Gutter's Anti-Holiday Happy Hour!

Oh, I am there!

Thank you, Gutter Magazine, and God bless us, every one!

Thank you, Mobtown Shank!

GODDAMN RIGHT!

Things That Make It Hard To Root For The Baltimore Sun To Succeed:

The Baltimore Sun likes to run this photo list features every so often, but this one struck us at the Shank as particularly stupid. In fact, it made us say, "Hey, fuck you, Baltimore Sun."

Source.

I have just been violated, good sir!

The Baltimore Sun's "Captcha" program just went all Hannibal Lecter on me.

...seriously.

















Yes, that says- labial scalp. GAH.

Where do we go from here, Sun?

I don't know if we can get back to the way things were.

Rescue Ink Fundraiser Tomorrow!

That's right, it's finally here! Saturday, 9:00 PM.
Midtown Yacht Club in Mt. Vernon

$1 jell-o shots and other drink specials plus free finger foods!
Darts and trivia contests!
Raffles galore with kick-ass prizes like:
gift certificates to local bars and clubs
concert and comedy club tickets
a Ravens' gift pack
and even something for you NASA fans...

I think everyone should come.

35

35. 35 is very young. At 35, people still have another 50 years to expect to live.

I'm 36 and I don't feel like I've done anything yet!

Anissa Mayhew is only 35.

Her children are 11, 8, and 5 - her youngest just made it through one year of life without leukemia.

Anissa should be celebrating, not fighting for her life.

She and her family need help and prayers. I don't really know what else to say but they certainly have mine.

Email helpforanissa@gmail.com or paypal support here.

"Biggest Bullies are back on the Block"

Here's the facts, as I know them, as of Monday, Oct. 19th!

Saturday, October 24th, 10am - 7pm
Baltimore Tattoo Museum is sponsoring a Tattoo-a-thon
Proceeds benefit Rescue Ink and Baltimore Humane Society (proceeds are going to our Pit Bull spay/neuter fund!) Tattoo examples: see below.

Sunday, October 25th, 12pm - 4pm
B-More Dog and Rescue Ink will be at Baltimore Humane Society to celebrate Pit Bull Awareness Day and to rally against animal cruelty. Demonstrations will include narcotics sniffing, weight pulling, agility and more. There will be photo-ops, Q&A session, book signing, adoptable pets and a bunch of tough guys hanging around.

Monday, October 26th, Rescue Ink will tour local area shelters to help rally people to the fight against animal cruelty.

Updates at the Baltimore Humane Blog and Unleashed.

Tattoo examples: Dog paw design on top, Cat paw design on bottom.

B-More Dog Happy Hour!

B-More Dog Happy Hour!
Originally uploaded by BaltimoreGal

To celebrate pit bull awareness day, come to our happy hour at Bad Decisions in Fells Point on Monday, Oct. 19 for good company, great drinks, and the chance to walk away with some great silent auction deals! All animal lovers (and those who love them) are welcome!

There will be specialty drinks and good company. And ladies. Ladies love pit bulls. ;-)

Sweet, Sweet Jasmine.

From Recycled Love:

Our hearts are heavy with sadness over the loss of our Sweet Jasmine. She was recently killed by an automobile in an unfortunate accident. Jasmine touched so many lives in so many ways. Her family is devastated by her passing, but they would like everyone to recognize and celebrate the unmistakable love Jasmine received and the priceless gifts she has given to everyone.

Please understand Catalina, along with the rest of Jasmine's family, are just beginning to process this loss. Thank you for allowing time for all to heal.

There's so many reasons this is heartbreaking to me, and will be to many. She was such a tiny, lovely little dog. She put a face to the Vick case for many when she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated: Cover; Gallery; Article.
She was a success story and attention getter for Recycled Love, a worthy organization if ever there was one.

It just doesn't seem fair that she lived through all she did to leave the good life so soon.

http://robertmcclintock.com/galleries/dogs/bully-breeds/sweet-jasmine.html

Why I will always drink Coke, if you are curious.

