Chelle Belle

Seven

2009-09-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules: 1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. 2. Share seven random or weird things about yourself. 3. Tag seven people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. 4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So my journey begins. This may take me awhile… wish me well Sulustu

1.) WA,OR,CA,ID,NV,MT,ND,UT,AZ,NM,TX,CO,LA,AL,GA,FL,VA,MD,DE,NJ These are all the states I have been in, twenty in all. I did not travel to all of these of course in the same trip; most of them where for family reunions and working with my dad. During one of my travels, I went to Louisiana during Mardi Gras.

I was 14 years old and my sister and I were allowed to go to Mardi Gras to work all the parades in a three week period. At the parades, my sister and I shared a cart with various children’s novelties and sold them at outrageous prices. We woke up by six in the morning and traveled to different cities in LA, AL, GA, and FL. I would sleep in the van on the way to the cities and then wake up never knowing what city or state I was in. We returned home late in the evening to a warehouse full of toys and a bed on the floor. We were expecting to make lots of money. As it turns out my dad made us pay for all our own food and any other toiletries we may have needed. I think I came home with maybe 200 dollars, which is nothing when you compare it to 3 weeks of work. I guess I was too young and inexperienced.

A month later (if you include the travel time to and from WA-LA) I returned to school. That quarter I got all Fs and D’s most of my teachers said it was OK because I learned life lessons that I could not learn in school. If asked I would say I learned how to eat a crawdad, what a Hurricane tasted like, that grits taste bad with salt, sugar or with anything for that matter, don't step on a fire ants nest, don't tell people you can break a hundred, and lastly, don't drink the water !

Bountiful Bowls

2009-03-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

I went to Center Pointe today for their benefit "Bountiful Bowls" . I meet a couple girls from school and their families. You paid 15$ and got soup from local establishments like O'Doherty Irish Grille and Soulfoul Soups. You selected a hand painted bowl to take home. During the meal a slide show was presented explaining the concept of the bowl of soup. The bowl represents your work, cars, home etc. and the soup in the bowl represents your life. Often you see others people's bowls and think how beautiful theirs is and soon you began to concentrate on your bowl and it it's imperfections. You can only see why theirs is so much better than yours. In actuality you should be focusing on the soup, this is what gives you sustenance, this is what keeps you going. They suggested that "the bowl" was just

a tool to help aid you in your life and you must be grateful for what you have. You must celebrate your life, "the soup".

Here we stand proudly holding our bowls. From left to right (Me, Paul (Heidi's paramour) , Torri (Heidi's daughter), Heidi, and Luara)

Las Vegas

2009-01-09T16:17:00.001-08:00

My Dad took me to Las Vegas for New Years. My Dad had received a complimentary room and an invitation to a New Years Eve party in the Grand Ballroom. It was a lot of fun. I did not take very many pictures mostly because I would forget to bring my camera when I left the hotel. This is the view from our room. You can see the stratosphere in the background.

This is the Grand Ballroom. I took this picture way before the New Year's Eve party even started. I was disappointed then when I showed up and they had this really neat ice sculpture. It said 2009 and a bartender pored drinks through the numbers to serve you your drink.

I had forgotten my camera so I went back up to my room later to get it, which took about 10 minutes, got side tracked and forgot to get the camera. I decided not to go back up.

During the party we got free drinks and free dinner. The dinner was neat because they had four separate sections in the room to get food. They served Asian, Italian, and American and then a dessert section with a chocolate fondue fountain. They also had a fountain of champagne and multiple cheese and meat tables.

I actually ended up spending midnight in a glass elevator watching the fireworks on strip, with a stranger, and talking to Aaron on the phone. I never once got drunk in Vegas. I guess I did not spend enough time sitting and gambling. I did not go to any shows. I almost went to the Body Exhibit but I could not rationalize why I should pay 35 dollars to see cadavers when I have dissected them before.

I was happy when it was finally time to go home. I tried to take a picture of the strip while taking off on the plane but the plane was rattling and just gave me streamers. I think it is still interesting although blurry.

Lastly, I took some pictures of the sunset while flying out of Vegas. I love seeing the progression of the sunset and the color changes.

This last one I tilted the camera side ways to see what the picture would end up looking like. To me it sorta looks like you are in outer space taking a picture earth.

30 Years

2008-09-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

This last monday I turned 30 years old. I remeber when I was about 18 not being able to imagine my self at 30. I thought I would be depressed that I was getting so old. I am actually happy about it. I feel I am no longer a young adult but just an adult. This makes me happy. I am almost finished with school, only a year left, and then I will be starting my career. My birthday was pretty uneventful. My mother and father both forgot to call me on my birthday. My sister Kim was the only family member to call me (my brother Barry sent me an email). I hung out in my bedroom all day because the downstairs was 62 degrees. Anyone who knows me knows that is way to cold for me. I was feeling pretty down by the time my boyfriend came home (at this time only my friends had called to wish me happy birthday). Aaron walked in the door with this most beautiful Lilly. This really brightened my day.

The rest of my birthday week turned out better. The next day my mother and father called. On Friday my sister took my brother Barry and I to lunch. We went to the Lunch Box on Francis and Nevada. This is a little to-go place with several different Asian dishes. I love this place, the food is really cheap, you get tons, it is made fresh, and it is good. The only bad thing is it is only open from 11-3 in the afternoon.

100th post

2008-09-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

After much waiting and anticipation I have finally created my 100th post. I had been saving my 100th post for something very special. The only problem was that nothing seemed all to spectacular. After some prodding from my brother I have finally decided to just go for it. So here is a recap of some of the things I did this summer. Nothing to exciting but altogether I hope it is worthy of the title.

My Summer Break

Letterboxing

Every summer I try to go out letterboxing. This particular time I went with Aubrey and Shanoah. This was their first time and so here they are posing for the camera after finding the first letterbox. We only found 3 out of 6 which is always disappointing.

Deep Creek Hike

Frank, my mom, Kaleb and Shanoah and I went on a hike at deep creek. I love this place. The first time I went here was with my brother Barry. This time it seemed much different. Everything seemed greener. In addition, there were many more spots where you had to cross small ponds.

Things felt different for me also because I saw this place with a new perspective. I have been reading the Earths Children Series by Jean Auel. This is a story taking place during the period when cromagnum man and neanderthal lived simultaneously. While walking I thought about how these people would be assessing this land. I also wondered what all these plants were around me and if any of them were edible or had medicinal value.

End of Deep Creek

At the end of the creek you end up at the Spokane river. Near the end of our hike we all started getting a little paranoid. The hike took longer than expected and we were worried we would not make it back to the car before nightfall. We decided to take the dirt road back. We were traveling along the road when we noticed a trail leading back down to the creek. My mother and I wanted to take the trail but Frank was convinced that the car was just up the street a little bit. We tried to convince him the cars were on the opposite side side of the road but he insisted we go forward. We followed him onward until we came to the place he thought the cars were at. They were not there and we had gone to far to turn back. We decided to keep following the road. It was kinda funny because Frank started walking really fast and leaving us all behind. Later my mom asked why he did that and he stated he felt he got us lost and it was his responsibility to get us back safely. I thought that was sweet. When we finally got back to the cars we were are very exhausted, happy and accomplished.

