Kids Who Lack Manners

Paula, Daniel, and I visited Paula's parents tonight. It is the night that is celebrated as Halloween in Ireland and the USA. Some people want to do the same in Sweden. A bunch of kids rang the doorbell and asked for candy. They were unknown to Paula's mother, who opened the door, and she told them she did not have any candy to give to them. Later, we saw that toilet paper had been thrown over the shrubs of Paula's parents' house. This is not OK. You do not go around to people you do not know, asking for candy, and leave garbage on their shrubs if you cannot get any candy. These kids must have parents, the parents should teach them some manners. A recently imported and misinterpreted American tradition is no excuse for not having manners.

Foreign Policy

Sweden recognized Palestine as a country today. You can say a lot about this, both for and against this decision. I have been judged by an Israeli judge on a dog show once, other than that, I have not much experience of either Israel or Palestine. There is, however, one argument against the recognition that I do not like. This is the argument that when Sweden recognized Palestine ahead of any other EU country, we breach the unity of EU foreign policy.

I believe the EU should be a cooperation between independent countries, just like the kennel clubs of these countries are independent, but cooperate through FCI. If Sweden is an independent country cooperating with other independent countries in the EU, independent foreign policy must be the norm. Unity in foreign policy is a good thing, but not for unity in itself. Unity in foreign policy, when the policy is good and all the countries are still independent, is good. I would not want Sweden to join other EU countries on bad foreign policy just for the sake of unity.

So, the recognition of Palestine might be a bad thing, it might be too early, it might be in breach of some rules of international law. These are valid reasons for critique of the decision. Not working in unity with the other EU countries is, in my mind, not a valid objection.

Grilled Cheese

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Some nights, we watch a TV show from Canada called Eat Street. They do short documentaries on food trucks across the USA and Canada (and the occasional other city). You often see delicious food, like grilled cheese sandwiches with pork. I cannot decide whether to love or hate this show. It is fun, and it gives you food ideas. On the other hand, what is the use of grilled sandwiches, if you cannot smell and taste them? I hate it, that I cannot have bites of all the delicious food shown on this show.

I would like to have a food truck of my own.

Too Late

It was late this evening, when I started to think about what to write in my blog. I read a couple of news articles, but found nothing that I wanted to comment. Then I realized it was past midnight. Too bad, I was too late. This annoys me. It must be better next time. I am sure it will.

Opportunity

Do not think I am in pain from my surgery yesterday. I do get pain killers, but this is because the veterinarian prescribed them for me. Shibas are strong dogs, we rarely feel pain. Still, I can play on this, getting a little extra treats. Not being in pain, does not mean I am stupid. If I can get some sympathy, which will give me treats, I will. Shibas are smart dogs, we know how to get treats.

Surgery

Today, I went through surgery for my cancer. It went very well. The veterinarian said I will certainly make a full recovery. Strangely, though, Paula and Daniel talked about not entering me in dog ahows anymore. Why would I be subject to such a gruesome fate, if I do make a full recovery?

In the evening, there was a show where they wanted people to contribute to cancer research. Some humans told the audience, on site and on TV, about their cancer and recovery from it thanks to cancer research. Next time, I could be there, telling my story. I wonder if my appearance would be appreciated?

New Crime Show

We watched a Swedish crime movie on TV tonight, based on novels by mid 1900's author Maria Lang. It was a rather bland story, and a little silly. There was not a single dog in the movie, either. There has been more movies made on Maria Lang's books, with the same main characters. We do not think we will see them.

Equality

In Japan, the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a woman, whose employer demoted her because she was pregnant. This is a good judgment. It is fair. It is also in accordance with Japanese law. I would never accept being treated worse than the male dogs at dog shows, just because I have had pups and they cannot and have not had pups. Life is supposed to be equal between the sexes. The Japanese Supreme Court shows that it is in Japan.

Bed Sheets

Paula often want to change bed sheets. She says it is because of all the dog hair. I do not understand that. Dog hair is soft and comfortable to lie on. Well, we all have different preferences.

K

Hello, Karstuhl here!

There is a common abbreviation, "OK", meaning that something is all right. The funny thing is, some people abbreviate the abbreviation, they are just saying "K".

K is also my initial, when I use my nickname Karstuhl. It is funny to think about K as meaning me, when people say "K", meaning "OK". I mean, saying something is "Karstuhl" is the same as saying something is "all right", isn't it?

Less Tension?

Japan's Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso is on a visit in China, meeting the Chinese Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli. This is seen as a sign of less tension between these two great powers.

