I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Alpal

No snow, but I did open the back door and let the dog out on the deck - several times. Does that count?

Bren-2007

Alpal .. yes it does count, as your arm got some excercise.

floralgal

delete

Alpal

Thanks Bin - that makes me feel so much better.

Bren-2007

Otter .. love the daffodils .. mine are just starting to come up!

rosemary-b

Melissa

Thanks for checking in on us. You know the women on this thread appreciate your watchful eye.

leggo

Just for fun, what kind of dogs do you all have?  I have a Coton du Tulear. Also, had a beagle and black lab in my lifetime.

Alpal

Yorkie, here. A lady who lives near me raises Cotons - they are so adorable.

Bren-2007

Gracie .. I have a beagle/basset mix, a border collie and a black lab.

Next dog I get will be a rottweiler.

leggo

Ooooohhhh Allison! I wanted a yorkie so bad...I couldn't come up with 1500 bucks for a dog. How much did he/she cost you?

Wabbit

I had to google Coton du Tulear ... adorable!!

Our dog is a German Shepherd/Collie mix.  Looks like a redheaded German Shepherd but has the Collie temperament.  She loves other dogs, my cats, big people, kids and pretty much everybody and everything.  She's a sweetie.  And she sheds ... and sheds ... and sheds.  My Dyson vacuum is my single most important possession

   

leggo

I have a funny story for you BinVA. One of our friends got a pre-trained rottie directly from a German breeder. He has to actually "speak" to him in German. He came with his own manual and list of commands. Is that crazy or what? Anybody remember the Simpsons "Laddie" episode? That's what this dog reminds me of.

IronJawedBCAngel

I have a Jack Russell that I ended up with because of  my son, and my Dad's poodle.  I have had Weimaraners before, and love them as a breed.  There are a lot of Jacks in the horse industry, and I always said I did not want one, but Chandler has been a joy.  A former girlfriend gave him to my son for Christmas in a period of time when he could barely take care of himself, so he came to live with me.  He was the best training partner I could ask for when I was training for the Breast Cancer 3 Day.

My Dad's poodle is just as cantankerous as he is.

IronJawedBCAngel

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/41701722#41701722

"President of the World", Bill Clinton.   I will be watching this tonight! 

Alpal

Gracie - where are you? Cotons are $2000 up around here. Yorkies usually run $500 to a thousand. Mine was a rescue of sorts. Not a rescue, just slightly used. LOL She belonged to a friend's adult daughter who was moving and couldn't keep her. She was 18 mo. old. Have you checked out the Yorkie rescue sites? They even have puppies. Next one will definitely be a rescue. Yorkies are run of the mill, Cotons are tres chic!

ananda8

I think it's great that every time a troll posts (and we only have two in the past 15 pages), we start talking about Brussels Sprouts.  What a terrific way to feed a troll without encouraging it. 

I think recipes are a great way to reduce tension when things start to get heated.  I am proud of all the wonderful posts about important topics.  I am receiving more information from our discussions than I do from most news outlets.

otter

Here's a CliffsNotes version of the "Right to Work" principle in the U.S.: 

"A Right to Work law guarantees that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join, nor to pay dues to a labor union. Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act affirms the right of states to enact Right to Work laws. The 22 states which have passed Right to Work laws are:  Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming."

Here's a more detailed version:  http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/laborlaws/a/right_to_work.htm
What Right to Work Means

"The U.S. “right to work” legal principle …  means that otherwise-qualified employees are entitled to work at unionized workplaces, without joining the associated unions or paying regular union dues. But right to work (nonunion) employees might have to pay unions for the portion of dues spent representing them, such as pursuing grievances on their behalf.

"Right to work employees who are part of a "bargaining unit" have the right to union representation that is equal to those in the same bargaining unit who've joined the union. A bargaining unit is a group of employees who have similar work duties, share a workplace, and presumably have similar interests when it comes to pay, hours and other working conditions.

"In other words, under the right to work principle, workers don't have to join unions or pay regular union dues to land or keep jobs. They may also cancel union membership at any time, without losing their jobs. But they are still entitled to fair and equal union representation while working in bargaining units of unionized workplaces. However, they might have to pay unions for the cost of such representation."