Montana Trip

I went to Missoula Montana to visit my friend Staci. I only spent one night with her but it was so much fun. We went letterboxing several times. We went out to lunch and dinner several times and just talked. It was nice to catch up on everything. I really liked Missoula. There were so many people there walking around in the streets at all times of the day. We also went swiming on the last day. I hadn't swum all summer. The water was a little chilly but it was deep and refreshing. I hope I can go visit her again sometime. I wish I would have taken more pictures but it seemed I always forgot to take my camera.

Nakusp, B.C.

Aaron and I visited Nakusp early this summer. The first thing we saw was a dead bear on the side of the road. I was going to stop and take a picture but then thought it was disrespectful. It was disheartening to see the bear because I have only once ever saw one in the wild. They seem rare and special. It was sad seeing such a special animal dead because of humans.

The rest of the drive seemed long but beautiful. there was green everywhere. We saw many deer but strangely we saw no dead ones. Most of the trip was through the Rockies on this skinny little highway. This was nerve racking for me I was happy when we finally arrived in Nakusp. We stayed at the Leland hotel (pictured below). We were in Canada on business so we did not get to do to much site seeing. Not that there was much to see the town is quite small, but we did get to go to a movie for free.

I really love the small town feel. Someday I hope to live somewhere where I could bike where ever I wanted to go. I The first day there was a farmers market and I got a marble for my mother and I in a little new age little shop. We had to work the rest of the day until late in the evening. Later in the evening we walked around the town and looked at all the closed shops. Up on the eaves of the businesses were orb weaver spiders. The whole town was riddled with them. You had to be careful wear you walked or else you could run right into a web. I did not have that experience but I came so close that I was very careful afterwards.

The next day was Sunday and most of the shops were closed. We walked the beach looking for rocks for both my mother and I. Everywhere I visit have to get a rock. I think I picked up this habit from my mother. We left early to get back home.

We stoped in a town on the way back home, I forget which town , to shop at the Safeway for some items I can no longer find in the US. I did find what I was looking for plus a bonus. In Canada they have ketchup potato chips. When we were at the store it seemed that everyone was buying them. I had to get some for myself to try, seeing that I absolutely love ketchup. These chips are so strange in appearance. They are covered in a red coating and taste a little bit like salt and vinegar potato chips with and aftertaste of ketchup. I actually liked them and wish I would have brought home more. I wonder now if they ever tried to market these in the US.

Leland Hotel

The Leland hotel is the oldest hotel in British Columbia and it showed. Our room was very small and there was cobwebs on the lights. Within the hotel there is a lounge. Aaron and I had a couple drinks there. It was funny because everyone in the bar kept droping things including money. Although old the The Leland is located on a beatiful lake.

Arrow Lake

Lunch With Barry

2007-11-28T22:47:00.001-08:00

Had another lunch metting with my brother Barry. We went to De Leon's. This place is really cool. It is a couple blocks off Division on Francis. I discovered this place sometime this last summer. They advertised "tortilla made fresh daily". I love Mexican food so I had to go in and check it out. Ever since then I have been hooked. They have this great marinaded steak called Ranchero Marinada or something similar to that. They also have a deli but I had never tried it out. My brother suggested we go there to the deli for lunch. I had asked him previously to look at a presentation on vision impairment that I had to give in class. He agreed to listen and give me pointers and we scheduled a time for lunch. The food was great and after spending an hour at De Leon's we left to go take pictures of this frozen waterfall I had seen the night before. The night before the snow was falling heavily and the waterfall glowed in the night. Coming back in the day it looked less magnificent and someone had put antifreeze in the water to help melt it and so it had a pink hue to it. Regardless, I really love this picture of my brother. He seems to be glowing. Maybe he stole the glow from the waterfall I had seen the night before. Below is a close up of the icicles. You can see the pink at the tip whcih give's it a strange appearance.

Free Rice

2007-11-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

I just recently found this website. It seems legitimate, but you never know these days. What you do is you go to this website called Free Rice and they give you a word and you have to choose the correct synonym. Every time you get one right they donate 10 grains of rice. They monitor your vocabulary level and how much rice you have accumulated. I think it is pretty cool because you get to improve your vocabulary and help people at the same time. Check it out!

My New Obsession

2007-11-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

I am very busy in school, but one thing I make sure I always have time for is a book. I recently started reading The Cat Who... series by Lilian Jackson Braun. The stories focus around a man in his 50's with two Siamese cats. One of the cats has "psychic" abilities. The man lives and writes for a stories for his small town newspaper and for some reason people are always getting murdered around him.

There is something about these books I really love.There usually is no sex, which is something I usually always have in my books. That isn't why I read those other books though ( I read horror, and murder/mystery books which usually always contain sex).I don't even like cats that much. The main character is in his 50's and doesn't like children so I don't relate much to him. There is so much I don't like about the books but I am so hooked. I go all over town trying to find cheap used copies. I have about 10 more out of 29 to collect. I am getting kinda worried because the author was supposedly born in 1913, she probably will not be around for much longer. She could be dead by now for all I know. I guess that is kinda of selfish but I will miss it when these books are no longer made.

If you scroll further down I have posted several different pictures of the same book. I put these on because I was so amazed at how different each book cover was from country to country. I thought international books looked all the same but just in a different language. I find this so interesting. I feel each book cover shows a little bit about what that country finds exciting/interesting. If you look, the main focus on the U.S. book is a knife with bloody footprints. But, in the other country's books,except Germany, the main focus is on the man in or the cat. The French one is just plain strange, the cats look nothing like how the cats are in the books. Enjoy examining the books, I sure did. Tell me if you get any impressions about them.

Book Covers of The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

2007-11-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

United States

French

Italian

Dutch

German

My Birthday

2007-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 29th birthday with friends and family on September 22. We went to PJ'S Bar and Grill and had some drink. . It was a lot of fun. I love this picture. Everyone has got such a nice smile. Aubrey and I even sang Karaoke. We sang "Walking on Broken Glass" and "Santeria". It was so much fun having everyone around and having a good time. Aubrey bought me this drink called the Four Horseman. I guess it has four different liquors in it all starting with J; Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Jose Quervo. It was to strong from me.

Aubrey and I

2007-10-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Me after my shot. Aubrey is in the background lauging at me.

Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor

2007-09-15T13:22:00.001-07:00

I went to Doyle's Ice Cream for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It has been around for many years. I used to drive by it all the time but it was always closed. It is now regularly open until 9 at night, at least during the summer time. The first time I went I did not have my camera so I went back with Frank and Kaleb yesterday to have some ice cream and take pictures. All their ice cream is homemade and they have flavors like banana, coconut, and bubble gum. It is cheap too. If you want to find the place head over to the west side of town and take Boone off of the Maple and Ash one ways heading west.

