Dell's Original Uncoverage Logo by Antonio F. Branco, Comically Incorrect
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Blind San Antonio Texas Pup ‘Home For Christmas’
Blind San Antonio Texas Pup ‘Home For Christmas’
“A veterinarian told Gutierrez her dog was born without eyes, she said, and he showed signs of abuse when her daughter found him wandering around”
By Dell Hill
H/T - A Nebraska Reader
Stevie Oedipus Wonder is lucky to be home for the holidays.
The cairn terrier mix pup disappeared from his home on the far West Side at the end of November, was reported dead and had almost overstayed his welcome at Animal Care Services this week when his owner found him.
“This is my Christmas miracle,” said Belinda Gutierrez, who thinks Stevie is about a year old. “I actually thought I was going to have a sad end of the year and a sad Christmas.”
But thanks to Craigslist, an animal-loving schoolteacher and efforts by ACS to find Stevie a place to spend the holidays, Gutierrez picked him up from the shelter Thursday.
And to make this heartwarming story of a puppy making it home in time for Christmas with his family even more so, Stevie's not just any puppy. A veterinarian told Gutierrez her dog was born without eyes, she said, and he showed signs of abuse when her daughter found him wandering around a duck pond at Marbach Road and Ellison Drive early this year.
Gutierrez, 49, said she's a cat person, but when her daughter called her crying — at first they thought his permanently closed eyes were a sign of abuse — she told her daughter to bring over the puppy.
“He wouldn't go up to anyone if it wasn't my voice or my daughter's voice,” she said. “He didn't like men's voices. He would bark.”
But Gutierrez said his friendly attitude won her over. He became a big part of her life, dragging her out of the house to get exercise that she needed as much as he did. So she was very upset when Stevie escaped Nov. 29 and days later, when her landlord told her he was dead.
“We thought, ‘OK, he's gone and he'll have to just wait for us at the rainbow bridge,'” said Gutierrez, a health care provider.
Stevie came to ACS on Dec. 11, said Jeanne Saadi, the agency's live release coordinator. Because he had a collar and a tag, the shelter would hold him for five days before he was euthanized, Saadi said.
But the contact information on his tag was out of date and the shelter could not reach his owner.
Luckily for Stevie, Brooke Orr, an English as a second language teacher at Highlands High School and a co-sponsor of the school's Voices for Animals Club, was moved when she saw a post online from ACS trying to find a home for him.
Orr said she asked the shelter to put a Save a Life hold on him, thinking she'd take care of him over the holidays. Also luckily for Stevie, Gutierrez's daughter had placed an ad on Craigslist in an effort to find him.
“I saw the posting of the little dog and I saw that he had a collar and a tag on,” Orr said. “And I thought that he must belong to someone. So I went to Craigslist and went to lost and found and I put in ‘blind dog,' and there he was.”
So she contacted Gutierrez and let her know Stevie was safe.
When she went to the shelter to pick him up, Gutierrez said she was concerned Stevie would be unable to recognize her.
“All he had to do was hear my voice,” she said. “And I stood at the entrance of the kennel building and called out, ‘Stevie, Stevie.' And he started barking all over the place.”
She was so unhappy with her landlord letting Stevie escape, Gutierrez said, that she left the mobile home and moved into an apartment.
On Friday, Stevie was playing with a dog friend in the living room and jumping up to greet visitors of both genders. In the kitchen, Gutierrez had stocking stuffers for him. A couple of the items seemed like the standard gifts Santa Claus would bring for a puppy that made it home for the holidays: doggy treats and rawhide chew toys. But there was an unusual addition to Stevie's Christmas gifts.
“He loves carrots,” Gutierrez said. “We always say he's trying to get his eyesight to improve.”
“A veterinarian told Gutierrez her dog was born without eyes, she said, and he showed signs of abuse when her daughter found him wandering around”
By Dell Hill
H/T - A Nebraska Reader
Stevie Oedipus Wonder is lucky to be home for the holidays.
The cairn terrier mix pup disappeared from his home on the far West Side at the end of November, was reported dead and had almost overstayed his welcome at Animal Care Services this week when his owner found him.
