Denise Crosby was at WonderCon SF 2010 last weekend, and talking with this blogger about how she lands so many of her strong, smart female roles. From Lt. Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation, to her current role as Capt. Susan Salinger on the TV show Southland, Denise Crosby has a long string - a tradition, really - of playing such television roles. Was it by design? In other words, did she insist on that kind of role?

"I never make those kind of demands," Crosby said. "Actors are kind of subject to the work available, you know?" I think I often get cast in those roles because there's a certain kind of energy I put out there."

But Crosby, in San Francisco to sign autographs as part of WonderCon SF, said she does play the vulnerable female roles, too. She just finished Orpheus Descending on the LA Stage where she played "Lady Torrance", ever the vulnerable woman if there was one.

Denise Crosby is part of what's commonly referred to as "The Crosby Family Dynasty" as she's the granddaughter of Bing Crosby, the daughter of actor and singer Dennis Crosby, and the nice of Mary Crosby.

Even with all that Hollywood royalty, Denise is nice, centered, and approachable. A very good conversationalist, she met her fans at WonderCon SF with a sincere kindness that wasn't always the norm during the event. That speaks volumes for her as a person.

For all of you with high performance dogs, here's the latest from Ruff Wear. How cool would it be to live in Bend, OR, and design products for outdoor dogs?

I thought the quotes from the Outdoor study were also encouraging. Nothing like a recession to drive people into nature. ;-)

SD

Ruff Wear Dog Gear Unveils New Spring Products For Four Legged Friends

Exploring Destinations Right Out Your Front Door is the New ‘Vacation’

As we explored our surroundings here at Ruff Wear this past season, we combined our personal experiences with our customers’ product suggestions to come up with new gear that offers fresh opportunities for adventure.” -- Patrick Kruse, Ruff Wear's founder

Bend, Ore. (PRWEB) April 5, 2010 -- An increase in local outdoor activities and the growing popularity of day trips means dogs are joining our adventures now more than ever. With the return of warmer weather, Ruff Wear, the leading producer of high performance dog gear, unveils a new canine hydration pack, dog bed for backpacking, a soft disc dog toy that floats, and a stink-proof, waterproof dog collar. The SingleTrak Pack™, Highlands Bed™, Hydro Plane™ Dog Toy, and Headwater™ Collar will be available starting April 1, 2010 through specialty pet and outdoor retailers as well as through www.ruffwear.com.


According to recent research, Americans are re-connecting with nature. Data from the 2009 Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report, published by The Outdoor Foundation, shows that an increasing number of Americans returned to nature and active outdoor activities in 2008. 48.6 percent of Americans participated in outdoor recreation. From day hiking in an urban park to backpacking in a designated wilderness area to snowboarding at a mountain resort, 135.9 million Americans enjoyed the benefits of a healthy, active outdoor lifestyle.

The study finds double-digit participation increases in nearly every nature-based activity including backpacking, mountain biking, and trail running. In addition, hiking and camping were up almost ten percent. With the growing popularity of ‘staycations’, many people have become reacquainted with adventures and destinations closer to home.

SingleTrak Pack™ – The newest addition to Ruff Wear’s popular line of dog packs is a low-profile pack that includes two collapsible Platypus® Platy™ water bottles for lightweight mobile hydration. Hydrate your dog (or yourself) while trail running, mountain biking, and hiking in dry conditions.
MSRP: $89.95/sizes Small, Medium, Large

Highlands Bed™ – Ruff Wear’s Highlands Dog Bed is ideal for backpacking and camping. When minimizing weight and space is important, this ultra-light, compressible dog bed is easy to pack into the backcountry. In fact, the Highlands Dog Bed fits perfectly into Ruff Wear’s Palisades Pack™ so your dog can carry his or her own gear.
MSRP: $74.95/one size

Hydro Plane™ Floating Dog Toy – This soft disc was built for dogs that love to play fetch in
or around water. The Hydro Plane floats on top of water – like a pontoon – for increased visibility while swimming.
MSRP: $19.95/one size

Headwater™ Collar – The newest dog collar from Ruff Wear is both waterproof AND stink-proof. Each of the four colors features a reflective pattern on the collar for high visibility. The Headwater Collar is designed for dogs that live to swim, play water fetch, and live in rainy climates. The waterproof-coated webbing keeps the collar looking and smelling like new.
MSRP: $24.95/sizes Medium, Large

“With the current economic environment, many of us have become acquainted with adventures and destinations closer to home. And adding four-legged friends into the mix can exponentially increase the fun. Dogs have the uncanny ability to make every outing a new experience. As we explored our surroundings here at Ruff Wear this past season, we combined our personal experiences with our customers’ product suggestions to come up with new gear that offers fresh opportunities for adventure,” said Patrick Kruse, Ruff Wear's founder.

About Ruff Wear
Ruff Wear's mission is to build performance product to enhance and inspire outdoor adventures for dogs and their human companions. Ruff Wear encourages an active lifestyle for everyone with a four-legged friend - stay fit, healthy and happy - on a trail run, a day hike, or multi-day backcountry adventure. Our Performance Dog Gear™ combines performance, quality, fit, function, and safety to meet the needs of active and adventurous canines and their humans.

Ruff Wear is committed to preserving open lands and waterways, providing important habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for humans and canines. Ruff Wear partners with The Conservation Alliance to protect these special places so important to us. Additionally, Ruff Wear works with regional grass roots organizations, giving back to the community, and creating opportunities to strengthen the bond between humans and their dogs.

Ruff Wear was named to Outside magazine’s (http://www.outsideonline.com/) third annual “Best Places to Work” list in April 2010 and ranked No. 41 out of 50 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the May issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands April 13, 2010.
In addition, Ruff Wear was recognized by Oregon Business Magazine as one of the “100 Best Green Companies to Work for in Oregon” in June 2009.

