Pit bull horrors

Just when you think humans can't get any worse, consider this story by the Associated Press.
I guess this person didn't know how to "dispose" of dogs the way one "celebrity" did...
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State police are looking for the owner of a mixed breed pit bull that was left for dead with dog fighting wounds along a southwestern Pennsylvania highway.

State police near Uniontown say the animal also had its throat slit by a human who apparently wanted to kill the animal before it was found about 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Police say the dog was found along Route 201 in Dunbar Township, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital, but died Thursday morning.

Police said the dog's throat and trachea had been crushed and bruised, apparently by another dog. It also had scars from previous bites, perhaps from past dog fights.

The Fayette County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is offering a reward for information.

say it ain't so!

OK, please people.... you've got to be kidding!
According to a report from the Associated Press, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.

The animal rights group say it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania."

The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.

Deeley says PETA is looking out for publicity, not Phil's well-being.

I have to agree on this one.
I love all critters and don't want to see them mistreated.
But I really don't think Phil is in any danger!

into the sunset

Adam is gone.
Yes, the last of the main cast of "Bonanza" has ridden off into the sunset.
I have to admit, even though I loved his all-black outfits, Pernell Roberts was not my favorite on the show. That choice belonged, of course, to Little Joe, played by Michael Landon.
But how I loved "Bonanza." Before we had a color TV -- yes, shockingly, those days existed -- a neighbor would sometimes invite us to watch the show at their place. What a treat!

Roberts always seemd like a bit of a snob to me, and it wasn't a surprise when he left the show at a point when it was enjoying huge popularity.
I guess, in essence, he rode off into the sunset then.

But it was reported that Roberts, 81 -- it's hard to believe that age! -- died of cancer on Sunday. It also was noted that he had not liked the restrictions of the popular TV show.

"They told me the four characters (Greene, himself and Dan Blocker and Michael Landon as his brothers) would be carefully defined and the scripts carefully prepared," he complained to The Associated Press in 1964. "None of it ever happened."

It particularly distressed him that his character, a man in his 30s, had to continually defer to the wishes of his widowed father.

"Doesn't it seem a bit silly for three adult males to get Father's permission for everything they do?" he once asked a reporter.

"Bonanza," with its three remaining stars, continued until 1973, making it second to "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running Western on TV. Blocker died in 1972, Greene in 1987, and Landon in 1991.

he finally fesses up

We all knew it, but now it's official.
According to the AP, two-time presidential candidate John Edwards has released this statement about the child he fathered with his former mistress:

"I am Quinn's father. I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace.

"It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me. I have been providing financial support for Quinn and have reached an agreement with her mother to continue providing support in the future.

"To all those I have disappointed and hurt, these words will never be enough, but I am truly sorry."

We're sorry, too... sorry we ever thought you were a "good guy"; extremely sorry for your wife and other children.
Sorry you're just another egocentric politician who couldn't keep his pants closed.

want to help haiti?

We have been running lists in The Reporter on various places where you can donate money, needed goods and the like.
Here is another opportunity to help -- and enjoy yourself, as well.

The Lansdale Center for the Performing Arts is holding a benefit event for Haiti with music, theater arts and martial arts demonstrations. Admission is free to the concert, which will start at 7 p.m. Saturday. Donations will be accepted by check and credit card for Doctors Without Borders, the American Red Cross and the Clinton Foundation. Concert-goers can come and go as they please throughout the evening. Check www.lansdalecpa.org.

It's one more option to consider.

Can't complain

We’ve all heard that stock reply when we ask people how they are.
“Oh, I can’t complain. And no one would listen if I did.”
Then you both chuckle and move on to other small talk or, if you’re simply passing each other in the hall, that’s the extent of the “conversation.”
But as I was watching and reading about the horrific destruction in Haiti this week, I realized that, truly, I can’t complain.
At least I shouldn’t.
It’s almost impossible to process in our minds the amount of death and devastation that this earthquake has wrought.
You hear the numbers being tossed around, you see the wreckage, the bodies, the coffins, the people crying and wandering around in a daze.
But can any of us actually picture ourselves there, in these people’s shoes?
How would we react if suddenly we had nothing, if loved ones were missing or dead, if all of the basics of life were destroyed?
You have to wonder how the human spirit can survive.
Many of us feel helpless at this point, not knowing how we best can help during this catastrophe.
Many churches, no doubt, will set up their own funding channels and, later, when it’s possible, relief crews will be sent, just as they were after Hurricane Katrina.
And the Red Cross offers several venues for donations, including calling (800) REDCROSS or (800) 257-7575 (Spanish); or sending donations to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.
It’s one small way we can immediately reach out to help an effort that so badly needs every bit of aid it can get.
So the next time I catch myself complaining about having to get up early in the morning, or having to clean the house, do the laundry or shop for groceries, I hope I can stop myself.
And I don’t want to hear my self-pitying moans about this ache or that pain, or how old I am or that it’s too cold outside or that there’s cat hair everywhere in our house (hey, it’s my fault that we have a feline “zoo”).
Instead, I hope I realize how lucky I am to have a job and a home, a family — a life itself.
Because truly, when I consider the tragedy that has befallen Haiti, my complaints are far too trivial to be uttered.