“This is my Christmas miracle,” said Belinda Gutierrez, who thinks Stevie is about a year old. “I actually thought I was going to have a sad end of the year and a sad Christmas.”
But thanks to Craigslist, an animal-loving schoolteacher and efforts by ACS to find Stevie a place to spend the holidays, Gutierrez picked him up from the shelter Thursday.
And to make this heartwarming story of a puppy making it home in time for Christmas with his family even more so, Stevie's not just any puppy. A veterinarian told Gutierrez her dog was born without eyes, she said, and he showed signs of abuse when her daughter found him wandering around a duck pond at Marbach Road and Ellison Drive early this year.
Gutierrez, 49, said she's a cat person, but when her daughter called her crying — at first they thought his permanently closed eyes were a sign of abuse — she told her daughter to bring over the puppy.
“He wouldn't go up to anyone if it wasn't my voice or my daughter's voice,” she said. “He didn't like men's voices. He would bark.”
But Gutierrez said his friendly attitude won her over. He became a big part of her life, dragging her out of the house to get exercise that she needed as much as he did. So she was very upset when Stevie escaped Nov. 29 and days later, when her landlord told her he was dead.
“We thought, ‘OK, he's gone and he'll have to just wait for us at the rainbow bridge,'” said Gutierrez, a health care provider.
Stevie came to ACS on Dec. 11, said Jeanne Saadi, the agency's live release coordinator. Because he had a collar and a tag, the shelter would hold him for five days before he was euthanized, Saadi said.
But the contact information on his tag was out of date and the shelter could not reach his owner.
Luckily for Stevie, Brooke Orr, an English as a second language teacher at Highlands High School and a co-sponsor of the school's Voices for Animals Club, was moved when she saw a post online from ACS trying to find a home for him.
Orr said she asked the shelter to put a Save a Life hold on him, thinking she'd take care of him over the holidays. Also luckily for Stevie, Gutierrez's daughter had placed an ad on Craigslist in an effort to find him.
“I saw the posting of the little dog and I saw that he had a collar and a tag on,” Orr said. “And I thought that he must belong to someone. So I went to Craigslist and went to lost and found and I put in ‘blind dog,' and there he was.”
So she contacted Gutierrez and let her know Stevie was safe.
When she went to the shelter to pick him up, Gutierrez said she was concerned Stevie would be unable to recognize her.
“All he had to do was hear my voice,” she said. “And I stood at the entrance of the kennel building and called out, ‘Stevie, Stevie.' And he started barking all over the place.”
She was so unhappy with her landlord letting Stevie escape, Gutierrez said, that she left the mobile home and moved into an apartment.
On Friday, Stevie was playing with a dog friend in the living room and jumping up to greet visitors of both genders. In the kitchen, Gutierrez had stocking stuffers for him. A couple of the items seemed like the standard gifts Santa Claus would bring for a puppy that made it home for the holidays: doggy treats and rawhide chew toys. But there was an unusual addition to Stevie's Christmas gifts.
“He loves carrots,” Gutierrez said. “We always say he's trying to get his eyesight to improve.”
Remembering America’s Finest - Christmas 2011
Remembering America’s Finest - Christmas 2011
A Special Salute To All Serving Aboard The USS Carl Vinson & The Pacific Fleets
By Dell Hill
With Christmas nigh, a moment out to give thanks for the men and women serving America in the United States military.
A special shout-out to over 6,000 American men and women aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), currently deployed in the “Western Pacific”.
The Mighty USS Carl Vinson - US Navy Photo
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is the third United States Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a Congressman from Georgia. Carl Vinson's callsign is "Gold Eagle".
On 30 November 2011, Carl Vinson departed Naval Air Station North Island, California, on its scheduled Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment.
2010–2011 deployment to the U.S. Seventh Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) in the Western Pacific and U.S. Fifth Fleet Areas of Responsibility in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf as part of Carrier Strike Group One.
U.S. Navy carrier strike groups typically consist of an aircraft carrier (flagship), an embarked carrier air wing, at least one Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and a destroyer squadron.
As of 2011, Carrier Strike Group One is composed of the following units:
The United States military seldom, if ever, identifies the location and/or missions involving its nuclear class submarines, but rest assured “they’re out there” protecting the surface fleet, along with “special ops” teams that we never hear about, but are always there.