Kaleb

2007-09-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Kaleb and I had the black licorice ice cream. The waitress said Doyle's is the only place in Spokane that serves it. Not only does it taste good but it leaves really cool black lips.

Check This Out!!

2007-08-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

This was a scary site. My cousin and I went and took pictures at the Bowl and Pitcher for her senior photos and happened upon a group of people jumping into the river. It was an amazing site. The river was kinda low but still very fast and you could see rocks jutting up all over the place, but that did not stop these people. I think it was actually a class or training exercise. Even though the river was raging, these brave people seemed to be in complete control. I wish I could be so brave. I remember someone once told me that if you ever get caught in a river you can't fight the river you must swim with the current and aim toward the shore. The swimmers seemed to use this same technique.

Outing with Aubrey

2007-08-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Bryce/Zoolander

Carinna

Myra

My friend Aubrey, her kids, my niece and nephew and I all went to Pine River Park this monday to go swimming. This was the first time I had seen Bryce since he was a little baby less than a month old. I hadn't talked to my friend Aubrey in years when she contaced my on myspace. It is nice to meet up with old friends (at least most of the time). Her kids were great. I choose this picture of Myra to put up because she looks like she has a halo. She is a sweet little girl, a little angle. Her son was cracking joke from the first minute I meet him. Carinna posed for all her pictures just like a super model. This was my favorite one of her. I had to choose this one of Bryce because he got so upset that Aubrey called him Zoolander Male Supermodel, but really he does look like him in this shot. I will have to get a picture of Aubrey sometime too. The only one I got she had a cell phone to her ear.

Simpsonized

2007-07-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

I went and saw the Simpson movie last night with my boyfriend and his son. It was a great movie. I laughed through the whole movie. I even gasped in shock a cpl times. Today I went and saw what I would look like if I was a Simpson character at simpsonizeme.com it will be fun to see how everyone else looks.

My First Shot

2007-07-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning up my room when out of the corner of my eye I saw this big black plume of smoke. I had had a really scary nightmare just the night before about alien invader and for a moment I was sure it was them. Moments later I was running out the door with my camera in hand. These next few pictures is some of what I saw.

Explosions

2007-07-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

When I was taking the pictures I heard a few small explosions. This is a photo after the explosions. The flames got big and I could feel the heat of the fire. My heart started racing and for the first time I got a little scared. When I came home Aaron looked at me all crazy because my face was beat red from all the heat.

Fireman

2007-07-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

I always have to get at least one photo of the fireman at work.

Spectators

2007-07-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

I have never seen so many people at one scene before. Usually, I guess, I am late getting there so there is just stragglers. I couldn't believe they were allowing so much traffic by. When I got there I only saw two police and the fire trucks were still arriving.

Fire Ball

2007-07-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

This was one of the last photos I took. I was on the phone with my friend and she was telling me to leave because the news was saying that if the bigger tanks went off I would be a gonner.

Seattle Vacation

2007-06-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

My Mother and I visited Seattle for a little vacation this last weekend. We stayed with my Aunt Laurie in West Seattle. It was a lot of fun. I told myself this time I would not be taking tons of pictures. Last time when I went to Virginia on vacation I swear I saw everything through the camera. I didn't want to do that this time. Does this gorilla remind you of a Sasquatch?

Vashon Island

2007-06-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here our some photos from Vashon Island. The first photo is looking out into the ocean. The second is my favorite from the trip even though I am not sure anyone but me can tell what it is without close inspection. I just love close up/detail photos.

Ferry Ride

2007-06-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my Mom and Kaleb on the way to Vashon Island. I have always loved ferrys. Kaleb at one point jumped on the rail and made both my mom's and my heart stop. I went out quickly and grabbed Kaleb. He got upset cause I raised my voice. I wish kids understood that you are not really mad at them but you really are just scared when they do things like that.

Seattle Center

2007-06-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

This fountain is huge, you can't tell in the first photo but you sure can in the second. My Mom says we used to love plaing in this thing. It looks like a lot of fun even now. To bad it was so cold that day.

Butterfly Garden

2007-06-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

We went to the Seattle Science Center on our trip to Seattle. This was my favorite place when I was a kid. I absolutely loved that place. When we got there the first building we entered was the dinosaur exhibit. Bubba and I were very disappointed. I mean dinosaurs are neat but they are not that fun. I started getting scared. I asked my mom, "is this it?" I was scared because I know since I have grown up I have revisited places that I remember being huge and they turn out to be really small. I was afraid this was one of those times. It turns out we were just in building 5 of 5. What a relief. The science center held up to my expectations. I was so happy to revisit it. The pictures above was of the butterfly exhibit. This was absolutely amazing. It was a room full of butterflies. The only bad part about it was I couldn't get and good pictures. I can't wait until I can get a better camera with manual capabilities.

Mom's Plant

2007-06-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. I bought a baby version of this plant for my Mom for Mother's Day. I am excited to see if hers will really get this big. I hope it does. It is so neat looking.

Manito Park

2007-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

My cousin Krystina, Kaleb, Shanoah and I went to Manito park to take pictures and have fun. I think this one is my favorite ones of Krystina.

Kaleb

2007-05-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

I took this picture about a year ago or so. I just learned tonight that I can email my self pictures. I posed him this was because he looked kinda evil like the little boy on the grudge but he sure doesn't look evil in this picture. I think this is one of the cutest pictures I have seen of him. I wish it wasn't done with my phone.

Neighbor day at Cannon park

2007-04-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

My Sister, Trent, Kaleb and I all meet up a Cannon park today for the neighborhood carnival. There was tons of things to do. They had 3 bouncing castles, cake walks, beanie toss, pinata, face painting and tons more. They handed out all sorts of freebies. Washington Mutual even handed out children's books. It was great. I wish the whole family could of made it. Here Kaleb and Trent are battling it out. I think Trent had the most fun. He always knows how to have a good time.

Kaleb and Kim

2007-04-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kaleb is making his own cupcake here.

The Doughnut Eating Contest

2007-04-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

The first kid to eat the doughnut from the sting won a soda. The kid in the red shirt was the slowest at first then he ended up wining. This was so funny to watch. The problem was trying to get the doughnut in your mouth.

