Dog art, dogs in art

William Wegman makes dog art.

William Eggleston makes art that occassionally has dogs in it.

Seth Scriver makes art that dogs might like.

Somebody makes art for dogs who can read.

Why dog training books sell so well...

I have three. I read parts of all of them. I did some practicing with our puppy. Then I stopped. Why? I don't know why. The books are all pretty clear. Training involves steady work, not a lot of work but you have to be consistent and keep at it. It's all about rules and reinforcement.

So now we know why dog books sell so well. We are always looking for something to get us back on track after we "failed" to follow the last book's advice. Maybe subconsciously we are all searching for the one book that will show us how to have a well-trained dog without doing any work. I'm going to write that book, entitled Train Your Dog in 21 Treats :)

Vancouver #3 for quality of life worldwide, 2006

There are 31 parks with off-leash areas in Vancouver. No wonder it's no. 3 in this year's Mercer HRC list of best cities to live in worldwide.

Go to Spanish Bank West beach, e.g., for walkies in the Atlantic surf.

My latest addition to my dog parks map at Platial. Join Platial and you can add your local park to my map or create your own.

People in cages

Incarceration is cruel. It is not "punishment" but torture. A society that treats people so cruelly says that violence is a legitimate activity. Prison propogates crime by aggravating the experience of isolation, neglect, deprivation and abuse that unlies criminal behaviour.

In 2004, 1 in 138 Americans was in prison and the number is rising, in 2003 it was 1 in 140. [USA Today] The cost of housing an inmate is about $20k a year, the cost of building the cage, $100,000. Couldn't we use this money to build houses for a lot of people and give them a basic living allowance without calling it jail?

We shouldn't keep people in cages because the imprisonment of a high percentage of citizens is unsustainable: it costs too much and produces no equal, matching benefit or savings in terms of reduced crime, prevention of property loss, etc. The problem is systemic. [Sustainability Institute]

Prison abolition movement.
Notebook of an abolitionist.
Are prisons obsolete? by Angela Davis.
Interview about prison abolition with Ann Hansen.