To each and every man and woman serving aboard these vessels, our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and A Happy, Healthy New Year!!
A Special Salute To All Serving Aboard The USS Carl Vinson & The Pacific Fleets
By Dell Hill
With Christmas nigh, a moment out to give thanks for the men and women serving America in the United States military.
A special shout-out to over 6,000 American men and women aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), currently deployed in the “Western Pacific”.
The Mighty USS Carl Vinson - US Navy Photo
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is the third United States Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a Congressman from Georgia. Carl Vinson's callsign is "Gold Eagle".
On 30 November 2011, Carl Vinson departed Naval Air Station North Island, California, on its scheduled Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment.
| Class and type: | Nimitz-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 101,300 long tons (113,500 short tons)[1] |
| Length: | Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m) Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m) |
| Beam: | Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m) Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m) |
| Draft: | Maximum navigational: 37 feet (11.3 m) Limit: 41 feet (12.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors 4 × steam turbines 4 × shafts 260,000 shp (194 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph) |
| Range: | Unlimited distance; 20-25 years |
| Complement: | Ship's company: 3,200 Air wing: 2,480 |
| Crew: | 6062 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | AN/SPS-48E 3-D air search radar AN/SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar AN/SPQ-9B target acquisition radar AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radars AN/SPN-43C air traffic control radar AN/SPN-41 landing aid radars 4 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems 4 × Mk 95 radars |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | SLQ-32A(V)4 Countermeasures suite SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures |
| Armament: | 2 × Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile 3 × Phalanx CIWS |
| Armor: | Unknown |
| Aircraft carried: | 90 fixed wing and helicopters |
2010–2011 deployment to the U.S. Seventh Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) in the Western Pacific and U.S. Fifth Fleet Areas of Responsibility in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf as part of Carrier Strike Group One.
U.S. Navy carrier strike groups typically consist of an aircraft carrier (flagship), an embarked carrier air wing, at least one Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and a destroyer squadron.
As of 2011, Carrier Strike Group One is composed of the following units:
- USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), flagship (pictured)[10]
- Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17)[10]
- USS Bunker Hill (CG-52)[10]
- USS Lake Champlain (CG-57)[10]
- Destroyer Squadron One (DESRON 1)[10][11]
The United States military seldom, if ever, identifies the location and/or missions involving its nuclear class submarines, but rest assured “they’re out there” protecting the surface fleet, along with “special ops” teams that we never hear about, but are always there.
To each and every man and woman serving aboard these vessels, our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and A Happy, Healthy New Year!!
'Merry Christmas' From The World Famous Decorah Eagles!
A Great 'Merry Christmas' Greeting From The Most Famous Family of Bald Eagles In The World!
The Decorah Eagles
Thanks, Elfruler!
‘We Didn’t Have That Green Thing’ Back In The Day
‘We Didn’t Have That Green Thing’ Back In The Day
We’re Soooo Sorry - NOT!
By Dell Hill via Papa B
Papa B:
In the queue at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."
He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
Papa B adds, "Remember: don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off."
Related: How did we survive?.
Amen, Papa B, Amen!
We’re Soooo Sorry - NOT!
By Dell Hill via Papa B
Papa B:
In the queue at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."
He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
Papa B adds, "Remember: don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off."
Related: How did we survive?.
Amen, Papa B, Amen!
Texas Rangers Catcher Torrealba Strikes Umpire
Texas Rangers Catcher Torrealba Strikes Umpire
Major Penalty Is In Order
By Dell Hill
The video you’re about to see is a never-to-be-forgotten moment in time for Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba. A huge fine and substantial suspension are in order.
Here’s the report of this ugly incident, as written by Mark Townsend
Torrealba Involved In Ugly Incident
“Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba has always played the game of baseball with a lot of fire and a lot passion. Unfortunately, the 11 year big league veteran took that fire and passion too far while playing for Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan League on Friday.
After Torrealba took an ugly cut at a breaking ball and missed for strike three, he immediately began a heated discussion with home plate umpire Dario Rivero, Jr over a disputed strike call earlier in the at-bat. The two men jawed face-to-face for a good fifteen seconds before Torrealba struck the umpire in the face mask with the palm of his hand and pushed him away.