Crazy Story

2007-03-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Kaleb was over for the weekend. We were kinda bored and restless so we decided to take the bus to Riverfront Park. On the way there I asked how long he thought he would like to stay and he insisted that he would want to stay for 3 hours. Of course, after spending and hour downtown he was ready to go. On the way back he was dragging his feet and taking short breaks along the way. When we finally got to the bus stop he sat down as you see here to rest his legs. This is where it gets crazy. We were just waiting for the bus when an old man in a power wheelchair (probably drunk if not that, then at least crazy) with missing teeth and wild hair. He comes up to us and starts mumbling to us. I can't quite understand him but I know he is talking about Kaleb sitting there by the fire hydrant. I say, "oh he is just resting his feet." I thought the man was just lonely and making conversation. He then states, "Is that your kid!?" I say "Yeah?" Then he yells, "Well you need to bundle that kid and take him home." "That is what were doing," I state. "WELL BUNDLE HIM UP AND GET HIM HOME!" I got a little upset with this. I say to him, " Ok I am done you need to just move along!" He starts mumbling some other things I can not hear. He starts talking to Kaleb, "Why you sitting there boy?" "Huh, boy?" Kaleb puts his hand over his face which I thought he did because the guy was embarrassing him. The old man says to me, "Why is he covering his face?" "BECAUSE, you are embarrassing him" I say. " "Oh I am not" he states. Kaleb finally comes over to me. I refused to tell Kaleb to get up because I am stubborn and I didn't want him to think I thought he was right in saying that Kaleb should not be sitting there. Once Kaleb got up the guy says, "There you go kid," and then he just sits there for a long while. Me and Kaleb continue to ignore him and eventually he starts to leave. But, it was so funny. Instead of going forward to cross the street he rode backwards and watched us the whole way. Later once we get on the bus Kaleb expressed how "mean" the guy was. He said that the man said stuff I couldn't here like I am going to put a knife in your heart. I told my mom this story and she says, " I don't think I want you guys riding the bus anymore!!!"
This story is funny now. I am still kinda mad at this guy for passing judgment when he had no idea what was going on and scaring my nephew. This story reminds me of the time when Barry and I were downtown one afternoon. We had just gotten off the bus and were walking downtown. Barry had me hold his hand so that we wouldn't get separated. As most know me and my brother look nothing alike and he 8 years older than me. I guess you can see where this is heading. So were walking down the sidewalk hand in hand when this old women hits my brother with a cane and says, "you pervert!!" He turn around and yells, " YOU WITCH!!" How hilarious couldn't help from laughing while writing this!!

Happy 36th

2007-03-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

I went to my brothers 36th birthday today. His girls are displaying the sighn they made for him. All the kids were so excited about it. They could barley sit still waiting for him to show.

Happy Birthday Cooper!!

2007-03-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Today was Coopers third birthday. I am sure many will say this isn't worthy of conversation but I was really excited for his birthday. I was also kinda of sad because he is three now and can no longer be considered a puppy of any sorts. I don't have children and so he is kinda my child. We had ribs for dinner so he could have a special treat. He normally dosen't get people food so this was a nice treat for him.

Birthday Lunch

2007-03-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

As you notice I have no picture from my Birthday lunch with Barry. You must blame him though. We went to Qdoba for lunch. If you have never been there you should try it out. Their burritos are huge. I wanted to take a picture with my brother putting this huge burrito in his mouth but he absolutely refused. This is why I have no photo!! We had good lunch regardless though.

Message in a Bottle

2007-02-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

Mom, Kaleb, David and I all went down to the river today. Mom just wanted to get the kids out of the house for a while and I of course wanted to search for a letterbox. We had no luck finding the letterbox. The clues were very vague, (look for a pine tree with a boulder to the west of it). If you have ever been anywhere on the Spokane river you know there is pine trees everywhere. In the process though we found this bottle. We decided (after pouring out the remnants of liquor) to put a message in the bottle and send it down the river. It was a lot of fun. We left an email in hopes that someone will find it and let us know they found the bottle.

David and Kaleb

2007-02-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

David and Kaleb are displaying the bottle before it is sent on it's journey. Ain't they cute.

The Dam

2007-02-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Lastly, we went and explored the dam. I think we had the most fun here. We tried throwing things into the whirlpools and collected rocks and driftwood by the dam. At one point the kids disappeared. I panicked. I started looking and yelling for them. I was sure they had falling into the dam. Ever since I was a child I have had this fear of falling off a dam. I eventually found them up on this ledge. I started yelling at them. What they heck you guys doing up there, you could fall I then noticed the big chain link fence. I laughed and apologized for getting all excited. They of course payed no attention to me anyways and went about their business.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2006-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

It has been years since I have made a snowman; I thought he turned out pretty cute. It was lots of fun Kaleb seemed to enjoy himself also.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish all my family and friends a happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

An Apology...

2006-11-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I guess I owe those who come visit me regularly an explanation why I haven't updated my blog in over a month. Since returning back to school at EWU I feel I haven't had any time to take pictures or keep up on my blog. All my studying is paying off though. I am doing really well in all of my classes. I am only taking 14 credits this quarter but it fells more like 18. I am taking Anatomy and Physiology this quarter, Chemistry, Medical Terminology and Stress and Coping to handle it all. HA HA!! Just this last week I had SIX test. It was kinda crazy but I got A's on all of them. In addition my boyfriend has my camera at work and hasn't returned it yet so I have not been able to take pictures. I really want to take a picture of that bridge that you see going on I-90 over the river. I really like that bridge and I see it every morning on my way to school. So I am sorry to all that visit my blog in that I have bored you so much over the last month. Things should settle down soon and I will try to update more reguraly. Thanks for being loyal.

Hiawatha Trail

2006-09-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Frank Kaleb and I went on the Hiawatha Trail this weekend. It was great. I didnt get tons of good photos I think a lot of that had to do with everything looking so smokey from all the fires. You can see the milkyness of the sky. The ride down was quite fun. My favorite part was the tunnels. Some were pitch black and you had to use a flashlight. I told Kaleb to watch out for the "slow mutants". I read about the "slow mutants" in Stephen King's Dark tower series. At one point Kaleb was coasting through the tunnels kicking the whole time to keep the slow mutants at bay. He did such a great job. He got almost all the way to the bottom (he had only 20ft to go) when his chain fell off and he fell. I think the ride is excellent and is perfect for families. Everyone up there was so friendly. Everytime you passed somone they would smile and say hi.

In case anyone is interested in going on the Hiawatha trail click here to find out more.

Seattle vacation

2006-09-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

My mother had a wedding to attend in Bothell Washington this weekend. I decided I would go along and stay with my Aunt Debbie. We left Friday and came back Sunday. My Aunt Cecilia and My Grandma Alice also attended the weeding. It was so hilarious. One of the first things my grandmother says to us when she see us is that her lights along her sidewalk were stolen. She was so furious. My grandmother of 80 and very religious women say," Those people better not hope I find them or I will KILL EM." it was to funny not to laugh especially because she sounded so serious. We headed on our way and got to Seattle safely. We had such a great time and I got to see most of my family on my dad's side. I didn't get to see my Aunt Laurie because she was in Hawaii. We did many fun things which you can read about farther down in my blog. Enjoy!! I know it has been awhile since I have updated my blog :-)

Our Carriage ride

2006-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Debbie payed for us to go on a carriage ride. It was the first time I have ever done that. The seat were very comfortable and the ride was so smooth. IT was really more fun than I thought it was going to be. I was convinced everyone would be looking at us. It was beautiful out this day, around 85.

Angel

2006-09-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Angel is posing for me here.

Debbie and CeCe

2006-09-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my Aunts posing for a pictureon the carriage ride. I think they both look so cute here.

