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Wanted: WHOA-KTD Newsletter Compiler

I'm looking for a volunteer to put together a weekly newsletter for my organization, WHOA-KTD (Kids/Teen Division). It consists of news stories from the previous weeks with the title, link and first paragraph or two of the story. I would like the newsletter to focus on news stories involving kids/teens online, such as cyberbullying, predators, Myspace, Youtube incidents, etc. It would look similar to the newsletter I currently put together for WHOA, the adult arm of our organization (you can see past newsletters on my blog). If you're interested and you are 18 years of age or older, email me at whoa@haltabuse.org or reply to me here. Jayne A. Hitchcock President WHOA & WHOA-KTD haltabuse.org haltabusektd.org

Bandit Has a New Sister

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Bandit has not been taking Guin's death well. We have had to sit up with him some nights and he's just been sleeping in his dog bed all the time, only getting up when we make him to eat and go to the bathroom. I told Chris we should get another Shiba and at first Chris didn't want to. He really got attached to Guin in the short time he knew her. But when Bandit was obviously grieving, he agreed. I looked at Shiba Rescue to find an adult female - no puppies, please. She also could not be white (that was Chris' one stipulation) and she needed to be fixed and up to date with shots. No luck on the Shiba front, so I began looking at shelters in NH and Maine. We even started looking at Huskies (which are a bit bigger than a Shiba, but not too big). I finally found a Husky on Craigslist. She was 2 years old, fixed, shots done and in NH. Bonus! Turns out her foster mom, Angie, and dad own a bunch of Huskies that they race - I checked out their web site and these people are *se

WHOA Newsletter - December 15, 2008

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .It was only a matter of time Zzz-mail: What happens when sleepwalkers go online http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ics/howaboutthat/3743289/Zzz-mail-What-h appens-when-sleepwalkers-go-online.html Doctors have reported the first ever case of someone using the internet while asleep, after a sleeping woman sent emails to people asking them over for drinks and caviar. It was only when a would-be guest phoned the next day to accept, that she found out what she had done. The 44-year-old woman, whose case is reported by researchers from the University of Toledo in the latest edition of medical journal Sleep Medicine, had gone to bed at around 10pm, but got up two hours later and walked to the next room. (read the rest at the link) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS TO USE AND

Ice, Ice Baby

We've been looking to adopt another Shiba, only because Bandit really misses Guin. One night we both stayed up with him until he fell asleep because he was howling, then whimpering. If I went into my office downstairs, he'd bark until I came back up. I tried bringing him down here, but he prefers being upstairs. So I talked to him and explained that I had to do my work and I would come up as much as I could. I swear that dog was a human in another life. He settled down and hasn't barked since. We thought we'd almost found a Shiba - a family about an hour away have to give their 8 year old female up due to foreclosure on their house and the new place won't let them have their dog. But turns out she doesn't get a long well with other dogs. So we're still looking. Then Thursday night, at about 130 in the morning (actually Friday morning), the electricity went out. I noticed because our humidifier in the bedroom stopped working. I listened. The wind howled. It w

WHOA Newsletter - December 8, 2008

WHOA Newsletter December 8, 2008 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Don't people have better things to do than this? NYC man says he's circumcised, online story wrong http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_ on_fe_st/odd_i_m_circumcised;_ylt=ArhM5o M6KsTvVJ1o7Aonw2AsQE4F A New York City man is suing a Jewish research group for libel, claiming it posted a story online with his photo that erroneously said he was not circumcised. John Singer says he was circumcised as an infant. His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the Central Europe Center for Research & Documentation and its Centropa.org Web site, which have main offices in Atlanta and in Vienna, Austria. Singer, 49, says his mother was quoted in an interview for a Centropa article saying her sons weren't circumcised, which would violate Jewish law. He says he warned Centropa director Edward Serotta the statement was wrong before the article was published in October. He says Centropa humiliated him. Serotta

Bandit Has A Girlfriend

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I kept meaning to write about this months ago, but something or the other kept coming up. My sister had a first generation Roomba in her basement that she gave to me in August. We named him Fred. He did a good job (we have hardwood floors) and I wanted to put him in my new office downstairs and get a newer Roomba for upstairs. So I hunted on eBay until I found one fairly inexpensively - it was a former demo model from a Sharper Image store. It's the 560 model and although it has a few scratches, it works really well and I got a helluva deal on it. When the battery had been charged, we turned it on (nicknamed Ginger - get it?) and let her go. I wish I could get it to do the R2D2 humming while it cleaned, ha ha. Well, Bandit was lying on the floor and Ginger bumped into him. He kind of sat up, but let her vacuum his, ahem, nether regions, and he appeared to like it. We both started laughing. After that first time (and remember, Bandit is blind as a bat), Bandit would go over to where

More things that stick in my craw

The way things are going, this may become a weekly post! Twilight - The Movie, based on the insanely popular book by Stephanie Meyers. I have two complaints about this. Number one: I am in the middle of the third novel in the series right now, so I was excited about the movie coming out and planned on seeing it. Then I read an interview with Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, the "heartthrob" vampire in the movie, who falls in love with the lead female character, Bella. I thought he was an okay pick for the role (not a favorite, like many fans wanted), but after reading the article, I was disgusted. He's only 22 years old and he's already a terror on the set. Although the producer tried to be nice in the article, you could tell he was driving everyone crazy with his "method" acting. I have no desire to pay money to go see it in the theatre. I'll wait until it hits Redbox for $1 rental on DVD. Number two: Geez, women, get a grip. If I mention I'm rea

