Steve,

Please take care of your health. You are working very hard. Thanks for all you do -- but don't get sick.

Jake is quite handsome.

Brilliant video by Max Blumenthal. Definitely worth watching, and will create huge debate over Obama's trip to Middle East.

As requested, here's a link to the current state of Nina's blog.

http://deepintoartlifewest.blogspot.com/

I am constantly amazed by the eclectic nature of her artistic talents. The blog is growing, and is experiencing ever increasing traffic.

The painting of Jake was off a photograph of Jake sitting in Nina's jeep. He loves riding in that rig, and whenever he strays out of earshot for calling, one need only start the jeep, and he'll come running. He now has a canine housemate, a little rat dog mongrel some bastard dumped down in the farmlands outside of Arvin, one of the many small ag towns that surround Bakersfield. I needed another dog like I needed a hole in the head, but whatdaya do when some prick dumps a pup out on the road in front of you? Jake and Nina have thoroughly bonded with the little cur, so I guess it was meant to be. Don't tell anyone, but I've grown kinda attached to the bug-eyed little critter as well.

Thanks for posting Nina's painting, Steve. We haven't forgot about sending Hell For Bad Cows, we are just remarkably slow at it. Theres an adage about good things and time, but if I quote it, I'll get it wrong.

Smile, brother.

Strategic communications and public diplomacy? They are all the rage among liberals. Fine. Effective communication is no doubt better than ineffective communication.

But I hope not too many people have been seduced into thinking that substantive and enduring improvements in US relationships with the non-US world are going to be accomplished by better spinning, blogging and speech-writing. At the bottom of all the blather, there are some actual policies. In the contemporary world, with its numerous open sources of information, it is almost impossible to gild and dissemble those policies for any substantial length of time. Eventually global audiences will grasp what those policies are, even if it takes them a little bit of time to scrape beneath the shiny new liberal paint job.

Alert looking fellow...ears perked for the latest news...just like his Dad, huh?

Lovely dog. It's scary the intelligence you can see in their eyes sometimes.

Well, in this case, the intelligence is in the eyes of the beholder:
Nina - who made the portrait.

And of course in your eyes, Sand.

POA may have something to add regarding Jake`s intelligence.

Perhaps Paul is diplomatically noting that Jake looks slightly cross-eyed in the portrait?

Dan.

Jake doesn't have 'cross-eyes' -- I've seen 'that look' from my own dog... and he didn't have cross-eyes.

You ... you Dog-Basher -- Dog-Hater!

Sand, I've never seen that look on my dog Rico. Anyway, the eyes are less important on dogs than they are on people. The window to dogs' souls runs mainly through their noses and their tongues.

"...Anyway, the eyes are less important on dogs than they are on people..."/i>

Eyes are extremely important whether they belong to a dog or person -- I've come to know that fact by working for many years in an animal shelter, as well as fostering well over 60 dogs.

Now, with their noses and tongues --- those lead directly to their stomach.

When I take my dog for walks, he seems to spend as much or more time sniffing and tasting things than he does looking at them. Clearly those senses are very heightened in dogs, and give them information about a whole world of stuff to which we are mostly blind. Their hearing is more acute as well.

I have this unconfirmed hunch that my dog sometimes licks me to learn about my mood, and can detect some mood changes that correlate with changes in the taste of my skin.

Looks like a truthhound to me!

"Perhaps Paul is diplomatically noting that Jake looks slightly cross-eyed in the portrait?"

I saw the same thing when I first viewed the painting. I suppose its not so glaring to me now because I'm used to it. But Nina really did catch the intensity of Jake's presence. He's ever vigilant, constantly tuned in to his surroundings. I've learned to look carefully in the direction of his stares, because there is ALWAYS a reason for his concentration, be it merely a lizard on a rock, or a prowling bobcat in the distance.

And he is very "eye oriented". I've noticed that he seeks eye contact with strangers before he turns to the mandatory olfactory examination of their person.

And as far as the licking goes, I'm convinced with some dogs it is a genuine show of affection, such as we are exhibiting when we pet our dogs.

Dan...

Absolutely, their smell is a thousand times better than ours -- It's important for them to 'stimulate' their brains -- Them having the chance to sniff other dogs butts, pee stains, having a munch on dry horse droppings, seeking out a nice juicy salmon carcass to roll in -- why it's the highlight of their day as well as watching and 'listening' for sounds of squirrels in the garden... to either chase or 'EAT' or even both? Some dogs also like to lick as a submissive greet, and to live in hope that you might throw up something tasty... I've also heard that dogs sometimes like to lick hands because of the salt?

Also, I agree with you and believe that 'some' dogs can pick up on our moods. I mean look at those dogs who have the remarkable ability to know when their owners are about to have a seizure.

My mother even sent me a newspaper article about the possibility of dogs even picking out extended family members by scent alone... e.g. she swore that my dog instantly accepted her because he knew he was part of my genetic pack. Well it was an interesting thought.

But what I'm talking about is how 'I' read the dog -- that special connection you can have with some dogs more than others... For example, the moment an abused dog trusts you enough to look into your eyes. Turning from a shivering fearful wretch to a confident, happy and social friend -- the 'change' in their eyes is unmistakable.

Reading a dogs eyes and body language to see whether the stare is a look of dominance, submission or just total trust. The absolute focus of some dogs when you are working with them in training as opposed to some of the dippy labs I've lived with who are adorable, but when you look at them don't really have much upstairs -- bless 'em. Or, the sad cases that are truly traumatized when they come into the shelter and can't adapt where you see a glazed look come over their eyes and where they can become totally depressed or unpredictably aggressive.

I love dogs -- in fact at times I like them better than humans. The only reason I wouldn't go back into the animal welfare world now is that the politics is just as bad as our party politics.

For anyone interested, Nina has opened a new page at her blog, that is devoted to her artwork; a gallery, so to speak.

http://deepintoartlifewestgallery.blogspot.com/