2006-09-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

If you see this man and bus in Seattle don't take a picture unless of course you want to pay a "picture donation". It wasn't really a donation all things considered. Here the man is yelling at my mom, "HEY LADY, DID YOU MAKE A DONATION!!??" My mom had already paid her "donation" It just kinda strikes me as ironic considering he has the name Jesus all over his bus.

2006-09-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Looking out over the pier.

2006-09-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

My mom and Frank are planning on returning to Seattle to ride on this sailboat. It is really cheap only $25 per person for and hour and half it should be fun.

Aunt Cecila

2006-09-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to go to the Underground tour in Downtown Seattle but didnt get a chance because the tour time was full. It was kinda dissapointing but ohwell we still had fun. This glasses made me laugh so hard I had to put the picture up. I even got permission to put her on my blog.

Uncle Randy

2006-09-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my Uncle Randy and his daugter Allegra.

My Family

2006-09-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here is some of my family from left to right; Mom, Cousin Allegra, Aunt Debbie, Cousin Jessica and her mom Aunt Patty. We went to Lincon Park in Seattle and had a Little Family get together. We found two letterboxes and ate a wonderful b-b-q that my Aunt Debbie set up. It was nice to see everyone.

Finch Arboretum

2006-07-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

My mother and the kids all went letterboxing today. My mom almost went crazy and I had a huge headache afterwards. But really, when the kids where not getting hurt and not arguing it was enjoyable. Here the kids play in the creek that flow through Finch Arboretum.

Ghost in the Graveyard?

2006-07-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

We did the thousand steps cemetry letterbox today. Somthing kinda strange happend when we were there. We were all walking back from the letterbox my nephew yell out hey I just saw some little kid chasing a goose. We all start looking around for them and we don't see the kid or anyone else for that matter. I began asking Dakota questions. How tall is the kid? Dakota holds his hand up to about where his knees are. Well where is this kids parents? Where did the kid go? We keep looking around when one of the other kids point in the direction where the kid was seen and says look," those gravestones have little lambs on them". We go over and sure enough they are little kids gravestones. One child lived to be 2 and the other was only 1. Here is Ashley and my mother reading the dates on the graves. It seems kinda strange don't you think.

Liberty Lake

2006-07-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

My family and a couple of my friends went to Liberty Lake today. The water was great and we all seemed to have a good time. I am such a geek and spent alot of my time trying to find stuff under the water. I never did find anything but last year i did find a spider man figure. Although you have to pay two dollars to swim I think it was well worth it. The beach was nice and sandy and all the milfoil was taken out from the swiming area. The only problem we seemed to have was the fish niping at your legs.

Spider Identified

2006-07-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

I went to this really cool site where you can ask experts questions about all sorts of topics. He says that this spider belongs to the Genus Argiope. It is an orb weaver spider and mentioned this particular spider as one of his favorite spider growing up. To vist this site click here.

Big Spider

2006-07-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

I can not take credit for these photos. Anyone who knows me know I am deathly afraid of spiders. I found this spider in my mom's backyard. These picture's do not even do her justice. You must zoom in on the last one anc see her fangs. I sent an email to an expert in hopes he can help me identify the spider. Or maybe you have seen this spider around your house and know what it is?

Camping

2006-07-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

My cousin Krystina took this photo out of the car window driving to Lake Roosevelt for Fourth of July Weekend. It is funny how two different people can see a situation as different from one another. I had a great time out on the lake, spending time with friends and family. Yet our hosts seemed to have had a horrible time. I think life is a matter of perception. I used to anger my mothers ex-husband by saying you can never have a bad day it just is a matter of how you perceive it. He would say to me well what if my family died in a horrible car accident ( or something to that effect) are you telling me that could be a good day. I would say yes and he would grunt and turn away, trying to figure out a new way to rebut. I still think this is true but I sure wish it was easier to perceive bad days as good days.

Ewww!!

2006-07-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

When My boyfriend first started playing Softball I told him I was worried he would get hurt. He say "no I will be fine" In his second to last game He tore his Achilles tendon and will most likely need surgery.

Riverwalk

2006-06-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Frank, Mom, the dogs and I all went for a walk this afternoon along Pettit Drive(part of the bloomsday course). I used to walk along here several times a week during the summer. It is so beautiful. I really miss it.

V.O.I.C.E.S.

2006-06-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Jeff from V.O.I.C.E.S. visited my Intro to Social Work class this week along with others. He spoke about being the"Invisible man". He says that he is invisible because of he is an African American in a white society. In addition, he is highly educated and is a single father raising two kids. This was his second time visiting us and he is very interesting to listen to. This week he also told us about all the services he has had to use in the community to keep himself and his family alive. For any of you unfamiliar with this organization., V.O.I.C.E.S. is a community based program that focuses on educating people about poverty. They meet monthly and provide a dinner and daycare so people are motivated to attend. For more information on this organization click here.

EWU EAGLES

2006-06-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well it is the end of the year for me. I have one more final and I am done for the summer. I am happy that I dont have to stress about tests anymore but I think I will miss school during the summer. You can find this eagle on the EWU campus over my Senior Hall. It is even more amazing in person.

Class of 2006

2006-05-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Moses Graduates

2006-05-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

My brother Barry Graduated from Whitworth College today. He earned his Masters in Education. CONGRATS Barry!!!!! Barry sang and read from the scriptures during the ceremony he sang and spoke in Salish. It was the best and most interesting part of the ceremony but I may be biased. I am very proud of him and wish him well.

Lucky to be Alive!!

2006-05-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to count your blessings

Cinco De Mayo

2006-05-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Cinco de Mayo for any that have forgotten. We had a celebration at the school I attend, E.W.U. There was music food and face painting for the kids. When I was in highschool I learned about Cinco de Mayo. I was told the French intended to take over Mexico they had many more soldiers and better weapons the Mexicans were expected to lose horribly. Yet, there was a big storm on the ocean and the French were not prepared for it and so the Mexicans defeated the French and celebrated yet only temporarily. The French in a couples days time re-grouped and came back to defeat Mexico. This may not be very accurate but that is what I recover from years ago. My teacher says that in Mexico Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated. People in the United States seem to make a bigger deal out of it.

Dad

2006-05-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

My Dad recently got in a car accident. His story is as follows; he says he was driving and the wind blew up a bunch of dust he slowed down becuase visiblity was so poor. Then somone from behind rear-ended him and spun him around and another car then hit him. He has a broken hip, clavical, and several broken ribs. He seems to be doing very good and may be released tomorrow. It is kinda scarry seing your Dad so beat up but I am glad he is recovering so well.

Batcave

2006-05-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is a view from my Dad's hospital window. I call it the Batcave because if you look at it head on it looks like Batman's Place. It is very noticable marker here in Spokane.

Barry

2006-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

My brother is the only person I know who likes their picture taken. He claims he is searching for the perfect picture. I think he just likes looking at himself
;-) This one is my favorite.

