our displeasure"; the convention noted an executive shuffle and the dissolution of Disney's deal with the founders of the Miramax studio, whose film "Priest" was the touchpoint for the boycott in 1996.
That explanation echoed the reasons given last month by the AFA, the Tupelo, Miss.-based ministry run by the Rev. Donald Wildmon, which said that conservative Christians had made their point and that it was time to move on.
Gay activists welcome vote
Activists for gay and lesbian causes welcomed the vote as a possible opening to what they hope will be a new dialogue with the SBC and other Christian-based opponents of gay and lesbian rights.
The vote was a "victory for our community," Barbara Menard, director of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, said at a news conference here. "Hate hurts and has no place in the hearts and minds of people of faith."
Menard and other activists said they also saw signs of a thawing in the SBC toward gays and lesbians in the decision by a convention committee to significantly weaken a resolution that would have called upon Southern Baptists to withdraw their children from public schools.
The resolution in its final form denounced public schools as havens for "offensive materials and programs" promoting homosexuality, but it urged parents only to monitor the schools and work to change them from within.
The resolution represented a victory for convention President Bobby Welch, who has been criticized by some Southern Baptists for what they see as his insufficient attention to conservative Biblical injunctions. Welch told MSNBC.com that too many families lived in rural areas with no education alternative, while the Bible called upon Christians to remain engaged in society to serve as witnesses for Jesus.
Dr. Brad Bullock, a pediatrician in Nashville who is gay, said Wednesday that the rewording was at least a good start toward ending "the separation, alienation and demonization of ... our children."
"I hope that not only the language of the resolution but also its spirit has been altered," he said.


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Facebook smartphone could come by next year: report
NEW YORK - Agence France-Presse
AFP Photo
Facebook hopes to release its own smartphone by next year, as the newly public social networking giant looks to boost its revenue in the mobile Internet market, the New York Times reported Monday.The company has hired more than half a dozen software and hardware engineers who have worked on Apple's bestselling iPhone and one engineer who has iPad experience, the paper said, citing employees and other unnamed sources.
It has also expanded a group working on a partnership with Taiwan's HTC to create a smartphone codenamed "Buffy" -- a project first revealed last year by technology blog All Things Digital.
One former Apple engineer who worked on the iPhone and was recruited said he had met with Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg "who then peppered him with questions about the inner workings of smartphones," the report said. "Mark is worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future that Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms," a Facebook employee told the New York Times.
When asked for comment, Facebook neither confirmed nor denied the report.
"Our mobile strategy is simple: we think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social," it said in a statement emailed to AFP. "We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world.
Facebook's initial public offering this month raised a record $16 billion but has sparked fury, and lawsuits, amid concerns that key information about the outlook for the company might not have been made widely available.
The company said earlier this month that it was launching an App Center for mini-programs that plug offerings such as Pinterest or Draw Something into the leading social network, which has more than 900 million members worldwide.


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Black-Gray-Blue Shetland Wool Women's Drivers Mittens - Medium - 3136
- Material Type: Shetland Wool
- Designed & hand-sewn in USA
- Free shipping within the USA
- $13 shipping to Canada
Shetland Wool
Softness: ●●●
Warmness: ●●●
Smooth Texture: ●●●
Stretch: ●●○
These mittens are made from a fine loosely twisted yarn produced from the Shetland Sheep. Shetland wool texture varies from fine to coarse, originally ideal for sweaters. But, we have put our Shetland wool through a wash/dry process to soften and strengthen the fibers. Now ideal for our mittens!
- 100% Recycled Wool: Sustainable
- Polar Fleece Lining: Undeniable Comfort
- Hand-Stitched Cuff: Made with Love
- Handmade in the USA: Durable & Local
Basic Mittens: We recommend hand washing with cold water and dry flat, but you can also wash and dry with your regular laundry! Our basic mittens will not shrink or change size in the wash.
Drivers Mittens: Spot clean or professional dry clean only.