My mother has some amazing friends. Chris and Harvey were two of them. Harvey was what I would call a Renaissance man. You name it, he could do it. Intelligent, artistic, sweet, funny. He videotaped my parents' wedding (in 1970!!). The blog where he wrote chronicling his goodbyes to life was one of the most heart-wrenching yet kind and loving things I have ever encountered- I know it helped my mother prepare to lose him. On his memorial page one of the things I said was that I will ALWAYS drink Coke.

HARVEY CARTER TAYLOR III, 61, of Atlanta, Ga., and Longboat Key, Fla., died at his home in Atlanta on April 8, 2005, surrounded by his wife, Chris Fonte Taylor, their son, Scott, daughter and son-in-law, Christy and Randy Holmes and their two grandchildren, Franklin and Lily Holmes, all of Atlanta.

He was a member of St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, Dunwoody, Ga. Born March 20, 1944, in Huntington, W.Va., to the late Harvey C. Taylor Jr. and Dorothy Frantz Taylor, he is survived by his sister, Carter Taylor Seaton; her husband, Richard Cobb; and two aunts, Nancy and Elinore Taylor of Huntington. Also surviving to mourn his passing and remember him fondly are his brother-in-law, Jim Seaton and nephew Jimmy of Longboat Key; nephews, Tony and Michael Seaton; and niece Dorothy Ann Stinson of Huntington; mother-in-law, Filomena T. Fonte of Danville, Ill.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Michael and Berta Fonte of Silver Springs, Md., and Joseph and Kay Fonte of Carmel, Ind., Mary Ann and Gale Galloway of Danville, Agnes and Kent Burgess of Comfort, Texas, Joan and Dannie Smith of Union, Ky., and Fran and Rick Strebing of Bloomington, Ill.; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, colleagues, classmates and lifelong friend, Dr. Dan Bobbitt of Concord, N.C. His grandparents, Harvey and Nan Taylor and Lester N. and Florence Frantz and his father-in-law, Frank A. Fonte, preceded him in death.

Harvey graduated from Huntington High School in 1962, earned his BS, cum laude, and his MS in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1967 and 1969, respectively. Following the completion of his master’s degree, he joined the Coca-Cola Company, where he spent his entire career, retiring in 1999.

During his almost 30-year career, Harvey rose from project engineer to Director of Engineering for Coca-Cola. Among his many accomplishments, his group designed and brought to market the world’s first plastic bottle for soft drinks. During this period, the corporate structure was reorganized and Harvey became one of only three Group Managers. Under his direction, the group developed the first plastic screw cap ever used on soft drink bottles, worked on plastic recycling and spread the use of the domestic designs in both glass and plastic to the overseas market. In 1981, Harvey took a five-year assignment in Sydney, Australia, as the Technical Manager for the South Pacific responsible for product and package development, Coca-Cola concentrate development and quality assurance in Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Fiji. During his tenure there, his group developed plastic packaging and introduced Diet Coke and other new product extensions to the South Pacific. From 1986-1989, he held the position of Director of Corporate Packaging in the United States. In 1989, another special assignment took him to Tokyo, Japan, where he was the Vice President of Coca-Cola Japan Company in charge of Special Projects.

Returning to the United States in late 1990, he was named Director of Engineering for the Coca-Cola Company. His department was responsible for all development of new technology, vending equipment technology, packaging, bottling equipment and service to the bottlers. In this capacity, Harvey made several trips to Moscow to monitor the launch of the Progress M space freighter carrying supplies to the Soviet space station Mir. On board were two specially designed cans of Coke to be tested to see if it carbonated beverages could be poured in weightlessness. Before retiring, Harvey was Director of Strategic Development under Senior Vice President of Technical Operations. He was responsible for budgetary control of the division and for development of the annual five-year business plan for the corporate technical division. He retired April 1, 1999.