Here's video of the incident from the Venezuelan League broadcast on Friday afternoon. The punch will come 35 seconds in.
“Needless to say this is an inexcusable and disgusting display by a guy I've always respected for his passion, but even more so for his high character and leadership on and off field. To see this happen with any professional baseball player would be startling, but for it to be Yorvit Torrealba is absolutely stunning.
There's no doubt baseball can get the best of even the very best on any given day, but whatever explanation and apology Torrealba comes up will simply not be good enough. It's a very sad and very disappointing situation. There's no other way for me to put it.”
Dell’s Bottom Line: Having umpired baseball up to the semi-pro level, I’ve been involved in many a good old-fashioned “war of words” with players, coaches and managers over the years, but I’ve never come close to having anyone take a swing at me during (or after) a game. Arguing calls is natural. It’s expected. It’s part of the game. Winning at the professional level is vitally important and, in the heat of battle, arguments are going to happen.
But there’s an invisible line drawn between umpires and everyone else on the field and throwing a punch to the face of an umpire is so far over that line it’s difficult to comprehend. Until now, I’ve never seen anyone actually take that kind of swing at an ump.
After a cooling off period, I suspect that league officials will administer an extremely heavy fine, along with a suspension of considerable length. Perhaps a hundred thousand dollar fine and a 50 game suspension would convince Mr. Torrealba to never again raise his hand to an umpire.
Such a penalty would have no effect on Torrealba’s status with the Texas Rangers, but you can certainly bet the rent money that Rangers management is looking in to this incident closely, and American League umpires have already taken note. An official warning from Major League Baseball may very well be issued.
If there’s a “next time”, Torrealba’s career in pro baseball should come to an instant end.
Major Penalty Is In Order
By Dell Hill
The video you’re about to see is a never-to-be-forgotten moment in time for Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba. A huge fine and substantial suspension are in order.
Here’s the report of this ugly incident, as written by Mark Townsend
Torrealba Involved In Ugly Incident
“Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba has always played the game of baseball with a lot of fire and a lot passion. Unfortunately, the 11 year big league veteran took that fire and passion too far while playing for Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan League on Friday.
After Torrealba took an ugly cut at a breaking ball and missed for strike three, he immediately began a heated discussion with home plate umpire Dario Rivero, Jr over a disputed strike call earlier in the at-bat. The two men jawed face-to-face for a good fifteen seconds before Torrealba struck the umpire in the face mask with the palm of his hand and pushed him away.
Here's video of the incident from the Venezuelan League broadcast on Friday afternoon. The punch will come 35 seconds in.
“Needless to say this is an inexcusable and disgusting display by a guy I've always respected for his passion, but even more so for his high character and leadership on and off field. To see this happen with any professional baseball player would be startling, but for it to be Yorvit Torrealba is absolutely stunning.
There's no doubt baseball can get the best of even the very best on any given day, but whatever explanation and apology Torrealba comes up will simply not be good enough. It's a very sad and very disappointing situation. There's no other way for me to put it.”
Dell’s Bottom Line: Having umpired baseball up to the semi-pro level, I’ve been involved in many a good old-fashioned “war of words” with players, coaches and managers over the years, but I’ve never come close to having anyone take a swing at me during (or after) a game. Arguing calls is natural. It’s expected. It’s part of the game. Winning at the professional level is vitally important and, in the heat of battle, arguments are going to happen.
But there’s an invisible line drawn between umpires and everyone else on the field and throwing a punch to the face of an umpire is so far over that line it’s difficult to comprehend. Until now, I’ve never seen anyone actually take that kind of swing at an ump.
After a cooling off period, I suspect that league officials will administer an extremely heavy fine, along with a suspension of considerable length. Perhaps a hundred thousand dollar fine and a 50 game suspension would convince Mr. Torrealba to never again raise his hand to an umpire.
Such a penalty would have no effect on Torrealba’s status with the Texas Rangers, but you can certainly bet the rent money that Rangers management is looking in to this incident closely, and American League umpires have already taken note. An official warning from Major League Baseball may very well be issued.
If there’s a “next time”, Torrealba’s career in pro baseball should come to an instant end.
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