saber5055

Thanks for posting that @junemeatcleaver. I very much like when he said that while most people get recognized for being a nice person after they are dead, he is lucky to be given positive feedback while he is still alive. More live people need to be told they matter and are important.

LOL, in January, James' brother was elected chair of his local Monday's Jeopardy FJ answer. Not too long after that, Monday's episode was taped.

My avatar is indeed a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, that's amazing you recognized it. Can you PM a photo of your dog to me, or post it here? I can possibly help you find another PB if you want.

Great interview, @MrAtoz, although I object to the very oh-so-casual mention of you being a three-time winner, like it's NO BIG DEAL and anyone can do that, yawn. Even the slim margin of people who are good enough to make it on the show don't win one game, or if they do win one game they don't win a second. Also, how irritating that Ball State students don't know you were on the show. What, they don't watch Jeopardy? ACK! Otherwise, nicely done. LOL!

Hilarious! They do make flotation vests for dogs. Probably cats, too, who knows!

Maybe because it was the correct answer? Listen to your Nice Self next time!

Alex Trebek is going to be on GMA tomorrow morning, Wednesday. Interview by Robin Roberts. He's going to talk about his health and who knows what else.

I have a feeling James was not exactly poor before he got on Jeopardy. I just "assumed" that after listening to interviews with his brother, a lawyer. Plus he knows a nice check is coming eventually. Who knows, he might have been supporting charities before he got on Jeopardy. I am below poverty level yet I support and give to causes I believe in.

And on top of this already having been discussed here, as @Katy M posted (and the topic was pretty much beaten to death on this thread), if you listen to the two WGN radio podcasts, links also posted, you will learn James has been donating to food banks and needy children funds in LV and the Chicago area. Knowing trivia doesn't exactly qualify one to build rockets for NASA, but being a professional gambler does give one insight on how to choose clues and bet DDs to win on Jeopardy. That stinks. We had big storms here too, lots of lightning and thunder. And water. You are now a member of The Skip-A-Day club I guess, along with moi.

@Bliss, I'm so glad you listened to your dog. (What is her name?) Just think if you had not. Dogs are way smarter than people, and that's a fact jack. A friend who owned a dog I bred, she was shocked awake by the dog one night, it was barking and jumping on and off and on and off the bed, barking and barking. Her house was on fire. If not for the dog, she would have perished. Another friend was out working in his shop. His wife, daughter and dog were in the house. The dog started running from window to window barking non stop. The daughter told the dog to shut the eff up, but the wife went outside and found the man bleeding out in the driveway from a power saw accident. She applied a tourniquet, called 911 and he was airlifted to hospital. He would have died if not for the dog. And those are just two stories of friends of mine. Think how many others there are, including yours, where dogs saved a life. Many dog "heroes" are recognized and given awards by AKC and major kennel clubs every year. I've shown a lot of Bichons and have some funny stories about them, but most are jokes on me when I was working for a professional handler. I don't know a lot about them personally though since I didn't live with them like I lived with the Goldens and other sporting dogs I showed myself. The Goldens were a joy, always. As is yours! I disagree. There is a market for that book.

Nice link, @dcalley. Thanks.

@Bliss, there has been a movement over the past several years to allow therapy dogs, dogs that are specifically trained and certified, to visit hospitals, nursing homes, hospice centers. There are amazing stories about what these dogs have achieved. Disabled children -- kids who have never spoken -- will talk to a dog, severely ill patients will light up at being able to pet/hold/hug a dog. Alzheimer patients become lucid when the dog visits. The stories are too many to recount, but they are all remarkable. I create several dog magazines and have done many stories about therapy dogs. I also do work for a regional hospital and it has started a therapy dog program as well. So good on your hospital for letting your dog come visit. As you know, the result was highly beneficial! And it helped your dog, too. When I was showing a Field Spaniel, one of its owners was in a rehab center and I would routinely pick up the dog from her room to take to shows, he would come to visit her daily. And the other "inmates" of the center also loved seeing/petting/hugging him too. Dogs can be trained to smell and locate cancer in humans, and trained to know when their diabetic person is needing insulin before the person knows. They also can anticipate seizures before their epileptic owner has one. They are trained to turn on/off lights, open/close doors, do all sorts of other routine tasks for owners in wheel chairs. Others work as search and rescue dogs to locate the missing or a deceased person, even one buried underground or in water. They sniff out drugs that people can't find. They work as protection animals. There's not much a dog can't do, if trained by the right person. (Note: That person is not me!) Another dog I know is a support animal when children have to testify in court, the dog helps the child feel safe and comfortable in those surroundings. I laughed that you shouted "Lassie" at the video of the Collie. I've shown a lot of Collies and Lassie is a bugaboo to them, puppy buyers expect every Collie to instantly be as smart as the tv dog. Much like Dalmation handlers hated Pongo for the same reason. A Dalmation is not the breed for everyone. But back to Collies, there is the Rough Collie (Lassie!) and the Smooth Collie, two separate AKC breeds. The Smooth looks just like the Rough but without the long (rough) coat. The Smooth Collie is much easier to prep for the show ring, but the down side is, it has no massive (and beautiful) coat to hide faults. And when the Rough goes out of coat (sheds), like in the hot summer, it has to stay home until the coat grows back while the Smooth Collie can still show and compete. (Coated breeds do not win much when they don't have coat!) I totally believe your dog healing your thumb. See above ... she knew it was hurting. Try having her lie on your lap to watch tv, maybe that will help your hips! Hey, nothing ventured. I've shown a lot of Goldens and they are fabulous dogs. Smart, kind, gentle. And I agree that some people should not have any animal or human kids. 'Nuf said!