Bowl and Pitcher

2006-04-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

My brother and I hiked around the Bowl and Picher today and took pictures it was pretty fun. The Bowl and Pitcher is part of Riverside National Park. It gets it's name from the rock formation seen here. It is supposed to resemble a pitcher. I have yet to find the bowl but my thought is the bowl is the river. What do you think?

2006-04-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite features of the Bowl and Pitcher is this suspension bridge. I love the way it sways and how close to the water it makes you feel.

2006-04-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

My brother found his first letterbox. Here you see him writing a message for the owner of the box.

Softball

2006-04-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

My boyfreind just started sotball last week and it is much more fun than I ever would of thought. He is the pitcher and he does a really awesome job. In fact last monday he only walked 2 people and only allowed 2 home runs. The game ended early I was told because that if a team is up by more than 10 points in the first 5 inning you automatically win. The end score was 20 to 10.

Isn't it funny....

2006-03-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

My brother Brad used to be the trouble maker in the family. He never did anything to horrible but he was definitely one to watch. But now, I have been just informed that he is an E-7 in the military. His wife Jacqueline says , "Brad made the E-7 list. He should be promoted with in the next couple of months! He was the only one in his company that made the list. He is very fortunate; it was a small list this time." I am very proud of him and I am glad that he found his little niche in life. Above is a picture of what his new E-7 patch looks like. He is moving up real fast maybe someday he will make it to top rank of E-9 which would be a very difficult task to do but I have faith in him.

Breakfast with Grandma

2006-03-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

My Grandma, Dad, and cousin Krystina all went to the Sons of Norway for breakfast. This was really great. My cousin just moved here from Puyallup Washington and I have not gotten to know her in years. She has grown up so much and is turning into a very responsible young girl. It was also great to spend time with my Grandma Gene who I do not go and see enough. It was also very nice to see my Dad we do not seem to do much either. We all meet this women that you see sited at the end of the table. She was a real pleasure to talk with. She was an old friend of my Grandmothers from North Dakota. I think she said she was 86 yet she was so full of life and energy. She gave the breakfast an interesting twist because she was such a great story teller.

Grandma's 80th

2006-03-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my Grandmother Alice's 80th birthday at Tomato Street on St. Patricks day. She is doing great for being 80. I just hope that when I get to that age that I am as healthy as she is.

Gonzaga at Night

2006-03-13T23:46:00.000-08:00

The shutter delay created some neat effects.

2006-03-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

The firman stood awfully still for this photo.

Gonzaga Fire

2006-03-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

Church steeples.

With the Gonzaga basketball team doing so well there has been an increase amount of students applying to Gonzaga. I have heard that some students even reside in hotels around the school. Gonzaga therefore needed more dorms. The projected cost of building the new dorms was anywhere from 8-10 million dollars. All hopes of new residency was dashed when the unfinished Gonzaga dormitories caught fire earlier this morning. Rumors slowly unfold saying that it was a possible portable heater that caused the destruction. Scroll down to see more photos of the fire.

2006-03-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Firmen watch the fire too.

2006-03-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Interior of building.

2006-03-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Brave fireman.

2006-03-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Back side of building.

I ride by this building every morining on may way to school. I watched it slowly form and today I watched it smolder in ruins. It is almost sad, yet I can not figure out why. The building was incomplete and no one was harmed but I feel a real sense of loss.

2006-03-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

A recent survery was done asking Americans what their five freedoms were. It turned out that only 1 in 1000 could answer this question yet 22% can name all five Simpsons characters. Can you? You might ask yourself why this is important. The truth of the matter is knowing your five freedoms is not as important as knowing how they are being taken away from you. For more information on this survey Click here.

I recently attended a speech on the Patriot Act. I learned that many of our rights are being taken away because of this. The Patriot Act allows goverment officials to tap in to my phone, computer, and personal life if they feel I am a threat. Yet ask yourself how many terrorist have been caught from these tactics. Neither you nor I can go on to the internet and learn about Islalmic religion with out the threat of being watched. This truly does happen. For more information about the ACLU click here.

2006-02-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

The mouth of the creek opens in to the Spokane river. At the mouth is a road and a bridge that you can take back to were you came from. The road is much eaisner than the "short cut" my brother and I took. Along the road is Deep Creek Overlook, this is the view you can see from there with the Spokane river in the distance. In additon for all you letterboxing fans there is a letterox hidden at Deep Creek. For any of those who are unfamilar with letterboxing please check out this site. http://www.letterboxing.org/

2006-02-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

My brother and I went to Deep Creek near the ORV park here in Spokane to take pictures. As it turns out I just learned to walk. I had quite the fall gettin down to the creek bed infact I fell in front of two cute guys out hiking and taking photgraphs. Everything was quite beautiful if only the sun had shone....

2006-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

This one I also found very interesting.

2006-01-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

I was wandering around downtown waiting for my brother when I found this neat little art gallery. Here is a piece of one of my favorite sculptors.

2006-01-15T00:17:00.000-08:00

I went with my mother and her boyfriend today to check out the flooding river banks. This is a picture of someones backyard in Peacful Valley. We also travel along the Little Spokane river and took picuters.

2006-01-15T00:12:00.000-08:00

Could I have possibly captured some ecto-plasam from a ghost...... NO this is actully fog on my lens from all this darn rain we have been having.

2005-12-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

Pit Bull Terror

Newspaper headlines paint a horrifying picture of the American Pit Bull Terrier A.K.A. the Pit Bull. All across the nation headlines depict gruesome attacks by Pit Bulls. Legislators are bombarded by concerned citizens to enact breed specific Pit Bull bans. The banning of Pit Bulls has become very controversial. One side states that the Pit Bull is more deadly than any other breed of dog and therefore must be banned. The other side states that it is not the breed that is the problem rather people who raise the dog improperly.

The Pit Bull was created in the early 1800’s in England. They were trained to fight bulls in the ring purely for human entertainment. Later “bull baiting” was outlawed and the breed became popular for dog fighting. The Pit Bull’s physical attributes and fighting techniques are different than any other breed of dogs which made them ideal for fighting. The Pit Bull has a very large head and is bred to have very large musculature surrounding its jaw that gives it the ability to hold and lock its jaw around its adversary. The dog is stocky and has greater muscle proportion than other breeds. Unlike most dogs when the Pit Bull attacks it holds and shakes its prey. There are also excellent attributes related to the breed. They were trained to show no human aggression because the owner of the dog often time stayed in the ring with the dog when fighting. Other personality attributes of the dog are strength, courage, and their willingness to please their master (Huemer, 32-33).

