The Greatest Christmas Gift, and wow, you want: Yale Haven, pt 3

photo courtesy white glove digital



I love this time of year. Mind you, I don't like walking in that stuff, but I enjoy the Humanity of the Season. Just the other night, my human Bart bundled me up to go out. A man I never smelled before came up to my human with low voice: "Can you help me Sir?" was the question. My Human said sure, offered the man a cigarette, then his whole pack. what can I do for you?" I heard my human say as I sniffed this guy with Homeland Security vigilance. He said he was hungry, and wanted to buy a pizza. Knowing Pizza was not all he wanted, my human dug into his pocket and said: "Look, here's 20 dollars, get food for you, and your friends, before you buy a bottle, then thank God for all your blessings.

I heard that man grab my human,my teeth bared, I was ready to break skin, but instead, this man kissed my human on the cheek, said "God Bless You, Merry Christmas. He told him that that was the nicest Christmas gift he ever received.

My Human, said, no. You just gave me the Greatest Christmas Gift I ever received.

Merry Christmas, or whatever you do. But remember, this is a season of giving. You have things, humans need things. I'm asking all my fellow Woofers of Wooster Square, urge your human, during this busy time of year, to take a look around. It may be a lonely neighbor you invite to dinner, or the drunk in the park...make their day this season. The rewards are endless.

Again, Happy Holidays from the blog-dogfather and my human Bart.


Up next, Yale Haven. pt 3

Human note.. off for the week on vacation, will be looking for your comments, posts and friendship from the great state of Texas.

Canine note: Um... you mean u r leaving!

A sincere thanks to those who read this blog. I have made many friends in one 1/2 yrs hear in the Square. Thanks to the Souper people who invited my human into their group (e vites for Zippy can be sent to this blog!) To all the fine humans and dogs in our Wooster Square. My human thanks Lou, his trainer who is trying to help his back. Thanks to Matt and to taking the time to get to know me even though I bite him now and then, but he taught me the zen, the delta, all nine yards.

Thanks to Julie, truly, one of the most special humans on this earth. If there is a "Secret" she knows it, and will fertilize the life around you, making you stronger. Please visit her web site below, Julie Braun Design. She is Hollywood raised, NYC trained, and no matter what you need to do, she is going to blow you away. A true, New Haven treasure.

Rebecca, No more cloudy days. Thanks for believing.

And we thank God. Every day.

My human wanted to thank his girls too, for making him proud (but they can't read this site..you know that I'm blind so if that ain't enough, I might say a bad word hear or there. So WSW is not for kids. If any adults like it, email my human...

any other dogs like it? Well, I'll be smelling you in the park.