I thought that was such a strange thing to say, "trolling" isn't something one does to their own emails. I can only guess the interviewer was/is very young and inexperienced. (And not very bright if a young person doesn't know what trolling means.)

I'm so glad you are better. Big whew. That had to be scary. Welcome back. I'm taking dog talk to Small Talk thread! I know a bit about this subject.

Thanks! I already know FJ and final scores from updating the contest questions this a.m. but I'll miss the DDs and the play itself. The show would be ending here just now, it airs 4:30-5 p.m. central in this market. I'd love a recap, as long as no one else gets spoiled.

While I'm in Illinois, I get Jeopardy on the NBC affiliate out of Davenport, Iowa, so you are safe in the Chicago market.

Well, crumb bums, no Jeopardy for me today. I should be watching right now, but a HESCO barrier (flood wall) breached in downtown Davenport, Iowa, the city is under emergency evacuation, and the station is live on that full time. Cars (parked and being driven) immediately went under water up to their windows, and people are being evacuated from now-flooded businesses by boat. People eating in restaurants all of a sudden had water rushing into the restaurants and their parked cars were washed away. The Mississippi has been over flood stage for more than 40 days and, after five inches of rain the last two days, it is cresting AGAIN, exceeding the highest crest ever. It's been pretty spectacular around here for quite some time. I just heard the National Weather Bureau has issued a flash-flood warning. Ha ha ha, no kidding. ETA: The station just scrolled, Jeopardy will air at 3 a.m. tomorrow. Guess I'll pass, and count on you guys to fill me in .

I posted the below here yesterday, one page back. It's from TheJeopardyFan.com:

Okay, I retract my comment that the NY Times article is the best. I now declare The Onion the winner. I laughed my butt off (hard to sit now), it's hilarious. And scary to know James is such a bad ass! Thanks for that link @M. Darcy, it's gold, pure gold.

Doing interviews for magazine cover stories, we taped all conversations. Then we still checked facts before publication. I wonder if your interviewer just took notes and heard things differently, or couldn't read his/her notes afterward. Or took no notes at all. If you said, as above, hosting Jeopardy would be a great job, he/she might have ignored your follow up, "But I would never want to trade places with Mr. Trebek." Just guessing. I'm sure your heart dropped like a rock when you read that misquote. It would have been nice if that reporter had run the story past you before publication since it was not time-critical. You can clarify that "quote" when you are interviewed on tv, hopefully!

Probably the best article about James so far, @suebee12. It actually told us more than fluff. Thanks.

Nice. I hope you get more publicity as the tourney grows closer. I wouldn't mind changing places with Trebek on pay day. All I'd need is one to change my life!

And then there's me, who has never heard of it at all.

Thanks for thinking of me @zoey1996. I did well in that category! Although if I wanted to be a stickler, I would have said BMS for the video of the rolling dog as it was a Rough Collie. But that's just me, if we were playing Dog Show Jeopardy. I have shown several different Toy breeds and really like them. I have not had experience with Chins although I know some breeders and the report is they are fantastic dogs in every way. I def see their appeal. You made a good choice!

What size is the jar? It didn't say on the order page, and I couldn't read it on the photo. I imagined it to be 4 oz.!