Obscure to ridiculous

There comes a time when the obscure just becomes ridiculous.

Fairbanks, Alaska spent $7,000 defending mayor's $37.50 fine

The Alaska Public Offices Commission ordered City Mayor John Eberhart to pay the $37.50 fine in May after concluding he broke a state election law in the October 2013 election by sending an email on his city council email account.

In that email, Eberhart, then a city council member, asked city staff to research resolutions and ordinances sponsored by Eberhart and his mayoral opponent Vivian Stiver. In the eyes of the commission, the records request equaled an illegal use of municipal resources to influence an election.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the city government is paying for Eberhart's appeal costs because it's obligated, in most cases, to defend public officials who are sued as part of their official duties under the city's indemnification law.

City Attorney Paul Ewers says the city has paid about $7,000 during appeals.

I always have room for another treat

As previously reported, I love my treats. I want my treats. There can never be enough treats for one dog!

Apparently one dog in Oregon thought he wasn't getting enough......

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The 3-year-old Great Dane was miserable and retching when its owners rushed him to a northwest Portland emergency animal hospital.

It was something he ate!
X-rays showed a stomach full of "a large quantity of foreign material." Nearly two hours of surgery later, Dr. Ashley Magee had the answer — the dog had consumed 43 ½ socks.
DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital spokeswoman Shawna Harch said it's perhaps the strangest case in the hospital's history, The Oregonian reported.
So strange that the hospital entered last February's tale, complete with X-rays, in an annual contest sponsored by the vet magazine, Veterinary Practice News, and won a prize. Fittingly enough, the contest is called "They Ate WHAT?"
 This photo shows socks that were removed from a dog's stomach. Forty-three and 1/2 to be exact.

Even stranger. The $1,500 first place winner was a Plano, Texas, animal hospital that treated an exotic frog that ate more than 30 small ornamental rocks from its cage.

The DoveLewis entry summary says the Great Dane was discharged home a day after surgery. Harch says the owners aren't available for comment but she confirms the dog is alive. No word on what he's eaten lately.

Dog owners! Give your pooches treats!!!!! It can be much cheaper in the long run.

I want to join a union

The cute-as-can-be dog union of course....
I hear they are the voice of the workers and never stop trying to increase pay for their members.

Must be working....look at the salaries of the union heads!

Among construction industry unions:

• Laborers’ International Union (LiUNA) President Terry O’Sullivan was paid $663,981
• Boilermakers President Newton Jones was paid $491,866
• United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters (UA) President Bill Hite was paid $468,011
• Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) President Joe Nigro was paid $460,395
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners President Doug McCarron was paid $452,974

With that kind of income I could refuse all attempts from my humans in the future to retrieve any more darn balls!!!

Teaching Max

I now have a new brother, Max. He needs to learn everything, so I am trying really hard to teach him what is and is not acceptable in our house and in public. Some days are very trying for both my humans and me, but we feel a moral obligation to help Max.

That is what we do, right? We teach our children and siblings right from wrong. In theory, all goes well, but occasionally there is an errant child that requires more work:

Recently, a 15 year old online gaming enthusiast took it too far. Seems they have pranks called "swatting", which aren't really pranks, that involve false police reports on opponents that result in raids on houses and businesses. This is obviously illegal.

“BadAssDWG69,” as the gamer called himself, called in multiple false police calls, generated an early-morning no-knock raid that caused the father of the online competitor critical injury and a hospital stay.

This gamer was the first person in history to be charged with a “SWATTING” crime, and it’s already rocked the online gaming world in this country. It certainly rocked the gamer's world as well.

 He just earned 25 years to life in federal prison for two counts of domestic terrorism. He took his revenge against a better player for beating him four times online at Battlefield 4.

(SPOOF by downtrend.com: The story is made up but just the fact that it was mistaken by many for a real news story should make everyone remember that Ignorance of the law is no excuse (in the real world or online.))  Our administration should take note of this......

I can finally rest knowing the world is safe

My humans scare me sometimes. There are so many things to worry about these days with our golfer-in-chief ignoring crisis after crisis, that I often feel anxiety. Worrying about my stash of treats is bad enough, but our country is in the pits.

However, my fears have finally been put to rest! The administration has hatched a plan to increase energy efficiency in our DISHWASHERS! This should save my humans pennies each year.....over my lifetime I might be able to afford a tiny bag of treats --- if I have a coupon!

Of course, the Obama Administration can’t even get this right.
Industry groups argue the standards, which will apply to both commercial and household appliances, could slow the economy, and that the Energy Department is rushing the new rules while overestimating the savings. Other critics argue the push to regulate household appliances is evidence of a nanny state.
“They’re not taking the time to get it right,” said Steve Yurek, president and CEO of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. “That’s what we’re concerned about,” he said.
So while ISIS devours its way across the Middle East with its eyes trained on Europe and the U.S., we can rest knowing that your energy-inefficient dishwasher will soon be getting a makeover.
Is it any wonder the world is pulling away from us?
(downtrend.com)