Lassie come home!

I never saw the original Lassie. I feel like I'm lucky that I scraped by with the "Must see" list of movies and did fortunately see E.T. Otherwise I'd join the ranks of those scorned by all. The look of dismay and disbelief clouding their faces as they say, "You've never seen...yadayada?!" Yes, it's true. I've never seen Lassie's original movie. What kind of dog lover am I?! Yes, goodness I am really a faker. I love dogs but I'm not a real dog movie lover. I like the reality of a dog, the dirty, fun, slobbering, hair shedding everywhere life of being a real live dog owner/companion. Well, I think the whole terminology of being a dog owner is truly alright. I know there are people out there IRL who think that the term "dog owner" is poorly stated and truly, we are companions to our animals. But actually, I purchased Katie. And as sad as it may seem, I do own her. She owns me too though and in my heart I will always know that.

I gotta go stock up on some Kleenex before I see this movie. I know I will love it and I will probably go see it alone. Coming soon, September 1, 2006 opening.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14559203/

For another review, check out this one:
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=316519

Uh oh, this site is something to see.

http://www.lassie.net/

I opened up the site just to see what it was about and that music just came pouring through my laptop. I practically sobbed right there listening to that sad wistful tune. It's haunting I tell you.

Hey wait a minute...

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=28268

Alright, I needed to know more about the whole Lassie story. I always did wonder why male dogs had been cast as Lassie. Well, apparently female dogs shed a lot when they are in heat and so the directors could not cast a female dog because of that unsightly truth. Hmpf. I'm sure that Timmy would have loved Lassie anyway despite her mood swings and hairlessness.

I had to quote this guy from a NYT article,
“They’re too smart to jump through hoops the way those dumb dolphins do,” he said. (Dr. Domning of Howard said this in ths article:)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/science/29mana.html?hp&ex=1156824000&en=c0eaeb3c6996fa02&ei=5094&partner=homepage

This is a fascinating article about Manatees that brought to mind a few questions. What makes us "smart?" Who is smart and who isn't. Why are some dogs considered smart and others are just dumb. Perhaps these dogs just don't want to do that stupid dog trick for a dried out cracker. What if they were to be bribed with a say...Honeybark treat? Haha...I hate my shameless plugs. But seriously, I have been thinking about the whole concept of smart animals that we consider so brilliant...like dolphins and then this guy goes and says that Manatees don't jump through hoops like dolphins do because perhaps they aren't enticed by fish? Manatees actually are not into fish at all. They like carrots. Sadly, they get killed by motorboats. That stinks. They are like the roadkill of the sea. Another interesting point was that their brains were outgrown by their bodies such that they need a big insulation to keep them warm and their brains just stayed the required size for survival purposes. I mean, they don't hunt so they don't need the brain of say, a 15 year old adolescent male that plays computer games like "Hunt and kill for fun?" I jest. I think it's okay to play video games and the like if that is what you like to do. It supposedly is great for hand eye coordination. It helps you develop survival skills so that you will be an expert at killing things when you really need to. Um yeah...and like WHEN are you going to need THOSE skills? But I digress...the manatee is a beautiful and misunderstood gentle giant of the ocean. And it shares the common vibrissae with our friend, the dog. This is a structure that can convey information to the brain in such a way that it can tell the animal about it's environment in a way much more indepth than our senses can. The rise in blood pressure makes it even more sensitive. Amazing. The dog has vibrissae only on it's face whereas the manatee, this incredible creature is basically hypersensitive and has vibrissae all over it's body, therefore it is highly aware of surroundings. Perhaps the motorboat causes such a disruption that the disturbance of the water causes the manatee to get confused and this might very well be the cause of the death of the innumerable manatee that perish each year due to mankind.

You have to check out the videos on the NYT vows section. These stories are so wonderful and amazing. I love it.

I'm going to go watch a few right now. It's sweet and a great way to put yourself in a good mood.