Although most people have learned by now that a Sussex spaniel named Stump has won yesterday's 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square, many might not know the arduous path each dog takes to make it to this prestigious event, often referred to as America's Number One Dog Show.
In addition to long and arduous hours of training, many of the 2500 dogs entered in the event have competed in dozens of events prior to this year's show in order to accumulate enough points to become qualified to participate. What they usually means is that before competing in New York City each dog needs to win an official AKC Best of Breed competition elsewhere, which often means numerous attempts and numerous shows. The Top Five dogs (AKC Champions) in breed standings in a given year are invited to pre-enter in advance of the regular closing date, while the rest must go from show to show until they capture a WKC championship.
The Best of Breed competition, such as the Tibetan Mastiff one pictured above, pits the pre-qualified dogs in a head to toe competition against each other in a series of tests in order to determine the champion. First the dogs enter the ring and are assembled in a line and are evaluated by a single (highly qualified) lone judge, who assesses their stature and proportionality. They circle the ring as a group and are then each are summoned to one end of the ring to be evaluated individually. Judges at AKC shows assess the overall health of the dog and then observe the dog in motion to see if the dog presents the classic posture and gait that is characteristic of that particular breed.
In examining a traditional Bullmastiff, for example, a working dog which was originally bred and trained to deter poaching on large estates in England, one is looking for a certain "squareness" in its overall sturdy build. The Siberian Husky is known to be the fastest, most enduring, and versatile of purebred sled dogs, and is capable of running marathon distances that few if any other breeds of dog could manage. The movement of each dog is evaluated in the end in regard to the purpose for which it was bred. Thus the Siberian Husky's gait during the show should correlate directly to its long-distance running tradition.
Each of the finalist at this years show— Smash JP Moon Walk, Spirit, Tiger Woods, Field of Dreams (Pulli), Sadie, Masquerade, and the champion Stump, made it to the finals in the competition because they exhibited the health, beauty, movement, and character of the prototypical breed they represent better than any other dog in their particular category.
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2009 west minster kennel club dog show, akc, field of dreams, madison square garden, sadie, smash jp moon walk, spirit, stump, tiger woods
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Posted on 2/11/2009
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In the midst of collapsing fortune 500 companies, record job losses, foreclosures, and massive bailout packages, it's certainly reassuring to know that not everybody in the New York metropolitan area is suffering a through hard winter this year. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be renting the Lloyd Neck estate known as Sassafras, (which if anyone is interested out there is on the market this year for a cool $60 million) while Jolie shoots the upcoming CIA spy movie—Salt.
The 48-acre estate on Long Island was once on the Forbes list of the 10 most expensive homes in North America. There are three houses on the property—one boasting 22,000 square feet and a interior decor fit for nobility— as well as two helipads, tennis courts, a pool, and a private cove with a dock.
Welcome to New York, Brad and Angelina. Manhattan would appreciate a few trips into the city by you two— we need all the positive buzz we can get this winter. Come to think of it— do a little bit of shopping, go to restaurants, buy a couple cars, how about some jewelry?
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48 acre, angelina, angelina jolie, brad, brad pitt, lloyd neck, long island, new york, sassafras
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Posted on 1/29/2009
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The New York International Gift Fair, the premier gift and decorative accessories market in the United States, has opened its doors at the Jacob Javitz Center. This semi-annual event fills 638,000 net square feet, including the entire Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the Passenger Ship Terminal. The 45,000 national and international attendees are drawn from major retail outlets, specialty retailers, distributors, catalog companies and others. There are more than 2,800 firms exhibiting in eleven major merchandise sections of the Fair, including international sponsored groups representing Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Canadian Province of Quebec, South Africa, Thailand and United Kingdom.
This year's NYIGF features a number of interesting green-themed presentations this week for attendees in the gift-giving business. "It’s Easy Being, Building, Buying & Selling Green – An Interview with Clodagh" presents a interview with green movement pioneer, Clodagh, and editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine, Susan Szenasy, and explores how one woman’s passion for environmentally and spiritually friendly materials and art finishes informs her commitment to product and interior design. Mark McMenamin, senior editor of Interior Design magazine, will give a lecture on business practices that can be implemented that help businesses succeed in today's green marketplace. A third discussion session led by Patricia Norins, publisher of Green Retailer and GIFT SHOP magazines, with panelists Robin Brown, co-founder of Erbaviva, Alan Honick, partner of Lichen Studio and Mac McCoy, CEO of Tibet Collection will concern itself with learning how to distinguish between "green" and "greenwash", and how to properly make successful green choices and avoid green frauds.