This is good. It would be great if China would back down from its aggressive standpoints. China claims the Senkaku Islands, which are part of Japan. Perhaps the lowered tension will not make China give up on this claim, but it might make China less inclined to act on it or support Chinese people who act upon it. Less tension lowers the risk of war, and war is something that would come with a high cost for humans and dogs in both countries.

We have to keep up the hope for less tension. At the same time, it is important that Japan stays strong.   It has to be able to defend its free and democratic society if the dictatorship China would ever go further in its aggressions. A strong military is an insurance against war.

At the Animal Hospital

Paula and I went to the animal hospital today. I have some hard lumps in my breast. They do not hurt, but Paula was right in saying we should check them out. They proved to be a form of cancer, although certainly benign. I will undergo surgery for this next week and the prognosis is good. I would not expect anything less from our veterinarians, they are that good. I will keep readers of this blog updated.

Unidentified Things in the Water

There are reports from the Stockholm archipelago, that there might be foreign submarines travelling under Swedish territorial water. I am more concerned with another kind of unidentified things in the water. Our dish washer does not work as it should. We believe there might have been something in the water from our well, clogging the pipe bringing water to the dish washer. Our water is normally very clean, but the dish washer does not seem to get water enough to wash the dishes. We have to wash everything by paw for the moment. This is not difficult at all, but it takes a little more time, hence in is a little annoying. I wonder how we can make the dish washer operate as it is supposed to again.

Weather Forecasts

The weather forecasts are often surprisingly accurate. However, this makes you disappointed with them, when they are not. The forecast for today said there would be rain, and even a lot of rain in the evening. While we had some rain last night, there has not fallen a drop of rain since. We will see if the rain will come tomorrow instead.

Return

Hello, Orange here!

Daniel was away for a night, but came back this afternoon. We missed him, but enjoy his return. He also greeted us by doing what he does best: giving us food. This was a splendid gesture, how could we be disappointed with him for being away, when he gave us food right upon his return? Daniel knows what is important.

Friday

We celebrate the weekend, I will be back tomorrow.

Meanwhile, you can consider why a competition where the winner just might, or might not even, become a contestant in the Swedish qualification for the Eurovision Song Contest may draw such a big audience.

Schrödinger's Cat

Hello, Karstuhl here!

There is a story explaining quantum theory, about a cat in a box. It was first told by quantum physicist Erwin Schrödinger, hence, the cat and the story is called Schrödinger's cat.

The story is very short. It is about a cat who is put in a box, together with a poison that is released by a radioactive substance. The probability that the cat will live when the box is opened is 50 %. In quantum physics, the tiny objects that make up the Universe is and is not a certain thing, until you observe it. While the cat is inside the box, by quantum physics rules, it is not alive, nor dead, but both alive and dead at the same time. This goes to prove that you cannot apply the rules of quantum physics on things of our normal size.

When I first heard about this story, I wondered why Schrödinger said a cat was put in a box. At first, I figured that he did not want to put a dog there, because he did not want to kill a dog in his story. Then it dawned on me, a dog is so much more reliable than a cat. You can trust a dog, but not a cat. Therefore, it fits the story that the animal put in the box is an animal that you cannot really trust. It would be much harder for the audience to accept a story where you could not say whether a dog was alive or dead, than a story where you could not say this about a cat.

It is good to be trustworthy. We dogs, who are trustworthy, would never be put in the box of Schrödinger's cat.

Rain

Hello, Orange here!

Rain is a rather nice weather. At least it is, if you are indoors. There was rain this afternoon, but we had to go out in it. I would like to have stayed inside. Well, life as a dog is going out in any weather. Sometimes you have to, and never going out would be worse. You just chose the lesser evil. I guess it is OK.

Desert Grand Slam

We watched an interesting documentary tonight on the Desert Grand Slam. This was a really harsh competition, where humans ran very long distances through four different deserts. It was really impressive, these humans almost had the endurance of dogs.

I wonder whether there should not be a Dog Show Grand Slam for show dogs. If you would compete in four different big dog shows in a year, you could take a grand slam.

More Rain

I have complained over rainy weather before in this blog. The last time was not many days ago. Still, a rainy day is often defined by that rain. Autumn may be beautiful and feel fresh, but not when it is just rainy and damp outside.

The Euro Qualifier that Sweden played against Liechtenstein had the potential to make us happy. Many goals for your own team often do. However, while Sweden won, it was with no more than 2-0. We thought the Swedes could have done better, even though Liechtenstein did have an excellent goal keeper. Well, a victory is always a victory, it is not cause for complaint. The rain is, though.