another great reason

TO GO TO THE PA. FARM SHOW!!!


If you were among the lucky 10,000 people to get a free pig hat at the Farm Show in Harrisburg this week, you may have looked like this... The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) provided the free hats as part of its "Be a Pig Professor" challenge. Here, Carly and Renee Sollenberger (right) of Franklin County show off the pig hats. Children and adults were asked questions about pork products as part of the "Be a Pig Professor" challenge.

wow! a bobcat!

If you've always wanted to see a bobcat up close and personal, here's your chance.
The newest addition at the Elmwood Park Zoo, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown, is a bobcat named Moose.
According to zoo officials, Moose was rescued by wildlife rehabilitators after he fell from a section of metal pipeline being transported by truck.
Now he's making his home at the zoo. So if you want to visit, the zoo hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $11.50 ($5.75 weekdays in January and February), $8.50 for seniors and children 2-12 ($4.25 weekdays in January and February).
In you need information, call (610) 277-3825.
I doubt Moose will answer, but who knows?

FARM SHOW WEEK!!

Yes, it's that time again ... time to head to Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
These photos from the Farm Show media service show this year's great butter sculpture... but there's much more to the show than that (although these sculptures ARE amazing!)
If you've never been there, you must go. And be sure to check out the food court!
From cows to cooking demos, sheep shearing and mushroom munching -- the 2010 Pennsylvania Farm Show offers all this and more.
The 94th annual Farm Show is set for 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday through Jan. 16 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, North Cameron and Maclay streets, Harrisburg.
By the numbers, visitors can see up to 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 270 commercial exhibitors. With a theme this year of “Keeping Pennsylvania Growing,” Farm Show highlights include cooking demonstrations by the Pennsylvania Iron Chef Team, Eli Kirshtein from Bravo, Top Chef Las Vegas competition and the “World’s Fastest Omelet Maker” Howard Helmer.
Young visitors can investigate Pennsylvania agriculture by visiting 21 learning stations around the complex. There will also be a renewable energy exhibit, a puppet show and a Broadway musical series, and favorites like the annual butter sculpture, Sheep-to-Shawl contest, high school rodeo, and baking contests.
Admission is free and parking is $10. For the complete schedule, visit www.farmshow.state.pa.us.

it could be worse...

A lot of us probably were none too pleased to be cleaning off our cars this morning and cautiously making our way to work.
But we have NOTHING to complain about.
Just consider these Associated Press photos.

One shows buses encrusted in ice and snow at the back lot of a bowling alley in the Omaha, Neb., suburb of Elkhorn, where a fire was being put out Thursday. A winter storm with bitter cold temperatures and blowing winds was traveling through the region.
In the other photo, a farm is shrouded in morning fog near Boulder, Colo., where overnight temperatures dipped to 16 degrees below zero.

Now, feel better?

feeling a bit 'swine-ish'?

If you've been wanting to get a swine flu shot -- or H1N1, as it's now called -- you can get one on Friday in Lansdale.
The Montgomery County Health Department will hold an H1N1 flu clinic from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, for any resident who would like to decrease their risk of contracting the H1N1 virus.
There is no charge for the immunization.
Contact the Health Department at (610) 278-5117. A screening form can be found at www.health.montcopa.org. Residents can download, print, fill out the form and bring it to the H1N1 flu clinic. Residents must bring their driver’s license.
Hope this helps!

Condolences

Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire that swept through and destroyed the home of state Sen. Stewart Greenleaf. But that can't make the early morning fire on Sunday any easier to swallow for Greenleaf and his family.
Authorities don't believe it was arson; it was not deliberately set. As the investigation proceeds, it is being considered an accident.
But our condolences go out to Greenleaf and his family. Greenleaf, by all accounts, is one of the "good guys" in government, and it's sad to see this tragedy hit him.
We hope that Greenleaf and his family recover from this tragedy quickly.
Our thoughts are with them.