Attendees of this year's New York International Gift Fair have the good fortune of being in New York City during Restaurant Week 2009, with all kinds of participating restaurants offering bargain dining deals. NYC hotel accommodations in 2009 have also never been more affordable due to the current economic climate. Let's hope NYIGF participants walk away from this year's show with new insights into green business practices, lower accommodations costs, and maybe even a Broadway ticket stub or two in their pockets that they were not able to afford on previous visits to New York City.
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broadway, business practices, clodagh, convention center, green, green marketplace, green retailer, greenwash, hotels, interior design, jakob javitz, mark mcmenamin, metropolis magazine, new york international gift show, passenger ship terminal, patrica norins, susan szenasy
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Posted on 1/26/2009
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The New York Knicks defeated Shaquile O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns 114-109 last night at Madison Square Garden, earning Coach Mike D'Antoni his first win against the team he formerly coached to greatness. The Knicks wisely chose to play up tempo basketball against the Suns, who with their recent roster moves have now become the kind of half-court, inside-outside kind of team that new GM Steve Kerr envisioned would be more successful come time for the playoffs.
Although the Suns played an aggressive first half, particularly O'Neal, who scored seemingly at will when he was fed the fall in the paint or in the post early on, the Knicks remained relatively poised and energetic throughout the entire 48 minutes, with solid contributions from six players scoring in double figures. David Lee could not contain O'Neal in the paint, but he played a clever and energetic brand of basketball, draining mid-range jumpers and contributing a number of slam dunk highlight moments en route to another stellar game in which he tallied 24 points and 16 boards.
When the closing quarter quarter came with the Suns still hanging within road-win striking distance, the welcome surprise of the night came in the form of Nate Robinson, who literally carried the offensive load on his 5'9" frame and finishing with 20 points of his own. This game had to please D'Antoni on numerous levels, but most of all it was a morale boosting win against one of NBA's basketball bigs, and a team he once commandeered.
Photo Credit: Associated Press ©2009 All Rights Reserved
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109, 114, david lee, madison square garden, mike dantoni, nate robinson, nba, new york knicks, phoenix suns, shaquile oneale
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Posted on 1/22/2009
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Last night at Madison Square Garden the New York Knicks faced one of the worst teams in NBA basketball playing one of the best games of their beleaguered season and came out with a victory. The lowly Washington Wizards(7-31) playing without four key players (most notably Gilbert Arenas and Brendon Hayward), shot a sizzling 59.7% from the field, 71% from three-point range, and 87% from the foul line and lost. How that came about comes down to a simple fact. If a game is played offense versus offense, nine times out of ten opposing teams will lose to Mike D'Antoni's run and gun system. In such a game with all scoring being basically equal, the key moment comes in the final three minutes when one or two defensive stops, turnovers, or missed shots end up deciding the game and that's what happened last night in the Garden.
What also happened last night was the coming of age of forward David Lee, whose 30 point, 10 rebound, 6 assist performance was nothing short of Duncanesque. A fan favorite for his hustling, high energy brand of workmanlike basketball, Knick fans are now starting to see Lee for what he really is— the best all-around player on the squad, and one of the best emerging big men in the NBA. Although a great deal of the Knicks success night in and night out has to do with how well they move the ball, on nights like last night David Lee was the man in the middle of it all, showing post skills, pick and roll savvy, and a step-back mid-range jumper that were just what the Knicks needed: a triple threat. His six assists also show his unselfishness as a player and his keen understanding of a motion offense. He seems to know all the options available to the team at the outset of every set play and has the ability to execute them with a great deal of focus and energy. Unfortunately the current Knicks roster does not include a legitimate center, but if they did, Lee would quickly become one of the best power forwards in the league. The addition of a shot-blocking, intimidating man in the 5 spot (who can run) would not only put Lee in his natural position, it would serve the entire team as well.
Photo Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara ©2009 All Rights Reserved
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david lee, loss, madison square garden, mike dantoni, new york knicks, victory, washington wizards
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Posted on 1/15/2009
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