Bless all Bart and Zippy


YALE HAVEN, pt 3
zippy's photos courtesy white glove digital

Gulianni preached a New Federalism. Many called it the figure it out on your own Federalism. Perhaps, just think of it as a cake box, sans cake. For many, that is just what it came down too. But in certain areas of the country, some communities were thinking outside city limits. How to fund education, fix transportation, clean the environment and police the city.
The rich get richer and richer. Really richer. And this includes Yale University and ultimately Yale Haven. Life is very different today than it was in 2007. Life in the United States is different today. The New Federalism brought about striking and stunning changes in the lives of Americans, and it all depended on where you live. In a way, it was a victory for the far left and the far right.
Because the Federal Government lets the States govern themselves, more and more funding for States came in the form of grants, based on need. No more pork. And with the “line item veto”, President Gillian and successive Presidents were able to further take the garbage out of bills. Also, with the wildly successfull investment of government funds in Wall Street, there was no longer the need to “save” Social Security. In fact, with baby boomer kicking the bucket, The fund has generated large surpluses. A pitched battle on how to handle the obviously cash cow ensued. In the end, compromise was made by setting a floor amount each year, any surplus cash (3.2 Trillion Dollars in 2040), is distributed back to the States in a special General Fund.
Some States had creative ways to spend this money. Trying new Enterprise Zones, Investing in local companies, and reaping the benefits. Many States, like Connecticut, made shrewd investments in Bio or green companies. States were like major corporations. Virginia, New Hamshire, Vermont, Montanna, now do not have a governor. Top state elected officials, called Board Members, elect, or rather hire, called a Chief State Executive, or CSE, to run the State. The Board, similar to the House of State Representatives, conducted to the humdrum affairs of running the State. Putting together a budget and presenting it to the Chief State Executive. The CSE’s job was to mainly oversee the States investments, and look for new investments. Three States, Connecticut, Vermont and Virginia, make enough money off their investments to have balanced budgets. That means that they are run entirely like businesses.
The social, economic and cultural changes have been profound. Since I only know Yale Haven personally, I can only speak about what I know. And Yale Haven and the State of Connecticut was the first State to begin investing in company start ups in the County, it is the bar that everyone is reaching for. Not all cities or states have the juggernaught that fueled this change, and that is Yale University. Nobody could foresee the wild ambitions of President/Mayor Taubman. Nobody.
The Dean of Students at Yale became the permanent Superintendent of Schools for Yale Haven. Yale Haven schools became virtual laboratories for Yale Educators, with citizens of the Elm City as guniea pigs. The President of New Haven Institute for Forensics and Law Enforcement, was automatically installed as the Chief of Police for Yale Haven. With 10,000 cadets (students majoring in Law Enforcement), Yale Haven had a free source of street patrol. Cadets are required to work 30 hours a week interning on the Yale Haven Police. Yale University had another laboratory for its students.
Feeding the Yale engine was the amount of students that graduated from NHI, Wooster Culinary School, Yale Construction, and other students who studied or worked in Yale Haven. These graduates brought these lessons learned in Yale Haven to all parts of the country. Books written by Yale professors on all aspects of this new cultural experiment in Yale Haven were bestsellers and bibles to municipalities and states looking to duplicate Yale Havens success.
Books on construction, green architecture, teaching methods, state budgets, local policing, and on and on ad infinitum. In no other time in US History, has academia ever enjoyed so much success and power. Allowed to run almost free reign, nothing was off limits to study and change. Mostly for the better, but radical change none the less. The New Federalism basically lets the States run the States. True Dual Sovereignty. Many tried to copy Connecticut. What it bought about was basic fundamental change in everyones life. An age philosophers began to call the New Enlightenment.
Some conservative Southern States were run with evangelical fervor. Banning alcohol and tobacco where possible. Even in conservative states though, there were pockets of liberal cities that were allowed to do what liberals do. They had to in order to survive. Usually the cities were the centers of finance and education, which in today’s world, meant money, lots of money. You can’t think in terms of 2007. Money now, concentrated in the hands of people that run our government. But not in a bad way. I know, sounds to good to be true. You can be the judge when I’m done. It is what it is.
So what we have now is a liberal conservative base of Americans. Yet it is the best of all worlds for extremists. Want to live in a city that bans alcohol sales? Akron Ohio. Want to live in a city where cars are prohibited? There are ten of thousands of those. Want to live in city where they recycle just about everything? Manchester Vermont. How about a city that has the 10 commandments as part of the city’s charter? Nashville Tenesee.
How would you like to live in a city where you can walk to the home of the World Series Champion Red Sox, but can only drink “near beer” (beer with less than half the alcohol-which provides better crowd control according to Yale studies and reports)? Yale Haven Connecticut. However, you are welcome to fire up a blunt while you enjoy your beer (it’s actually quite good).

In the words of your Jon Stewart....wha wha whaaat was that? Blunt?

...yes, the country gets greener in the next 35 years...... Yale Haven pt 4

It's not my fault! AND... Yale Haven, pt 2

I must beg your pardon. It's been too long since my last post, and I bumped into two humans last night who said they visited Wooster Square Woofs! Don't be shy people, go ahead and post. There have been almost 200 visits to my humble site. Give or take 199 that I threatened this little mutt I made click on the site or I'd take a baseball bat to 3 of his knees (I do have some compassion). Ha. Ha. That's a DogFather joke.

So anyway, my human for 3 months now has been saying he's going to see "Jim". And EVERY time, he comes home sweatier than chinese rail worker in Nevada during the robber baron days of the early 1900s.. Not that there is anything wrong with that! So this weekend, my girlfriend's human, Julie and my human went into New York to see a concert. Charlie and I stayed at Aunt Amy's in Stratford. During a quiet, and VERY intimate moment, I asked Charlie if she had ever met this Jim. Well,she says like the little bitch she is, Zipless, it's not Jim, your human is going to THE GYM!! Oh, never mind...

I'm sorry for not posting, but it is my humans fault. I found out that indeed, he doesn't have anything other to do than walk and feed me. His back has been acting up since the NYC trip. And he has had injections and stuff. My heart goes out to you man.

