Blog - Hearing Dog Training

My friend, Martha, has just started a new blog.

Martha Hoffman has been a trainer with the Hearing Dog Program (HDP) for many many years, and is one of the trainers who helped established the new HDP that was established when the SFSPCA cut off its old program. She now is the Training Director for the new independent HDP. She has now started a new training blog.

Blog - Hearing Dog Training
http://marthahoffman.info/blogs/blog6.php

In her new blog, Martha will be describing all of her HDP training visits that are interesting and how to train. If you are in another dog training list or sites, could you please pass this information along. So since she just started the blog, it's very fresh.

I volunteered to help promote her blog. Hopefully, it'll bring more awareness about these service dogs. Many people don't know what hearing dogs are. They are not widely known like dogs for the blind. I've been in situations where people didn't want me to go inside the store with my previous hearing dog, Bodie, but explaining that he is a service dog helped most of the times.

You know, I've had people asking me what kind of things does the hearing dog perform for me. But when they ask me for more information about the training, it becomes harder for me to explain because it's not that simple. There is more than just training a dog to do basic commands like sit, stay and come. This blog has answers to all those questions with details and descriptions.

I've known Martha for many years now. She has a lot of experience and can vouch for her as a good trainer. She helped me a lot when I was dealing with Bodie's mischiefs.

Above is Shelby, my new hearing dog. She is a Black Lab who just turned 2 years old early March. Thanks to Martha she is now a part of my life.

What Is Your Local Airport Code?

I don't know how many airport codes exist in the worlds. Probably in the hundreds if not thousands, I haven't got the information although I could probably try to count them. I'm sure it'll take me a while if I included military and small airport codes. Their codes are different.

Ever wonder how the airports even got their codes in first place? Here a bit of history. I haven't seen many good sites with more history of the codes. But if I'll find one I'll post it. This site has pretty good information though. I like it quite a bit. I did see many nice sites with tremendous airport codes on Google. Some have four letter codes. Most of these sites have no history though.

History of Airport Codes
http://www.air-ticket.us/airport_code_lookup.php

YouTube - Epic Slow Motion Dog Food Commercial

It's one of the best pet food ads that I've seen in a long time. I thought it was an amazing footage. It is hilarious and funny. It actually relaxed me a little bit too. I love it!

It was posted on YouTube on March 15. There are other ones from Feb, but not as big as this one. The footage quality is good. I won't spoil it for you with the details, if you haven't seen it yet. These dogs are just so adorable! They are so expressive. click on the link to see the actual size of the clip on YouTube. Or click twice on the clip. It doesn't show the whole size on my blog.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSl0D1eZ-nU

A Kitchen In Tokyo

An interesting article that let us peek (unfortunately no photos) into Japanese household kitchens. Their kitchens is the one place that visiting family members and friends are unwanted. It's practically a taboo. This article is regarding a popular Japanese show called "Totsugeki! Tonari No Ban Gohan (surprise attack)" that shows shows up unannounced in people's houses to show their kitchen during mealtime. The meals themselves have a ritual. It was a good article to learn about the Japanese kitchens and how the meals are served.

Bento - Home Kitchens: Cluttered with Convenience
http://www.bento.com/taste/tc-kit.html

Main Page

Bento - Tokyo Food Page
http://www.bento.com/tokyofood.html

Are you a big fan of the original Twilight Zone show? I am. I loved the show except for the creepy episodes. Like when William Shatner sees a beast on the airplane's wing. And the one where a young woman who lives in a world that everybody look like pigs with third eyes, has a face surgery. She has bandages on her face, so we never see what she looks like until the end of the show. Once the bandages are removed, she looks at the mirror and screams. Her surgery was a disaster. She is in a sharp contrast to these scary pig like being. She is beautiful with two eyes. She would be beautiful on earth, but on this planet, where a beauty would someone who a pig like creature with three eyes she is an outcast.

But a big favorites of mine, is the one where the Robert Redford plays the Angel of Death which was actually a nice angel. I can see why he was such a heart throb at the those days. As the angel of death, he helps an old woman to face the reality that it's her time to go and not to be afraid. He plays and an injured man whom she nurses back to health, or so she thinks. In the process of getting healed, he slowly charms her, and shows her there is nothing to be afraid of. He helps her not to afraid of death. At the end he finally convinces her, and she lets her fear go. There is more to that. Her house is being demolished, but she refused to go. I think it's a symbolism for her fear of death. Do you think?

The Paley Center For Media which is located both in NY and LA has a lot of information about the show from all kinds of aspects including Rod Serling's early career. It's a wonderful reading and if you read about it, you will learn about the show's premier, the show influence on Stephen King, Star Trek, Cindy Sherman, and more, Surrealism, distinct graphic look at the TZ, legacy, panoply of stars, and the collection at the Paley Center For Media. Besides the Twilight Zone, there are other topics that are not related to the Twilight Zone that are features on this site that also includes fun.

