Not a proper blog, but hopefully it will spark some discussion anyways:
This was on my Facebook Notes section for ages. It’s a list of Disney Animated Feature Films by Year (thank you Wikipedia). I want to keep it for reference but also wanted to tidy up a – let’s face it – largely useless section of my Facebook page, so I thought I’d move it over to my blog instead.
I think it’s safe to say that most of these films are classics. I love a good Disney movie and have quite a few of my favourites (including “Aladdin”, “The Lion King”, “Mulan”, “101 Dalmatians”, “The Emporor’s New Groove”, and “Sword and The Stone”) on DVD.
Thanks to a childhood neighbour with a freakishly large VHS collection, I have seen all but “The Three Caballeros”, “Meet the Robinsons”, “G Force”, and “Cars 2”! That’s 65 out of 69, or 94.2%! (Yes, it is quite possible that I need to get out more!)
How many have you seen? Which is your favourite, and why?
1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1939 – Pinocchio
1940 – Fantasia
1941 – Dumbo
1942 – Bambi
1943 – Saludos Amigos
1944 – The Three Caballeros
1945 – Make Mine Music
1946 – The Song of the South
1947 – Fun and Fancy Free
1948 – Melody Time
1949 – The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad
1950 – Cinderella
1951 – Alice in Wonderland
1953 – Peter Pan
1955 – Lady and the Tramp
1959 – Sleeping Beauty
1961 – 101 Dalmatians
1963 – The Sword in the Stone
1964 – Mary Poppins
1967 – The Jungle Book
1970 – The Aristocats
1971 – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
1973 – Robin Hood
1977 – The Rescuers
1978 – Pete’s Dragon
1981 – The Fox and the Hound
1985 – The Black Cauldron
1986 – The Great Mouse Detective
1987 – The Brave Little Toaster
1988 – Oliver and Company
1989 – The Little Mermaid
1990 – The Rescuers Down Under
1991 – Beauty and the Beast
1992 – Aladdin
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – A Goofy Movie
1995 – Pocahontas
1995 (Disney/Pixar) – Toy Story
1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1997 – Hercules
1998 – Mulan
1998 (Disney/Pixar) – A Bug’s Life
1999 – Tarzan
1999 (Disney/Pixar) – Toy Story 2
2000 – Fantasia 2000
2000 – Dinosaur
2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove
2001 – Atlantis
2001 (Disney/Pixar) – Monsters Inc
2002 – Lilo and Stitch
2002 – Treasure Planet
2003 – Finding Nemo
2003 – Brother Bear
2004 – Home on the Range
2004 (Disney/Pixar) – The Incredibles
2005 – Chicken Little
2006 – The Wild
2006 (Disney/Pixar) – Cars
2007 – Meet the Robinsons
2007 (Disney/Pixar) – Ratatouille
2008 – Bolt
2008 (Disney/Pixar) – Wall-E
2009 – G Force
2009 (Disney/Pixar) – Up
2010 – The Princess and the Frog
2010 (Disney/Pixar) – Toy Story 3
2011 – Tangled
2011 (Disney/Pixar) – Cars 2
2012 (Disney/Pixar) – Brave (Coming soon)
People might think that, because I’m a writer, I’m excited that it’s November because November is National Novel Writing Month – or, as it’s more colloquially known, NaNoWriMo.
However, I have always been one writer to whom NaNoWriMo makes no sense at all. Not least because, since people all over the world take part, it really should be called “IntNoWriMo”, but perhaps that’s just me being pedantic…
Anyway, the aim of NaNoWriMo – which is getting so annoying to type that I shall just refer to it as “Nano” from now on – is to produce a first draft of a novel in the space of a month. It started back in 1999 as a motivational stunt for a small group of writer friends, and has since grown into an institution with some 130,000 participants last year.
A rough target for a completed manuscript is set at 50,000 words, which means that people taking part should aim to churn out 1600 – 2000 words a day. And so, being a writer who is friends with other writers, during November my social network feeds descend into word count updates and rants about writer’s block.
I want to make it clear before I go on that I am not putting down people who are currently attempting the Nano challenge. I think it’s very brave of you to undertake the task and I wish you well. But seriously, please stop telling me about it. One of the main reasons that Nano grates with me is because writing is, to me, such a private process, and the real joy of writing is creating something.