Please, someone post! Maybe my new friend Bob Barker! The silliest little weiner dog in Wooster Square.

My human has had more than 2 requests for "Yale Haven" so I'm posting below. Some noted many misspellings, but it's cut and paste from a draft, and quite frankly, my human can be the laziest shit in Wooster Square.


Yale Haven pt 2
copyright a bart connors jr
2007

photo courtesy white glove digital



Like I said, after President Gulianni invested all that Social Security in the stock market (making many of his post mayor buddies kajillionaires)many, many people got rich. But it was the rich in the first place, became almost barons. Picture 250,000 plus the likes of Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, and any other names that you might see at the top of the fortune 500 list. The type of people to whom, money is no object.
So, in a nutshell the Red Sox were bought and moved here. Although it’s a little more interesting than just that. Since 2000, the Red Sox have been the winningest sports franchise of the Century. Like the Yankees of last century. Simply because they have more money. After they won the 2007 World Series, they picked up Alex Rodriquez from free agency and won 4 out of the next 9 series. Alex retired a Red Sock with almost every record in the book, at age 46. Right here in the Elm City, er New Haven, I mean Yale Haven. He hit 83 homers one year. Golfed it over the Monster 32 times.
The Franchise was a gem, but all baseball teams had great new stadiums. But Bean Towners could never give up their fenway park. Until that aweful October day. It was a pennant series in 2018, against Tampa Bay. Joe Girardi managing his final year for the Sox, three rings in his pocket. Bases loaded for the Sox, Alex up to the plate hitting 560 with men on in the playoffs. Fans are jumping, crazy, drunk, then crack! Just a God awful sound, like a baseball bat hitting a person on the head. Then it just fell. A Monster in name, and now in deed. The Wall tilted and buckled, people were falling off. The left fielder was actually trying to catch people and he got crushed. It kinda fell in slow motion, but hit with enough force to kill 78 people, including the left fielder and center fielder from Tampa Bay, who came over to help. Panic ensued. Society at its worst. Fans got into fights, got stabbed and shot. Running around and picked up everything, fans were tearing apart the stadium to bring home suvenirs. It was a mess.
For 2 years the Red Sox played at Foxboro, where the Patriots play football. It just wasn’t the same. No Landsdown street, just Fenway franks. Fans came but the team would never have the same feel. They had lost their beloved Fenway and many felt guilty about the whole affair. When rumors circulated about deals to other cites, many were nonplussed. Many were glad to see them go. Two years later, Boston had a new Fenway Park. They moved a team back to Landsdown, the Boston Senators.
When Benson Taubman saw the Monster fall, the wheels started spinning. He had never developed most of Long Wharf, but had emense plans. He secretly hoped to get the Yankees to Yale Haven, but that just was not going to happen, no matter how much money they had. So together with many of these super rich who have given much to the school, reached into their pockets again. The City and Yale made proposals, people liked it. The year Taubman became Mayor, he cut the ribbon opening the NBP at Yale with much fanfare.
How do you put a big ball park on that land you ask. I thought you might. I told you I’d get back to the Long Wharf area. Also, if you have been listening, Yale’s campus is the entire city now. Including, a huge chunk of land in East Haven for the Tweed Aviation Reseach Center at Yale’s International airport. In West Haven, there is a huge campus called the New Haven Institute Forensics and Law Enforcement school at Yale, formerly the University of New Haven. Most people call it New Haven institute or NHI. And they do so with pride. The top FBI,CIA, Homeland Security and the like graduate from there. Yale could have taken this as part of its core, but instead it operates separately from Yale (right). Probably for this reason. Two NCAA Basketball championships. Yale in its Ivy League status, does not compete in post season athletics. So here was a way to get in the game. Thirty thousand students attend the (party) school.
What about that awful 95/91 interchange? Yale Construction, along with a young engineering genius buried it. At about exit 42 in West Haven, began of course, The Yale Tunnel, Gateway to New England. I-95 came out in East Haven, I-91 came out at Hamilton Street. You will not recognize Long Wharf today. Where the old Scupper was, there is a large condo complex with a 1,500 boat slip, restaurants, even the Flag Man and Sweeny’s Hot Dogs. And of course New England Stadium at Yale, where we have our own version of the “splash down” a la Barry Bonds, but into New Haven Harbor.
Yale has had professors and students studying traffic patterns and population growth for years. Thanks to their shrewd investments, and the melding between City, State and Yale University, Yale Construction built a state of the art subway system. The main station, located under the New Haven Green, Amistad Station, goes underground to West Haven, Woodbridge, Westville, Hamden and East Haven. Continuing service goes up the Shoreline to New London, north to Hartford and Waterbury and compliments Fairfield County’s Metro North to the south.
In fact ,traffic downtown is completely pedestrian, bike, scooter and golf cart...no cars allowed. If you live in Yale Haven, you don’t need a car. In fact, since Yale Haven is so accessible to public transportation, the State of Connecticut gives tax rebates for owning no car at all. Many ride the subway subsidized by the companies they work for, showing their green pride. Yale and city employees, pay hardly nothing.
What our Founding Fathers were really reaching for was more of Dual Sovereignty. The States and Federal Government each had certain powers. This gave way to cooperative Federalism in which the States and Federal Government colaborate on important projects to both. Just talking about this make me hungry, because the former is known as layer cake Federalism and the latter is marble cake Federalism.