Make sure you know where you are though. I still haven't quite mastered the way of the navigation yet. But, maybe it's just me. I was a bit lost trying to view other interesting subjects. Overall, I love this site very much and enjoyed it. the Paley Center would be a place that I'd like to see in person.

I also liked the "perspectives on media" page. Its pretty cool. They have good topic for practically anyone. I think it's a good page to focus on at if you are at lost, because it includes most or all of the topics in this site, besides, it's fun too.

The Twilight Zone Forever
http://www.paleycenter.org/the-twilight-zone-forever

Perspectives-On-Media
http://www.paleycenter.org/perspectives

Fantastic Lego Art

It's amazing what people can do with Lego, isn't it? It never ceased to amazed me to see new Lego artwork. One of the most impressive that I've seen was a few years ago. it was a full size Volvo.

The Brothers Brick is all about Lego art.

The Brothers Brick
http://www.brothers-brick.com

Little Marie & Her Brothers On YouTube

When I was little I used to watch Donny and Marie Osmond variety show on TV back in mid-70's. I loved their show and the pearly smile ;-) Presently, I'm no longer their fan, but I still enjoy watching their old clips. The first clip I actually saw on a TV biography. It is a clip from the Andy Williams show in 1964, with the Osmonds kids. Donny was 6 in this clip. I used to love Andy Williams specials as well. He was very charming, wasn't he?

The big reason that I like this clip, because it also features little Marie who is adorable as a shy 4 years old. If I remember correctly, this was her first "performance" in public.

Unfortunately,the ebbing is disabled, so just follow the link.

YouTube - Lida Rose - Andy Williams & The Osmonds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MLtzKJQevI

Below is another link that I liked. It features Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson as teens (I don't know how old they are actually) with two little boys dressed up like them.

Michael jackson and Donny Osmond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGIgpcuUkHE

Blog - On Motivation and Chocolate

I am beginning to have a crave for these chocolates. My stomach is practically chiming in now. But I am gonna say "no thanks" to the Jalapeno Chocolate and the Tamales chocolate. They are way too HOT, I'm sure. I can't even imagine what they taste like. There are some "attractive" chocolate photos, but the image above was my favorite. Pretty neat!

Blog - On Motivation and Chocolate
http://motivationbychocolate.blogspot.com

The Many Faces Of Ugly Betty (an international tv show).

I am not an Ugly Betty fan. I only saw maybe 2 episodes. But a friend of mine who is big fan of the show, just told me there are only five episodes left. She was upset about it. I googled the show. I already knew it was based on a popular show in Spanish. That's all I knew. Did you know that the show originally started as a show called "Yo soy Betty, la fea", and that it was filmed in Colombia? It was produced from 1999 through 2001 by RCN (Radio Cadena Nacional) in Colombia. Since then, there have been many versions of this show all over the world. At the bottom of the link's page, you'll see a list from all those countries. I was actually at awe when I saw list. I had no idea how popular it was, and how many versions existed. I counted 19 versions! Even from countries like India, China, Poland and Russia have their own Betties.

Not only there are many versions, but the original show from Columbia is also dubbed in many other countries like Malaysia, Romania and Japan.

Wikipedia - Yo soy Betty, la fea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo_soy_Betty,_la_fea

Blog - Aero Philately

As a child in the late 1970's I was an avid stamp collector. I loved peeling the stamps of the envelopes then lay them down on the towel for them to dry. I think my favorite part was when they'd get dry and ready for placing them in my stamp books. My favorite type of stamps were cartoon and fancy stamps from other countries that I've never heard of. The African countries and South America in particular. I loved very old stamps too. It was so much fun. I still have my stamp albums. Even though I no longer collect stamps, I still enjoy the stamp books.

A few years ago, I went to a stamp store in downtown San Francisco. I was looking for a specific series. While browsing through the stamps, I ask the store owner if there are less collectors now since very few people write anymore. Many people have replaced the snail mail with email. He said that there are actually more collectors now. I was very surprised. It might have been my imagination, but the stamps at his store seemed to be rather expensive. I don't remember stamps being so expensive before.

As for the blog, it identifies itself as "the study of the development of aviation through the medium of philately."

The Aero Philately site is specifically about the aviation industry. There are some beautiful stamped envelops. When I collected stamps I didn't really have specific categories. I would just categorized my collection according to the origin of the stamp. I wish I had thought of concentrating on a particular subject. This is one category that it would have been nice to have. But I am glad with what I have. I think this is a great subject to focus on. When I was looking for cartoon stamps, I didn't see many at all. The ones I saw were mainly too expensive.

Blog - Aero Philately
http://aerophilatelist.blogspot.com/