People claim that these inherent traits are what make the breed aggressive. Yet there are many other things that can contribute to aggressive behavior in a dog. Randall Lockwood, an authority on dog behavior with the Humane Society of the United States says, “… [One] of the best predictors of canine aggression is whether a dog has been neutered, or surgically stripped of its sex organs” (qtd. in Ebersole, 4). Another factor could be the dog is instinctually protecting its territory. This is seen when people are attacked when trying to enter a private property. One more example is when a dog attacks because it is with a group of dogs. Nicholas Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at Tufts University and author of the book Dogs Behaving Badly says “evidence from several hundred fatal dog attacks suggests that some domestic dogs will return to those savage instin[cts] when they gather in a pack” (qtd. in Ebersole, 4).
Yet the biggest contributing factor that results in dogs turning aggressive is irresponsible owners. Irresponsible owners are those that encourage or reward aggressive behavior. “Lockwood, an authority on dog behavior states "In most cases of [fatal] dog bites, a person has encouraged or allowed a dog to become dangerous" (qtd. in Ebersole, 4). In addition aggressive dogs come from those who do not know how to raise a dog. Leslie Sinclair, a veterinarian formerly employed by HSUS states, "A lot of pit bulls involved in attacks have never had a chance to be around people," attesting to the devastating effects of social isolation upon an

animal” ( qtd. in Huemer, 33)

Many people go out and buy a dog on impulse without fully informing themselves on how to raise that particular breed. A classic case of this was seen when the movie 101 Dalmatians was released. Hordes of people went out and purchased a Dalmatian and then later found it unsuitable for their busy lifestyles. Many children were bitten by these hyper-active dogs. Thousands of Dalmatians where abandoned at shelters. Pati Dane, a Dalmatian enthusiast and founder of Dalmatian Rescue in North Miami Beach, Florida stated:
“January 1st, people were knocking on our door, bringing us Dalmatian puppies, whose family-run rescue center took in 250 Dalmatians in the first six months of 1997 -- triple the number they'd taken in during any previous full year” (qtd. in Nissen).

The problem seen here is what is happening with Pit Bulls. The demand for these dogs is created by the media. The dog becomes popular amongst drug dealers and the like and people run to get them. Norma Woolf part of the Dog Owner's Guide says, “Market demands increase, commercial kennels and breeders produce more puppies, and registrations rise. Commercial kennels and casual breeders produce litters of these dogs, often leading to a decline in health and temperament in the rush to sell puppies” (Wolff). This is destructive for any breed.

The news coverage of Pit Bulls creates a double edged sword. First it informs citizens of the dangers these dogs could possibly pose, but they do not educate the community on how to protect themselves. Sometimes this causes people to be over cautious creating new problems. Children who have heard the horror stories of Pit Bulls panic when they see one. They often times will scream and run which makes any dog instinctually chase even if it is not aggressive. Additionally, dogs are able to pick up on human fear and when they sense this fear it can often times make them nervous and cause them to attack. Secondly the media coverage makes them popular and creates a demand for aggressive bred Pit bulls by those who favor those traits. The Pit Bull is now seen as a status symbol amongst drug dealers/users, criminals and deviant youth. You go through the neighborhoods where you know drugs are a problem and in every other yard there is a Pit Bull. An undercover officer from a meth lab clean up unit in Spokane says 80% of the meth homes they go into have Pit Bulls, 20% of these dogs are shot on site and the others are sent to shelters were they are most likely euthanized.

What are our possible solutions to the problem? Victims and the media argue that we should ban the breed entirely. In fact many countries across the world already have. In Ontario Canada Pit Bans already have been enacted. Those that already own Pit Bulls are allowed to keep them yet the dogs must be muzzled when it is out of it fence and are required to be spayed or neutered. The Attorney General of Toronto supports this bill he states, "People want to be protected from the menace of these dangerous dogs. Some of these dogs are nothing but a loaded weapon waiting to go off and so we are taking action to make our communities safer" (Crone).
There are many arguments against this harsh solution. First, the bans on Pit Bulls do not address the true problem which is that bad owners create the problem not the dog itself. Bad breeding and improper raising of these dogs is ultimately the true cause of Pit bull attacks. If you ban the breed this does not truly get to the root of the problem. When you ban the Pit and they are no longer available a new breed of dog becomes popular such as the Rottweiler or the Doberman Pincher. It is then trained to be aggressive like the Pit Bull. This has been seen through out the century. It started with the German Shepard. They were trained for herding yet became very popular after World War I as guard dogs. This proved devastating for the breed. It faced the same fate as the currently popular Pit Bull. Rory Frost, author of the history of German Shepherds writes,
“Any dog with erect ears became a new 'Wolf Dog' and business was brisk. Anyone with a spare cellar, an unused back yard, coal house, woodshed, outhouse, box, or cage bred 'em. The the[sic] media ever ready to fan flames, campaigned against these 'half wolves let loose on British society'. It was a mess.”

Next came the Doberman Pincher in the 1950’s and now the Pit Bull and Rottweiler of today.
Proponents for Pit Bull bans often times site The Center for Disease control which reports that, “pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of the deaths for which the breed was known.” The problem with this statement is the term pit-bull type dogs. You must ask yourself what is the pit-bull type dog? Does it include the Staffodshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, and American Pit Bull or does it include all the dogs that are not properly identified by the victim and the media. As a matter of fact, there are twenty five breeds that are often times mistake as the pit bull (www.pbrc.net). The other assumption made and created by the media is that there is problem with Pit Bulls to begin with. Judy Cohen and John Richardson performed a study on the rising “Pitt Bull Panic” caused by the media, they stated:
“Of the 72 stories that the New York Times published on Pit Bulls between 1987 and 2000, 26 (over one third) covered Pit Bull attacks on people. Twenty two stories covered legislation restricting Pit Bull ownership; nine described Pit Bull owners, who are portrayed as the dregs of society. Interestingly, in the last few years, five articles were favorable, or at least more evenhanded, towards Pit Bulls.”
Examining the statistics the C.D.C used, I have also come to the conclusion that the problem is not as big as portrayed (Phillips, 837). In fact, the National Safety Council shows you had a 1 in 15,966,734 chance of being killed by a dog. In other words, you had a greater chance of a death from tripping and falling than from dieing from a dog attack in 2002(nsc.org).

The second argument against Pit Bull bans is that if you ban the breed you end up punishing the victim, the dogs, not the true culprits, the owners. Each Pit Bull ban is different. Some, such as the bans in Denver, allow for ruthless treatment for the Pit Bull. Rowland Nethaway a senior editor of The Waco Tribune-Herald writes,
“Never mind that there is no such official breed as a pit bull, the Denver pit-bull ban authorizes animal control officers to confiscate any dog they think resembles a pit bull. The dogs, according to an Associated Press story, are put on death row in the city's animal shelter where they are destroyed at an average of more than three a day.”
Hundreds of these dogs were family pets and had never been in trouble before. In addition some of these dogs were not even pit bulls but they resembled Pit Bulls and were therefore euthanized. (Nethaway)

The third argument against pit bull banning is what many are calling the “slippery slope”. Once one breed is banned another breed is popularized and then later banned. This is especially evident in Italy where they have restricted over 92 breeds of dogs; such breeds include corgis and border collies, writes Greg Narbey a professor of politics at Humber College in Toronto. Yet the American Kennel Club, which registers purebred dogs, officially recognizes just over 150 different breeds of dogs (AKC.org). Italy is over halfway on their way to restricting all dogs. What essentially happens is that once you tell legislators it is morally right to restrict one breed of dog they then slowly add to the list of dangerous dogs.
As you can see breed specific laws are not solving the problem. One solution supported by many such as, the Center for Disease Control, dog lovers, and human societies is that education is the key to solving the dilemma of the Pit Bull and other perceived aggressive breeds. Education would include many components. First would be the effort to educate people on how aggressive breeds are created. Instead of focusing on the dog as the root of the problem, emphasis would be put on the owners and their responsibilities as owners when raising a dog. Secondly, educating children and parents on how to avoid dog attacks is essential. This includes the behavior of the dog and why it is most likely to attack.