coming next, a United States you won't recognize, and Yale Haven at its best, and worst!

Yale Haven

My Human Bart wanted me to post this, copyright a. bart connors, jr. 2007

If you want more, there is more....

Let’s pretend for a moment, that you just dropped into New Haven, 2042, missing the last 35 years. Or I should more properly say, Yale Haven. How much New Haven has changed in 35 years. This world has changed in dramatic ways, but not so much as the United States. This is a country the founding fathers shaped, but never dreamed the way the constitution could be stretched as far to the right as it stands today. Far reaching programs, starting with Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s, the transformation of the Federal Supreme Court into an arm of the republican Party. And giving business free reign to operate with little Federal Intervention. States were on their way to becoming a family of nation states, with the real problems of families.
This is what happens, when you get 30 years of a Republican Presidents, only 8 years of Democrats in the last 35 years. None even remotely successful as President Bill Clinton (my hero), or even as titillating. The election of 2008 was a turning point in the History of the United States. After the 2006 takeover of the House and Senate, Hillary Clinton looked to be a lock on the Presidential Nomination and general election, that all came to a screeching halt, when campaigning for Hillary in California, her husband and former President had a major heart attack. He was revived 4 times. President Clinton was frail and needed constant medical care and attention. To everyone’s surprise, Hillary stood by her man for the last time. Senator Hillary Clinton abandoned her campaign for President, resigned from the Senate and refused to support publicly another candidate. The Clintons lived in relative seclude for almost three years as Hillary took care of her husband before he died in 2011.
What followed was as much as a surprise to anyone. Rudy Guliani took the general election against a weak Obama. No one ever doubted Rudy’s 9/11 expertise again. President Guliani reshaped the Republican Party like none before. By getting the evangelicals to take a back seat, he brought the party more center on moral issues and still promoted a radical form of Federalism. After two Supreme Court appointments by the end of his second term, the Court was beginning to become an arm of the Republican Party. Abortion was declared illeagal. However, the court also took the far right stance that states had the right to make their own laws on the issue. So abortion was still legal in all 50 states. And, was a ballot issue on every state election since. The Federal government, the court determined, was too involved in the lives of Americans. Most all Federal Funding was slashed, the budget balanced with years of surpluses.
States were left to deal with the actual business of governemnt. Cities and towns had to rethink how to fund education and other public services. None of that was played out better than in right here in Connecticut, and more specifically Yale Haven. As the reach of Yale University became greater, there became a blurring of the lines between the City Government and Yale itself. The greatest example being the election of 2020, when all 12 City alderman (or women) were either Yale Students, professors, distinguished alumni, employed by Yale University or the Hospital. but the biggest coup that year was in the same election, the Yale President, Benson Taubman, took on the duties as Mayor of the City of New Haven. A day that can be looked backed on as a triumphant victory or some may say a monumental disaster. The bottom line is that life is far more different than it was during that Gulianni victory in oh eight.