A self-taught musician, Harvey played the guitar and piano. Over the years, travel and scuba diving occupied his leisure time and took his family to Kenya, the Greek Islands, Turkey, Japan, Austria, Germany, Tahiti, Fiji, England, Italy, Hong Kong, the Soviet Union, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rico, Hawaii and the Turks and Caicos Islands. An early computer “tekkie” he developed a web-site for his Huntington High School Class of 1962 that brought together classmates around the world. As he fought a year-long battle against cancer, his son Scott set up an Internet Blog through which his family, friends and classmates followed his progress and offered encouragement. The family wishes to thank all those who supported Harvey and his family throughout this past year. Memorial services will be held at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, Mt. Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, Ga., Thursday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m. and at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, Norway Ave. and Green Oak Dr. in Huntington on Saturday, April 30. Graveside services following the memorial will be held in Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Odyssey Hospice, 1140 Hammond Drive, Suite B-2100, Dunwoody, GA 30338; St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, Building Fund, 1978 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, GA 30338; or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Harvey Taylor, 61, chief Coke packager

When it came to bottling soft drinks, Harvey Taylor was a wizard. During a 29-year career at Cola-Cola Co., the forward-looking engineer and executive helped develop and market the first plastic soft drink container and to create a can that enabled Russian cosmonauts to drink Coca-Cola in space. “

Harvey was the foremost packaging expert at the company in bottles, both plastic and glass,” said Andy Harvill of Sapphire, N.C., a retired Coke engineer and executive. “He was very involved in almost all the packaging innovations from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s.” Those include the plastic screw cap for soft drinks and plastic recycling technology.

Harvey Carter Taylor III, 61, died at his Dunwoody residence Friday of neck cancer. The body was cremated. The memorial service is 10:30 a.m. today at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church. Cremation Society of the South is in charge of arrangements.

The West Virginia native joined Coke in 1970, after earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. Early in his career, he helped design and test a 64-ounce contoured returnable glass bottle. “We called it the frog bottle,” said Mr. Taylor's executive assistant, Pam Windom-Yawn of Valdosta. “If it broke, it shattered like a windshield, holding the fragments together.”

By 1973 Mr. Taylor had been promoted to management and “started working on the 2-liter plastic bottles that you have now,” Mrs. Windom-Yawn said. “We did all the specifications, testing and design and took the concept into market. There were no plastic bottles for soft drinks before then.” For the Latin American and European markets, Mr. Taylor helped develop machinery for inspecting returnable plastic bottles, testing the returned bottles for toxicity. “That technology didn't exist before Harvey led the whole process,” Mr. Harvill said. “It became very successful.”

The 1980s took Mr. Taylor to Australia --- where he was responsible for product and package development in the South Pacific and introduced Diet Coke to the region --- and to Japan, where he cut through red tape to get packaging costs down, Mr. Harvill said. Mr. Taylor returned to Atlanta in 1990 as director of engineering. He supervised one of Coke's first think tanks for future technology, Mrs. Windom-Yawn said.

Mr. Taylor's final job at Coke was as director of strategic development. He took early retirement in 1999 to go scuba diving and butterfly hunting, make stained-glass windows, create sophisticated videos, track his family genealogy back to President Zachary Taylor, and play guitar by ear at family and neighborhood events.

In 1997 --- five years in advance --- Mr. Taylor began choreographing his 40th high school reunion in Huntington, W.Va. He tracked down lost classmates, booked the band and created CDs of favorite music of the era. More than half of the 350 class members showed up for the Class of 1962 event. “It was the mother of all reunions,” said his high school classmate Linda Hodges of Lilburn.

Survivors include his wife, Chris Fonte Taylor; a son, Scott Taylor of Dunwoody; a daughter, Christy Holmes of Atlanta; a sister, Carter Taylor Seaton of Huntington; and two grandchildren.

B-More In Control!

Dog Owner? Wanna be? You should come!
I plan to be there and so do many of the members of B-More Dog.

Pat enjoys the "Gut Buster"

IMG_2922
Originally uploaded by howe2skate72

And no, it did not.
Bacon and Beer Happy Hour(s) at Bad Decisions was a success, as usual.

W.T.F.

This ad has been driving me crazy for months.
It's on a lot of sites- news stations, etc.
Is this picture effective for sales?
Really?
WTF!