Guin Is Gone - RIP

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Many of you knew that Guin, my white Shiba, was not doing well just over a month ago. She seemed to bounce back, especially when Chris removed a tick he found on her. Last week she started going downhill. Not sleeping at night, roaming the living room (we had to put child gates up to keep her in there), yelping when she had to go out to pee. She would sleep for an hour or so and we took turns sleeping in the living room to be with her. The lack of sleep was affecting both of us. She seemed to be a bit better when we picked up Chris' daughter, C, for Thanksgiving, but last Friday I took her to the vet. He prescribed Valium to help her sleep and while we talked, she had a mild seizure. He looked at me and said, "It's not today, but it will be soon." I knew he meant to put her down. Took her home, and although the Valium let her sleep a little better, it was still only two hours at a time. On Saturday night, I picked her up, laid down on the couch and held her against m

WHOA Newsletter - December 2, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter December 2, 2008 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Oh, pooh! Ill. zoo creates ornaments from reindeer droppings http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_fe_st/odd_reindeer_ornaments;_ylt=AlqwmwWAjzJuFKiaKv3L0mTtiBIF The Christmas ornaments for sale at the Miller Park Zoo's gift shop are partly manufactured by reindeer. Honest! Staffers make decorations out of droppings from the zoo's two reindeer, Ealu and Rika. The droppings are dried, then clear-coated and either painted or rolled in glitter. Zoo marketing director Susie Ohley has named the products "magical reindeer gem ornaments," and each comes with a label of authenticity. They cost $5 at the zoo gift shop. Staffer Katie Buydos, who makes jewelry as a hobby, donated wire and beads, saying, "Susie asked me to bring some creativity to the table." Some folks are surprised at the size of the "gems," which are only about as big as marbles. "Reindeer are so big,"

Things that stick in my craw

There are just some things that bug the living daylights out of me. If you're offended by what I write, find another blog to read. I drive a BMW. It's an older one - almost 10 years old now, but I take good care of it, so it looks new. Don't play games with me on the highway. I hate it when other drivers get on my ass, I pull over to let them pass, then they pass, get in front of me and slow way down, forcing me to pass them in the left lane. And the game continues. I usually end up getting in the far right lane and slowing way down to let these numbnuts get far ahead of me. And don't drive next to me in your little Prius or Mini Cooper or other car that is no match for my Beemer and gun it. I could drive circles around you if I wanted to. But I won't, because I like having a drivers license. Obviously, you do not. Don't tell me I should smile. I hate it if I'm having a bad day, I'm tired or some numbnuts has tried to drive me off the road and a complete

WHOA Newsletter - November 24, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter November 24, 2008 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Gobble, gobble! It's a strike, a spare. It's turkey bowling http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081123/ap_ on_fe_st/odd_turkey_bowling;_ylt=AvbZeh_ KqDLz_ES9cI21iNIsQE4F Set up the pins, clear the lanes and try not to roll a gutter bird. Cincinnati is warming up for Thanksgiving with its traditional Turkey Bowl, an annual outdoor event using frozen turkeys in place of bowling balls. Contestants will try to knock down 10 pins Tuesday by sliding rock-hard birds down a lane on the holiday season ice skating rink on downtown's landmark Fountain Square. The person with the highest score after three rounds wins $100 cash and "WKRP in Cincinnati" DVDs including the series' famous "Turkeys Away" episode. That's the one about a station promotion in which live giveaway turkeys are dropped out of a helicopter to their deaths ­ because the station manager thought turkeys could fly. The fro

Volunteer Researcher needed

I'm looking for someone who is not only a good researcher, but good with their English communications, verbally and written for my organization, WHOA . The position is Online Services List Maintainer, which would entail emailing/calling ISPs, blog services, cell phone providers, etc to get their correct contact info for WHOA and law enforcement. This information will be provided by the volunteer to our webmaster who will add it to the list on our site. I cannot provide the URL, as it is password-protected and will be available only to the person who ultimately gets the position. You must be 18 years of age and be able to call numbers that are in the USA. You must NOT have an active case with WHOA. If you are interested, email me for an application.

School - 1957 VS 2007

Glad it wasn't 2007 when I went to school how about you? ___________________________________________________________ SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007 Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack. 1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack. 2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers. Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school. 1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies. 2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it. Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students. 1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does

WHOA Newsletter - November 17, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter November 17, 2008 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .What a bunch of croc Man arrives at bar with pet alligator; cops called http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081114/ap_ on_fe_st/odd_bar_alligator;_ylt=AkIhWhex divkL_jWWhHQolssQE4F HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Heard the one about the guy who walked into a bar with an alligator? At Johnny's Saloon in Orange County, it was more than a joke early Saturday when a man arrived with his 3-foot pet gator on a leash. By the time police and animal control officers arrived at Johnny's, the gator was in the man's vehicle in the parking lot. Officers followed him home, where another alligator was found, animal control spokesman Ryan Drabek said. Both alligators were impounded and were being held Wednesday pending an investigation by the Department of Fish and Game, Drabek said. Alligators are not native to California and it is illegal to keep them as pets. A woman who answered the telephone at Johnny's Wednesday nig

WHOA Newsletter - November 10, 2008

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Darwin at work Ga. man cleaning with blowtorch sets house on fire http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/ap_ on_fe_st/odd_blowtorching_cobwebs;_ylt=A s8ER21fdsfXz8ZqQ.ZLUD8sQE4F Would-be cleaners take note: A blowtorch is not a good substitute for a broom. Coweta County authorities said Galen Winchell set fire to his west Georgia home Wednesday as he cleaned cobwebs from exterior eaves with a blowtorch. Winchell noticed the blaze when he saw smoke pouring from the attic. Coweta Fire Investigator James Gantt says the fire was contained to one part of the house, but the entire home had smoke and water damage. No one was hurt. No phone number was listed for Winchell. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG! (DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the w