-
Primary Widget Area
-
This theme has been designed to be used with sidebars. This message will no
longer be displayed after you add at least one widget to the Primary Widget Area
using the Appearance->Widgets control panel.
- Log in
Category Archives: Clarion Spring 2015
COPS LOVE
Two cops on patrol in Anniston, Alabama, noticed something unusual about a puppy by the side of the road. It didn’t appear to have any tags, and it looked extremely unhealthy.
As they got closer, The Dodo reports, they noticed its head was extremely swollen due to injuries on its neck, head, and shoulders. They later learned that these are injuries consistent with dog-fighting, and it’s possible the puppy was used as a “bait dog.”
The officers tried to get closer, but the dog, clearly frightened, attempted to run away. His wounds prevented him from running quickly or in a straight path, however, and the officers soon caught up with him.
Upon learning that an animal control officer was not available, Officers Matthew Preuninger and Brian Scott scooped up the puppy and got him to an animal hospital. A veterinarian said that if they hadn’t found the 10-week-old puppy when they did, he may not have made it, The Anniston Star reports.
It took Preuninger’s wife one look at the pit bull puppy to know that the dog, now named “Phil,” had just found his forever home.
“It was our mission at that time that Phil was OK, and the more we interacted with the vet and his staff, the more Phil was a part of our lives,” Preuninger said.
Phil had two other rescue dogs and a cat already waiting at home to greet him.
Phil has adapted nicely to his new life, and though sometimes he’s “haunted by his nightmares” and whimpers or barks in his sleep, The Dodo reports, he’s found comfort in his new family.
Posted in Clarion Spring 2015, Summer 2015
Leave a comment
SWISS PLUS
This 9 lbs, 1-foot-diameter “multi tool” was designed as a calling card by the F.W. Holler Company of Solingen, Germany, who were seeking to make a name for German knife manufacturers in Solingen (who had a centuries-long reputation for knife making) among the emerging market for Swiss Army Knives. It has 100 “blades,” including a .22 revolver. And a straight razor.
It’s hard to tell by photos alone, but this multi-tool is much larger than your typical Swiss Army knife. Its handle is about 10 inches long, 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep, which makes a lot of sense when you realize how many different types of blades have to fit into it. To start, there’s two dagger blades, a serrated bread knife, a few pairs of shears, a couple of saw blades, a corkscrew, a lancet (for boils?), button hooks, a cigar cutter (hey, why not!), mechanical pens and pencils, and even a piano tuning fork (whew). Really, the only thing the knife is missing is a bottle opener, since the bottle cap we know today wasn’t invented until 1892.
The tool weighs in at around 9 pounds, and with everything fully extended, the object reaches about a foot in diameter, which makes this much more a suitcase knife than a pocket knife. Miller says it takes about 25 minutes to fully open the gadget, and even when you take your time, it’s a dangerous task. “I’ve cut myself on that darn straight razor,” he says. The Smithsonian acquired the knife in 1986 after it was donated by James F. Parker. While alive, Parker was well known in knife collection circles—he owned his own cutlery company and served as the first president of the Knife Collectors Association. Miller says the first time he saw the object he couldn’t believe it was real. “I was particularly impressed with the revolver,” he recalls. “If you bring this knife to a gunfight, you’re OK.”
Posted in Clarion Spring 2015
Leave a comment