Did I mention Stella's latest brush with fame?

OK, in case I missed you, she continues to be more famous and more popular than I ever will.
Plus she photographs better!

She was featured on The Baltimore Sun's pet blog "Unleashed" on April 13.
...I didn't even have to enter her- the author found me!!

Collared Today: Stella

Help me reach my goal! Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

I don't have children- I may someday.
But I don't think that keeps me from knowing that there is nothing worse than losing a child.
Help me DO SOMETHING.

Found- a Wonderful Dog That Needs a Home

Fellow friends of dogs and/or Baltimore people,

Let anyone who might be interested know that I found an absolutely gorgeous, fantastic dog on the streets this past Saturday and that he will be available at BARCS on 2/25.

He is a pit bull, a blue/grey brindle with hints of light brown (such a beautiful color) and green-grey eyes, and he also still has his full ears and tail. He is very thin but otherwise in great condition. Oh, and he knows "Sit."

He is just SO well-behaved! Totally sweet, playful, docile. Loves ear & butt-scratches, and gives nuzzles and little teeny kisses. I found him in our back alley and he came right in our yard! He was a little nervous at first but played with both me & my brother Pat after only a minute.

He also played with my pit/lab Stella and let her beat him up a while before I called it off because I was worried about him, being so cold & thin.

He was wonderful in the car when I took him to BARCS- rode perfectly and quietly with no fuss. And not a peep the whole time.

If I wasn't moving to a smaller place (with my dog) that already had other dogs this weekend I wouldn't even have let him go. I cried when I left him and I think Pat almost did. This boy deserves a great home.

Anyone can email me if they want to know more about him!

My City Questionnaire

Baltimore is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Hampden.

When I crave seafood I always go to Fell's Point.

To escape tourists I head to the Waverly Market.

If I want to have a great martini I go to Ixia.

For complete quiet, I can hide away in Sherwood Gardens.

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with an enormous flamingo or a neon, winking, disembodied head.

If you have to order one thing off the menu from Mama's on the Half Shell it has to be Maryland Crab Soup as your appetizer. It's the best I've ever had!

Red Tree is my one-stop shop for great gifts.

Locals know to skip the Inner Harbor and check out Harbor East (upscale) or Station North (hipster) instead.

When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go to The Dizz.

For a huge splurge I go for Tapas.

Photo ops in my city include Mount Vernon and Hampden and the best vantage point is Federal Hill.

If my city were a celebrity it'd be John Astin. Educated, intelligent, creepy & cooky...

The most random thing about my city is that everyone gets called "Hon" and no one objects!

My city has the most diverse men (from hipsters to hip-hop).

My city has the most interesting women (smart & sassy).

In my city, an active day outdoors involves a long dog walk.

My city's best museum is The Baltimore Museum of Art (close call w/ The Walters Art Museum though!).

My favorite walking route is The Avenue in Hampden!

For a night of dancing, go to The Depot. Or, for live music, check out Ottobar.

Papermoon Diner is the spot for late-night eats.

To find out what's going on at night and on the weekends, read Baltimore City Paper or Twitter.

You can tell a lot about my city from the way we're willing to laugh at ourselves, but are still proud.

You can tell if someone is from my city if they don't say Bal-TI-more. It's either BAL-timor or Bawlmer.

In the spring you should spend time in our many parks.

In the summer you should hit all the museums- there's so many!

In the fall you should hit all the festivals!

In the winter you should go to 34th street!

A hidden gem in my city is Atomic Books and all associated with it.

For a great breakfast joint try Pete's Grille.

Don't miss the HonFest festival in June.

Just outside my city, you can visit Washington, DC or Shenandoah, West Virginia (in about the same time!

The best way to see my city is from the top of Federal Hill.

If my city were a pet it would be a sweet kissy pit bull mix mutt- it can be tough but is mostly cool and funny.

If I didn't live in a city, I'd live on the ocean.

The best book about my city is not a book, it's the "Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!" series 1-10.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is "Streets Of Baltimore" by Gram Parsons.