Euro Qualifier, Poland Beats Germany

Sweden will play Liechtenstein in the qualification tournament for the UEFA Euro 2016. It is an important game, as are all the games, but Sweden should win rather easily. On the other hand, most people would have thought reigning world champions Germany would easily beat Poland. Instead, Poland won, 2-0. In sports, you can never be sure of the results before the game is played. Thos is one of the things making sports such a thrilling entertainment. I like this.

Friday Bacon Flavour

Many Friday nights, we have crisps as snacks in front of the TV. Today was no exception. The flavour today was, however, better than usual. It was bacon flavoured crisps. This is a great flavour. It is hard competing with bacon flavour. These are my favourite crisps.

Horrible News

In Nordmaling, a farmer have been charged with animal cruelty. Farm animals lied around dead among the living animals. Many animals suffered, without anything being done. When the authorities came, the situation was so bad, most of the 200 animals had to be put down immediately.

I feel so sorry for these animals. Nobody should have to suffer like this. When humans take animals in their care, they have to care for the animals. I do think, however, this is a rare exception to the rule that domestic animals in Sweden are being well taken care of. We have a good morale on the welfare of animals in this country. I like that.

Innocent Victim

In Spain, a nurse who was infected with the dreaded ebola virus, has had her dog put down, for no other reason than being the dog of an ebola infected human. The authorities responsible for this went on, despite massive protests, and despite the lack of evidence that dogs may cause humans to be infected. While dogs may carry the virus, there is no proof the virus can pass from dog to human. The poor dog, a twelve year old rescue dog named Excalibur, was, this, put down for no real reason. This is a scandal. One can only hope the Spanish authorities learn from this fault and stop this from happening again.

Rain

Why does it have to rain, when we go outside? I do not mind rain, as long as I can stay indoors, but it is uncomfortable to get rain on top of you when you go out. Sometimes, I wish there was an off switch for the rain. On the other hand, I guess life is not meant to be comfortable every minute. If it were, how could we say life was comfortable, if we just would not have any uncomfortable events to compare with? Mainly, I do have a good life.

Why Clementines?

Hello, Orange here!

Paula bought some fruit today. It was clementines. I wonder why she does not buy oranges instead. In my mind, there cannot be a better fruit than the orange. We should have oranges at home more often, I think.

Unnecessary Election

The people of Brazil are electing a new president of their federal republic today. This is quite unnecessary, really. Brazil used to have an emperor. Decendants of the emperor still live and the empire could return. In this case, Brazil would have a Head of State of the same rank as Japan. This would be cool. With an emperor, the people still elects the parliament and the head of government is appointed based on the outcome of the parliamentary election. You do not have to have elections for Head of State. Having a hereditary monarch is better. You can compare it to a wolf pack, where the power is inherited by a daughter of the alpha bitch. In our dog pack, I inherited the alpha position from my Mum. Inherited power is natural.

Cinnamon Bun Birthday

Auntie Linni has a very good birthday, this day, because it is also the day of the cinnamon bun. Any day dedicated to a bun is a good day. Any day when we can celebrate our dear auntie Linni is also a good day. This day is, therefore, double good.

Auntie Linni turns thirteen years old today. This is an awesome age for any dog. We celebrate her accordingly.

New Cabinet

Sweden got a new Prime Minister yesterday. He presented his cabinet today. There have been much to read about the new ministers. Still, I have not found any comprehensive list of what dogs they have. If some of them do not have dogs, they might at least have cats or other pets. I prefer humans with dogs, of course, but a cat will do in the absence of a dog.

If a human has pets, this is usually evidence of his or her concern for animals and nature. A human with dogs usually has a better understanding of the needs of dogs, which is something I find very important with any politician. How can we judge the members of the new cabinet, if we do not know what dogs or other pets they have?

Christmas Candy

Ecidently, the stores have started to sell Christmas candy already. Paula and Daniel went grocery shopping today. One of the items they brought back home was some "Juleskum", Traditional Swedish Christmas candy. I do not complain, I like all candy, any time of the year.

Second Month of Autumn

As we enter October, autumn shows itself with temperatures below the freezing point in the morning. The leaves are sparkling with different colours. As a dog of Japanese origin, I observe the seasons of the year by the calendar, as is the custom in Japan. Autumn starts with September, no matter how warm the weather might be. Still, I can see that October may be a month which shows more pure autumn weather. Such is certainly the case now. It is good to know that ticks go away. I just wish they never came back.