The next solution is to create stiffer laws for those that have aggressive dogs. When a dog bites or attacks someone the owner would be forced to pay large fines and face jail time for negligence. Essentially, if they are responsible for someone’s death because they were irresponsible then they should have to face the normal punishment a person would receive for manslaughter, murder or assault. In addition, they would be required to go to dog behavior classes and training. The dog would be evaluated to see if it is safe for the public. If the dog is involved in an incident again, it would be taken away from the owner and evaluated for adoption. As well, the owner would be restricted to own or have in possession another dog regardless of breed. The owner would be required to pay for all expenses involved with the process.
Lastly and the most controversial of the approaches would be to regulate dog breeding. This means breeders would be required to take classes on dog behavior, raising and selling dogs. The breeders would have to get certification to raise breeds of dog that have been deemed aggressive by a large panelist of specialist. This in turn would create better educated breeders. Because the breeders would have to pay for the classes to sell these dogs, it would be necessary for them to raise the cost of the dogs. This would decrease impulse buying. This would also decrease the amount of criminals buying these dogs because they could no longer afford it. Laws could be created that requires that any aggressive breed would be required to be spayed and neutered. Microchips would be placed in the dogs, just like the safe and effective microchips dogs have now, that would help regulate the dogs and would record any problems the dog has had.
Arguments against these approaches usually are centered on cost and regulation. Who is going to pay to regulate these laws? In response, the revenue would come from breeders who have to pay for certification and fines from bad owners. These laws would actually help local shelters. They would reduce the number of abandoned and lost pets, therefore reducing the amount of money spent on these two issues. This extra money could be used for educational purposes and for more animal control officers. Hospital visits would decrease allowing government to add additional money to the cause.

The only real solution that keeps both the citizens and the dogs safe is obviously the last three proposed solutions combined. Although these seem extensive at first glance, you must think of the safety of your children. If you ban the Pit Bull new breeds will be adopted. They will be trained to kill like the Pit Bull has and will then later be killed off. The next one could be your beloved Labrador. Now is the time to start at the root of the problem and begin regulating those that are responsible.

Works Cited

AKC.org. American Kennel Club. 03 Dec. 2005
Link

CDC. Center for Disease Control. 03 Dec. 2005
Link

Cohen, Judy and Richardson, J.” Pit bull panic.” Journal of Popular Culture (2002): 285-317. Research Library. ProQuest. JFK Library, Cheney, WA. 4 Dec. 2005

Crone, Greg. “Mcguinty Government to Introduced Pit Bull Ban,” 15 Oct, 2004. Retrieved 03 Dec. 2005. Ministry of Attorney General Link

Ebersole, Rene "Bad dogs." Current Science 14 Sep. 2001. 03 Dec. 2005. Research Library. ProQuest. JFK Library, Cheney, WA.

Frost, Rory. “A History of the German Shepherd Dog.” Retrieved 03 Dec. 2005
Link

Huemer, Ariana "Scapegoats and underdogs: The pit bull dilemma.” The Animals' Agenda (2000): 30-33+. Research Library. ProQuest. JFK Library, Cheney, WA. 4 Dec. 2005

Narbey, Greg “Greg Narbey” The Globe and Mail.Com 22 Sep. 2005. Retrieved 03 Dec. 2005.

Nethaway, Rowland Pit bulls and our unfounded fears. Daily Breeze [Torrance, Calif.] 5 Aug. 2005. ProQuest Newsstand. JFK Library, Cheney, WA. 4 Dec. 2005

Nissen, Beth. “A Dalmatian pup under the Christmas tree…” CNN.COM 27 Nov. 2000. 03 Dec. 2005. Link

NSC.org.National Safety Council. 03 Dec. 2005
Link

Officer of Meth Task Unit. Personal interview. 28 Nov. 2005

Pbrc.net Pit Bull Rescue Center. 03 Dec. 2005
Link

Phillips M. K. Dog bite law. 03 Dec 2005
PDF

Woolf B. N. “Breed selection: One size doesn't fit all…” Dog Owners Guide. Retrieved 03 Dec. 2005. Link

2005-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

This of course is not a beautiful picture. My intentions here is to show what steps people go to make money and entertain other people. This bear is caged at the smoke shop near Woorley Idaho. The cage must not be any bigger than 5' by 5'. I sat there and watched it pace in circles around the cage and could only be pissed at the people who own it. The people who own the bear are on tribal land, therefore they do not have to follow the same regulations as those in Id, or so it appears. I have seen other wild animals caged there such as deer, cougars, and bison. Do not truly know their purpose, maybe the animals are recuperating. This does not seem the case though. It just becomes very frustrating at times to see sovereign nations that do not need to be regulated by state and federal government. They claim at times that it is their religious way, but I do not think it is always the case. Sometimes I feel that they are not so much concerned about their religion but more concerned about asserting their freedom.

2005-11-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

Another "demon" from the Davenport. I was still unable to find out why they have these figures represented through out the Davenport, but eventually I will find out. Until then....

2005-10-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

I have nearly an hour at the STA Plaza while I wait for my bus to go out to EWU. I decided to occupy my time by going out to take some pictures. I went to the Davenport mainly because I had been there before when I was in high school, 9 years ago, and had taken this exact picture. Since then I have lost that picture and I wanted to get it again. The lighting and compostion of this picture is horrible but I had to work with what I had. I intend to go back with my borther and a tripod to get better pictures of this and more that I was unable to take because it is quite dark in there. About the photo. This "devil" is at the top of everyother pillar inside of one of the meeting rooms at the Davenport Hotel. There are also goblins alternating with the devil. Does the devil not appear to be trying to get itself out of a hole from hell. I ask myself, why is there devils and goblins carved in the hotel? There must be some reasoon. I will find out this reasoon and report back later.

2005-10-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Once again most people would not understand what it is about this picture that I like. It is taken from a building being demolished in downtown Spokane. I cant honestly tell you what it is I like about it. I think it is the apparent disorder mixed with the multitude of systematic colors.

2005-10-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

This rock is from the Smithsonian geolgical exhibit. I forget what this rock is made of, but I love its natural beauty.

2005-09-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

I love the lighting in this one. And the monkey is so adorable here. He is eating somthing but appears to be sucking his thumb.

2005-09-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

This was not an easy picture to take. I had to get very close to the moth and he was only there for moments. I was happy how it turned out though.

2005-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

There is somthing about this photo I just love. What do you think?