The seeds of change were planted between the City of New Haven with former Mayor Destefano. After 2 failed Gubernatorial bids, he settled into his seemingly endless term with vigor. If he could not change the state, he would drastically change the City of New Haven. Destefano had always been clubby with Yale. And abrasive enough to keep them on their toes. But in the end, they both got not what they wanted, no one could have anticipated life in Yale Haven the way it is today. But what they got was a model City for which the world would envy.
One man launched an investment run not seen in the endowment business. Yale’s Christopher Hohn, thank largely to new investments in hedge funds and a most aggressive donor campaign, took Yale 17.5 billion dollar endowment in 2005, to 1.2 trillion dollars in 2042. That’s trillion. Dollars. In 2042, Yale students do not pay tuition. Not room nor board. Not for laptops. Most students qualify for and receive, “transportation funds”.
These funds can be used primarily to travel back and forth to home, but can be used to have your family fly out for the weekend and stay for free at the Yale Colony Ritz Carlton right on Chapel Street. Or just have your high school girl friend come up and pay for it out of your funds. Most enterprising yale students find better ways spend their transportation funds. In other words, it is more than a healthy slush fund for bong and beer money and still go back home a couple of times a year. But as most college students think, it is much better to be at school than at home. And in Connecticut, as in 17 other progressive states, the drinking age again was lowered to 19. And stayed there due largely to Yale studies done on drinking, teen drinking, binge drinking and the age limit. No effect, so it is really no longer an issue. And when you live steps away from Toad’s Place, Garden, Hotel and Casino, who can really blame you.
Not only did Christopher Hahn change the way that Yale operated, he helped link and transform the City of New Haven. for decades, Yale purchased more and more property downtown. They purchased Long Wharf and in one small but not so small gesture, they partnered with Mayor Destefano and the City on many start up companies. Two of them, one a bio start up in search of drug for lung cancer and the other a cosmetic company in search of the latest cream for your face. Yale, the City of New Haven, and yes even I benefited from that one. Yale’s cancer drug called Briair, save just over 50% of those dying from lung cancer, a far cry from the previous diagnosis of only 15%. It saved my life.
I don’t know how the cream works, but it does. At first, you needed to see a doctor to get it, but after 8 years as THE best selling prescription, it is now over the counter. It cost $84.50 at tube. A bargain for this face-lift in a tube. And remember, you just dropped into 2042.

Both companies are in the Fortune 500, number 8 and 32. The City of Yale Haven and the State of Connecticut are the largest shareholders. Connecticut, Yale and the residents of Yale Haven, are all beneficiaries. With so much money at stake, Yale and the city just kind of kept morphing. Doing things that just were not possible without this kind of partnership, and that kind of money.
Big money, big changes. Yale Haven is in the business of collecting taxes, but that is just a front. Yale Haven has it’s own endowment now. They call it a rainy day fund. I call it 45 billion dollars. That does not even include equity in any of the joint ventures with Yale. Then, starting with the election of 2028, The newly named City of Yale Haven and Yale University embarked on one of the most ambitious social experiments in the world that is marveling politicians, world leaders, business leaders and academia to this day.
All of this grand transformation could not have taken place without the election of President Guiliani in 2008. His steady hand took his liberal republican party far to the right on government, but middle of the road on most social issues. A curious thing happened to the Democrat and Republican parties. Republican membership swelled to all time levels. Everyone wanted fiscal responsibility and less government and less taxes. But most democrats hated the Evangelical look of the party. Party meetings looked conspicuously like klu klux klan meetings.
Guliani’s republican party looked nothing like George W’s. Guliani basically kicked out the religion of the party. Stating that if we expect other countries around the world to be democratic and not some fanatical religious government, then we should set an example. It wasn’t that we still didn’t believe in, in God we trust, we just didn’t wear it on our sleeve. You see, Rudy wasn’t talking to God on a daily basis for advice like George W’ said he did. You would think that all those fights about State and religion would flair up but it never seemed to. It was a non-issue, like it is.
Traditional southern democrats now were in a quandary. You could always say that they were a tintsy bit conservative, but now, they are right of right (but mostly wrong and wrong). They found out to get elected to anything, they had to court these disenfranchised evangelical republicans, who mostly happened to live in their districts. And they hold 17% of the seats in the house. Not enough to worry the liberal republicans who hold a 12 seat majority. So now we have 3 distinct parties. The left wing democrats, liberal republicans, and conservative democrats. I am not making this up. It even gets better.
Why? because it worked. Coming off of public confidence lows of 12% in o-seven, congress had no where else to go. Kicked hard in the ass by the crash of o-nine, Wall Street and guliani worked hard to not let it happen again. He slashed government spending, rescued Wall Street by investing trillions of dollars for Social Security, doubling (yes, time 2) recipient benefits and single handedly setting the fund back on its feet with more than enough money invested to even fund the baby boom generation. All of that griping for years about fixing social security, and Rudy and his Wall Street buddies had it fixed 8 months after the Crash that sent the dow from 18,718 to 11,122 in just 3 days.
How President Guiliani pulled off investing Social Security funds in Wall Street was a stroke of genius. Five of the major brokerage houses were involved. Simply at the end of each year, the Social Security was given a balance, and this was deemed guaranteed principle. The five major brokerages then would pony up the difference if there was a loss in the fund that year. But the opposite was true. As the Federal government poured money into Wall Street, it up-righted the ship and we went on the longest, economic run in recorded history.
Many people made fortunes. Christopher Hohn, Yale University and Yale Haven, all made killings. The stage was set for radical meaningful change.
Yale Haven Mayor, and President of Yale University went on a course that has forever changed the Elm City. In moves that many thought as shameless land grabs, Yale spread its footprint all over the city. In order to mange huge construction projects, Yale introduced the Yale School of Construction. Yale Construction, Engineering and Architecture now were starting and finishing projects from scratch. Top construction companies sent thousands to Yale for Education sending an army of the top technically talented people with experience without match into the workforce, creating a boom in construction never seen before. Better construction, cheaper more energy efficient supplies, and the latest technology. We are truly beginning to see the future.
Yale built all the way down Edgewood Ave down past the Yale bowl to the horse farms which were put in Woodbridge. Dorms and Classrooms circle the Edgewood park, making it safer, cleaner and a centerpiece of Westville. Facilities were almost to lake Whitney.
In addition, Yale created the Wooster Culinary and Food Science School at Yale in Wooster Square. Operating independently, but wholly owned by Yale University, Yale scientists work on the latest in nutrition while cooking students enjoyed some of the most famous chefs as visiting teachers. The school put out a frozen line of foods that are made to order and picked up at your local grocery store. The line, called “Yale Food Works” is nutritionally balanced and the exact amount of calories needed for your body type.
You go to the Yale Food Works web site, enter in all types of information about yourself (and the required blood test) and they formulate a diet designed just for you. All you do then is go online, enter a password and it pulls up menus that you can choose from and mix and match. It already knows what store you shop at, cooks the food at a facility locally in West Haven and others nationally, flash freezes and ships. You can pick it up in most cites in 3 days.It was and still is, wildly popular. Needless to say, this was another source of income for Yale.
A short walk from Wooster Square is New England Ballpark at Yale (of course). Right on that prime land on Long Wharf, but you would not recognize that area now, I’ll get to that in a minute. NEBP at Yale is home to....the New England Red Sox (at Yale). I’d have to give a dissertation to explain how Boston lost the Red Sox, but I’ll try to give the short version since you just dropped in out of thin air.