++++++++++++

The point of "Right to Work" is that no one can be compelled to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of hire or continued employment.  The Taft-Hartley Act, passed by Congress in 1947 over the veto of then-President Truman, gave states the prerogative of passing "Right to Work" laws prohibiting "union shops."  (The law already prohibited "closed shops.")  Here's a pretty good legal explanation:  http://law.jrank.org/pages/9886/Right-Work-Laws.html

Republicans tend to favor "Right to Work" laws, while Democrats tend to refer to them as "Right to be Fired" laws or "slave labor" laws.  Both sides would probably agree that a map of the "Right to Work" states would look awfully similar to a map of the "red" states.  And, yes, language is tricky.

otter

leggo

Alpal, I'm in Canada. Here it was just the opposite. I found a breeder selling cotons for $700. As much as I still want a yorkie, I think my hands are full with this coton and a cat. I didn't know about the yorkie rescue sites. I guess I didn't do very good research.

bluedahlia

I have a Toy Fox Terrier and A Miniature Shih tzu.

crazy4carrots

I have a Burmese and an Abyssinian -- oops, they're felines!  But, I grew up with collies (Scotch first, then Border) and they are SMART doggies!

Did anyone watch the Westminster Dog Show? What did you think of the horse (sorry, Scottish [elk?} hound) that won Best in Show?  Think I'd rather have a pony.

konakat

I'm jealous of the daffodils some of you have already.

YramAL

I have a pekingese/shih tzu. See my profile picture. She's the ruler of the house.

Mary 

sunny210

Kindergarten - 

Thanks for the attaboy regarding my stay at home mom post. That's so nice of you. There are no hurt feelings, though. I misunderstood the original intent of the post I was responding to. We are all happy now, I think. And I am sunny (online name) and Sandy. It's funny that your friend and I are in similar situations and have the same name. I don't run in to too many Sandys.

I have 3 Bulldogs - see their picture? So cute, and thankfully lazy.

Alpal - My dogs went out on the deck today, too. They have a dog door, though. I turned my head and watched as they went out. Does that count?

Sandy/sunny 

leggo

I watched it. LOL Linda! I've heard they have very good temperaments....and they better have if they're big enough to ride.

Ang7

We have a Newfoundland mix, a Border Collie mix and a Papillon mix...

Nice to have one in each size.

River_Rat

I don't have any pets of my own, but I have granddogs that I'm very close to.  There are two Boston Terriers and a Jack Russell/Shih Tzu mix.....3 guesses what we call that mix.  

leggo

Ang7...they must look hilarious when they're standing in a line! River Rat, thanks for the best laugh I've had all day.

otter

I had a Mediterranean gecko and two baby box turtles, but I turned them all loose when we went to Montana on vacation a few years ago.  The gecko was feral anyway -- they invaded this area after escaping from a ship's cargo in the 1930's.  The box turtles were wild hatchlings that were accidentally dug up in our garden before they'd finished hibernating.

otter

ananda8

otter,

I looked up the poverty level for each of the Right to Work States in your post.  As far as I can see the definition of Right to Work is more aptly called Right to Poverty. 

Wisconsin has a poverty rate of 10.7%.  All but four of the RtW States have poverty levels higher than Wisconsin.  Three states have poverty levels 80-100% higher than Wisconsin.  Eight more have poverty levels about 50% higher than Wisconsin.  Here is the complete list sorted by poverty level and the link where I got the information. Excuse the "table width" stuff. I can't get it out.  http://www.statemaster.com/graph/eco_per_bel_pov_lev-economy-percent-below-poverty-level

Mississippi, 21.6%

Louisiana, 19.4%

Arkansas, 17.9%

Texas,16.6%

Alabama, 16.1%

South Carolina, 15.7%

Tennessee, 14.5%

Oklahoma, 15.3%

North Carolina, 15.2%

Georgia, 14.8%

Idaho, 14.5%

Arizona, 14.2%

Nevada, 12.6%

Florida, 12.2%

North Dakota, 12.1%

Nebraska, 11%

South Dakota, 11%

Utah, 10.9%

Kansas, 10,5%

Wyoming. 10.3%

Iowa, 9.9%

Virginia, 9.5%

ananda8

The weighted average poverty level in the United States is 12.8%