Based in Bend, Oregon, Ruff Wear sells their products through specialty pet and outdoor retailers as well as www.ruffwear.com. Find Ruff Wear on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/ruffwear and on their Dog Blog, http://dogblog.ruffwear.net.

Buy Now and Beat the Rush!!!!!!!!!!

It was pretty traumatic being ambushed by the Afrika Korps the other day (See post below) and I've been having trouble sleeping ever since.

Well, the answer to all my concerns is now only a really friggin large credit card bill away!!

T72 Tank for sale.

"We are a Russian armoured & surplus military vehicle and dealer. We export Russian T72 Tanks and other Defence equipment.

We offer the rare opportunity to buy a Modern Main Battle Tank, which is currently in front line service with many countries in the World.

The T72 are one of the most modern main battle tanks available to collectors to buy. The vehicles are direct release Army surplus. These Action Vehicles are faster, with better performance than Chieftan or M60 Tanks. They are fitted with reliable V12 diesel engines,and are ideal for off road driving experiance, business promotion,Film and TV hire.

We have Russian T72 Tanks for sale now. This vehicle is in very good condition the vehicle is advertised on Milweb for sale"

Shit. I want this one-


Seriously. Nothing says "Get off my lawn!!!!" quite like that.

And all it takes is a credit line as long as the horizon.

And if that's a bit much for you and your parking space is limited or you want something to impress the folks up at the lake house?
Here ya go!
1943 Volkswagen Type 66 Schwimmwagen. With an MG42 Machinegun mounted on it, this little baby would make an ass kick addition to the home.

"Exactly 15,125 VW Type 166 better known as Schwimmwagen were manufactured during World War II. At the conclusion of the war, all the vehicles that could be found were crushed or used for target practice by the Allied Forces. Consequently only 125 or so examples survive today."



Hell, they only want $200,000 for it.

Personally, for that price, I'd buy several of the tanks instead of this overpriced Volkswagon.
But if money was no object.........

OK, I admit that these 2 items are a bit on the pricey side. Some might even look at them as a bit extreme.
Not to mention all of the potential complications that could arise between you and your liberal friends, family and neighbors.

Here's what I suggest. Buy a couple of cases of the following and keep them around to sooth the ruffled feathers of those who get a case of The Vapors when pulling into the driveway and seeing that 125mm Main Gun from the T72 pointing in their direction.

Canned Unicorn Meat!


Shit. Throw in a couple of bags of Skittles and you'd have 'em eating out of your hand!

And don't forget The Tribbles 'N' Bits breakfast cereal!


Throw these in with the Canned Unicorn Meat and you are good to go.

Well, except with the vegans. But screw them. You shouldn't worry about what anyone who doesn't eat meat thinks anyway.

Related searches: Easter Sunday, Children's Hospital, Oakland news, City of Oakland, easter egg archive, Bert Lupin,

Happy Easter Sunday! There will be happier blog posts to report, but the matter of the fiscal problems of Children's Hospital in Oakland (or "Children’s Hospital Oakland") are as important as an easter egg archive, how to tie a tie, Rachel Ray's Deviled Eggs Recipe, or the iPad 3g.

Children’s Hospital Oakland is Northern California’s only independent non-profit regional medical center for children, a national leader in many pediatric specialties, and an Oakland treasure. "Children's" is also a designated Level 1 pediatric trauma center with the largest pediatric critical care unit in Northern California.

Children's Hospital, suffering from California's terrible economy, a poor national economy, low government and private reimbursement rates, increasing healthcare costs and what it says is a "lack of public hospitals with pediatric inpatient beds," lost $26 million last year alone and $80 million over the last four years.

Children's reports that California’s high annual unemployment rate has increased the number of families covered by Medi-Cal and other government assisted programs from 60 percent to 71 percent in one year; an all time high for the facility. Children’s claims Medi-Cal reimbursement are "among the lowest in the nation" and does not cover the cost of service provided to patients.

According to Children’s Hospital Oakland President and CEO Bert Lupin, the fiscal loss has grown at "at an unsustainable rate." In the hopes of stopping a projected $15 million 2010 loss, Lupin and his staff have created a three-year plan that will reduce costs and increase revenues. Here are the plan's actions that are "under consideration":

Partnering with community clinics
Supporting existing and new programs that have the financial capability of
helping support the hospital
Renegotiating contracts with public and private insurers to get higher rates, comparable to what other local medical centers receive
Reducing the workforce, with as few layoffs as possible
Reducing the annual costs by streamlining some service lines
Seeking more state and federal funding

Children's Hospital Oakland currently employs 2,600 people and has an annual operating budget of $350 million.

It's not clear how the new Obama Health Care plan will impact Children's Hospital Oakland as of this writing, but if the comments of Dr. George Phillips, a pediatrics doctor at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in the Iowa Independent, are any indication, it can do nothing but help:

"This new law sets the benchmark for coverage for all preventive care that all children should receive. We've seen so many children in the hospital, whose medical conditions have reached an acute stage that could have either been prevented or addressed earlier in the process, had they had wellness checks."

Help Children's Hospital

Children’s Hospital Oakland is an international treasure that everyone in the California should be proud of. Oaklanders see it as children’s hospital, but equally if not more important, it is an internationally renowned research center that is creating cures for kids. We need to support this hospital for the groundbreaking work it does in discovering new treatments to prevent and to heal children here and around the World.

You can help by calling your Senator and Congressperson and asking them to help find federal funds to support Children's Hospital. You can do this regardless of where you live because of Children's Hospital Oakland's unique regional role.

Happy Easter!