Want more? e-mail my human. smell you later!

I see

Not in the literal sense, of course. What a wonderful day for the first day of December. I love the smells of Winter in Wooster Square. Especially Saturdays. Saturdays the park is bustling with humans and dogs walking from all parts of the City. And, those nice people from 4 Mile River Farm give meat to my human that I just love.

When I started this blog, I should have just had the address be Wooster Square Woofs. Since I don't have any sight, I can't have hindsight, but it would have been nice. But the nice people at Google have provided my blog, to be googled as Wooster Square Woofs and it will bring you here. Tell any humans you know who might be interested in talking about the goings on here in our little neighborhood.

A special hi to my friends Bella and Freddy. Bella is the other blind dog in the park. And when we are together some human just has to say "now that's really the blind leading the blind". And hello to their human Nancy, all three of whom have become friends (four if you count my human).

A technical note, you no longer have to have a google account to post or comment. In case you tried in the past and didn't want to jump through hoops (some of my friends enjoy such malarchy) just to say something. Now is the time for your Bark to be heard! More later this week... bark!

Thanksgiving Reflections

Happy Thankgiving to all my fellow Woofers of Wooster Square. What a wonderful day to be canine! The smell of food everywhere, and leftovers. Lots of leftovers for our bowls. And while most humans prefer football, I like to watch the National Dog show. Or should I say listen. My human gives me the details. My favorite group of course is the group that I am a member of, the toy group.

I am a very happy and thankful DogFather this year. Me and my human have settled in here in Wooster Square, made lots of friends and we have walked all over our fine city. Today's walk was glorious. And I reflected on all that me and my human are thankful for this year.