If you have kids, you won't want to miss the Maryland Science Center.

John Waters could only happen in my city.

My city should be featured on your cover or website because we're odd and a little troubled but we're unique and a lot of fun.

Create your own!

MOTHER RULES

I just want to say that Her Bad Mother is BAD-ASS.

Ask Animal Planet to stop airing anti-pit episode

PLEASE help me out on this!

As many of you know, Animal Planet is usually a pit bull-friendly network.

I recently saw an irresponsibly-made episode of Miami Animal Police from years ago where two loose pit bulls attacked & killed a man's rabbits. It was admittedly horrible, but became even moreso when the voiceover talked about pit bulls as "vicious animals". The animal control officer actually said "That's why we have a ban on pit bulls in Miami". As if other dog breeds would behave differently if they were abused, made to fight, and then left to their own devices!

I would like to ask Animal Planet to review these programs to ensure that they do not put out bad info and/or espouse breed bans.

If a lot of us go to http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations this week and make a POLITE Network/Program Related complaint about this daytime Animal Planet program (select "Other"- it's not on the drop-down menu) they WILL flag it and investigate.

Thank you!

hirsute- Uploaded by ellynkocher

hirsute
Originally uploaded by ellynkocher

What can I add?

CAST OF "DOGTOWN" & "VICKTORY DOGS" ARE "TIRED OF" ANIMAL CRUELTY

Everyone, I featured these bracelets on We Covet on on January 16, 2009 and thought you might like an update. Or maybe it's just I wanted to show off the pictures of the beautiful puppies!

This is from an "I'm Tired" press release, so feel free to (kindly) repost.

CAST OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL'S "DOGTOWN" AND THE "VICKTORY" DOGS SUPPORT THE "I'M TIRED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY" BRACELET CAMPAIGN

Just as the new season of National Geographic Channel's "Dogtown" is about to get underway, the cast got cozy with their favorite "Vicktory Dogs," rescued from the abuse of former NFL Quarterback Michael Vick, while showing off their "I'm Tired of Animal Cruelty" bracelets. Half the sale ($5) of each $10 bracelet goes to benefit Best Friends Animal Society, the rescue and rehabilitation center where "Dogtown" takes place.

Best Friends Animal Society was responsible for rescuing 22 of the Michael Vick Pit Bulls and bringing them to Utah for rehabilitation. Six of the show's human stars, as well as the rest of the cast, will be wearing their bracelets on the new season of the show and supporting the fundraising efforts of the "I'm Tired of..." (ITo) campaign.

The "I'm Tired of..." bracelets were created by brother and sister team, Dan Hoffman and Carrie Pollare, to fight against the world's issues that we are all tired of, like animal cruelty, world hunger, global warming, cancer, diabetes and so many more. The fashionable bracelets are made from recycled tires and
metals, creating a fun play on the word, tired, and cost just $10, so anyone can afford them. Then half the sale ($5) from each one is donated to charities the company is aligned with that support each cause. Best Friends Animal Society is the beneficiary of the sales of the animal cruelty bracelets.

The I'm Tired of Animal Cruelty bracelet can be purchased at www.ImTiredOnline.com, as well as bracelets supporting other causes, including AIDS, Autism, Alzheimer's, Cancer, Child Abuse, Diabetes, Global Warming, Heart Disease and World Hunger.

For more information, visit www.ImTiredOnline.com. Press contact is Carrie Pollare, carrie@ImTiredOnline.com, 310-314-3660. Photos courtesy of Gary Kalpakoff and Best Friends Animal Society.

Shown with their "Vicktory" dogs are (top to bottom) Animal Behavior and Training Consultant Sherry Woodard with Ellen (wearing her "I'm Tired of Animal Cruelty" dog collar), Assistant Dog Care Manager John Garcia with Georgia (most recently of The Ellen Show), Dr. Mike Dix, Dogtown's Medical Director, with Handsome Dan, Dog Care Manager Michelle Besmehn with Ray, Veterinarian Dr. Patti Iampietro with Denzel and Trainer Pat Whitacre with Lucas.