I thank the great sniffer in the sky everyday for my human Bart. Who seems to have nothing better to do than walk me all over town and feed me. I'm thankful for my girlfried Charlie, and her human Julie. Who brought so much good Chi when they moved into our humble building. I am thankful for my human friend Matt, although I have been known to bite him. That only happens when he whips me into a devil looking mouth foaming demon over some stupid squeeky toy. I am thankful for the meat guy at the Farmer's Market, who gives my human ground up cow that I get to eat every day. I am thankful for the piano that my human is studying, for he has entertained and delighted me with his playing. My human says to tell you that he is thankful for his beautiful, smart and talented twin daughters, Keenan and Shea, and that they have have wonderful mother.

What are you thankful for? Remember, after eating all that human food, its best to throw up on the rug after your human has cleaned up the entire kitchen. This seems to get the best reaction. Or even better, if you can wait, throw up in several different spots on the best rug during the night. This usually produces a huge reaction in the morning. Sometimes I get so excited waiting for my human to wake up, I just have to leave a crap somewhere just to top it off. Oh those are good times.
Happy Thanksgiving and smell you later!

Squirrel!!!

What the squirrels in Wooster Square Park do after you leave!

Zippy here! How are all my friends of Wooster Square Woofs doing? I want to figure out something today. About Squirrels. First off, nobody, not my human or any one else for that matter can spell squirrel. Why does that bother me? Because everything about squirrells need to be on the table here. The first time I went walking in the park, I heard humans say "squirrel". But they just don't say it, it is as if the word is thrust out of their mouths involuntarily, like they can't help themselves(my human tell me that is redundant, I told him the water is my dish is low) The first time the s-word was exclaimed in my presence, I jumped and got down on all fours (you know what I mean). The first thing I thought of was that there was an incoming mortar, and I should duck and cover. After noticing than my human was not expecting to be blown to bits, I made a mental note: Squirrel.

Being blind, of course I have never seen a squirrel. But after listening to my friends begin the chase after hearing the charge, I realized that squirrels are some form of canine entertainment. Although, I did get close enough to one to find out that what my friends are chasing is a big rat. Yuck. (Human note: this from a dog who thinks nothing of licking his butt in public)

So what I'm trying to say here is that you may not want to chase that squirrel if you ever caught one. Getting you to chase is your human's way of getting you exercise. Next time your human says SQUIRREL, give them a look that says "why don't you take that fat ass of yours and walk me around the park for exercise" Stop enabling your human.

Me? I'll take my bunny any day over any squirrel!


A shout out to a human -Steve- my human Bart met at the gym, he has a border collie... smell you at the Park!

Me and my human blogging

Jules, It would help if my human was not inept with the computer. He says he is having problems because he has a mac. I mean, were talking about a guy when asked where the "alt" key is, he said it was next to the "epper" key. Give my love to Charlie!

Hi, I'm Zippy

You may or may not know me. I'm kinda a rock star in Wooster Square, if not all of new haven. I am the real deal, 100% Italian Stalian Greyhound. The DogFather of Wooster Square. Many people feel compelled to greet me a specail way, some compelled to prostrate themselves gently holding my leg and kissing my pinky paw, and I respect that. But a simple pat and the head and greeting of "Don Zippy" is sufficiently adequate.

I'm starting this blog "Wooster Square Woofs" to give a voice to all the dogs out there in Wooster Square, chat about my travels walking our grand city. I hear humans say that I am blind, but I SEE everything. And I have a pretty good smeller too. So what does a blind rock star self proclaimed DogFather of Wooster Square have to write about? You'd be surprised at how much a little IG (that's slang for Italian Greyhound) can drum up. I may have a little head like a rat, but hey, there is a lot going on in there!

Wooster Square is a great neighborhood in case you were wondering. The City of New Haven takes great care of our park and people generally pick up after their pups. About a month or so ago, the Friends of Wooster Square Association put on a showing of Wizard of Oz in the park. About 150 people showed up, great fun was had by all. After the show, the head of the association, Andy Ross invited some folks and me over to their house for a post show gig. I decided to take a tour of their house and went upstairs. To everyones shock I kinda missed the steps and went through the balcony and dropped about six feet. Luckily for me, I landed on a chair with coats and purses on it. I was like, what's up, and everyone was just looking at me with this face like what the @#^%? Good times Andy!

Well, the blog is officiall open. I'll try to spruce it up with some photos and such. Check out the linking web sites below, if you want your web site on the blog page, just shoot my human an email

See you at the park or at Fuel! Come up and say hi!

Literally, I'll smell you later! Don Zippy