It seems the joy of Nano, however, is to be SEEN be creating something, and all that that implies. It’s a bit like THIS:
That’s why I haven’t ever participated in Nano, and why I don’t plan on participating in the future. I, personally, can only write fiction when I am inspired, and a lot of creating goes on in my head first and a lot of crafting goes into it afterward. I physically could not produce 2000 words of anything decent day after day after day just because an internet ‘competition’ dictated that I should. Real writers write because they have to, whatever month of the year, not because they have to meet a target.
Secondly, coming back to the writers’ block, please stop getting stressed. No one is forcing you to do this to yourselves. If you miss your word target a couple of times, no one is going to come to your house and tell you off. There isn’t even a real prize at the end of the challenge, so let’s all just relax a bit, okay? I know that some people take Nano very seriously, but I swear some people got less angsty about their dissertations! If you’re not enjoying it, stop.
(Also, if you’re on Facebook complaining about a lack of progress – and you don’t appreciate the irony behind that – then perhaps you need to reconsider your motives for taking part.)
I do acknowledge, however, that the point of Nano is to force you to move forward with your novel no matter what. It’s about getting past the notion that novel writing is some insurmountable task. And to that end I think it’s a good idea, in terms of a sheer volume of work produced.
However, my next observation is that I resent people who look down their nose at me for not participating in Nano. In November last year, while working a full time job, I produced some 6000 words of original writing. Last month alone, I wrote approximately 20 articles for various different websites. Some days I would probably not be far off 1600 words. Though not prolifically, though not anything of great literary merit, I was, and am, writing regularly. So what if it’s fact instead of fiction; does that make me less of a successful writer than someone who has completed Nano?
At least my work is solid; finished, polished articles. As it says on the NaNoWriMo website itself: “ the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality.”
(And yeah, maybe that novel I’ve been working on (say it in your head like Stewie Griffin) will never get read by anyone but myself, but can you honestly say that the opposite is true of your Nano offering?)
To that end, as a final thought, I would stress to anyone undertaking the Nano challenge this year that what they are producing – unless they are some sort of genius – is a very rough first draft. Perhaps December should be considered NaNoEdMo: National Novel Editing Month. If you have been meeting your 2000 word target every day, you probably haven’t been paying that much attention to what you’ve been writing, so it will need plenty of revision before you even think of doing anything else with it. Agents and publishers up and down the country are bracing themselves for a pile of slush manuscripts as we speak; don’t let yours be one of them!
So no, I’m not really excited that it’s NaNoWriMo once again. I wish everyone taking part the best of luck, but this is one writer who won’t be joining you.
What do you think? Are you taking part in Nano and think there’s more to it than I’m giving credit for? Or perhaps you agree with me? I’d love to hear from you – just use the comments box below!
Greetings all, from the land of unemployment!
In the past I rarely blogged because I was too busy to, and now I rarely blog because nothing much has happened in my life and I have little to say. However, I realised that the last proper update was more than a while ago and I figured you guys deserved to hear from me.
So, where have I been? Well, in my last blog I mentioned that the Kennel Club in London had given me a 6 week temporary position. That ended up getting extended to 9 weeks in total, but sadly after that they couldn’t keep me on any more. However, it was a very positive experience: I had an amazing time, met some fascinating people and learned a lot.
Since that ended in early September, I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself if I am honest. I was – still am – living at my parents’ place, which is a step I never really wanted to take, and I have been unemployed and unsuccessfully job hunting ever since. Adam (my boyfriend) and I moved out of our adorable little flat in Portsmouth and we are currently a bit adrift, with stuff strewn between his parents’ place, my limited space in the guest room, and the garage. To make matters worse, both my sister and Adam started work placement schemes on the 12th September so have been full of tales of new people and experiences which I am horrifically jealous of.
And the cherry on this little self pity sundae is that I once again find myself in a long distance relationship, which is something I really never wanted to do again. Due to the nature of his placement, Adam has been away every week bar one since he started, which means I only see him on weekends. I know that in the grand scheme of things it’s hardly difficult (I mean, my Dad is in Malaysia at the moment for example) but I’m really hating it and there’s no way out of it until I find a job.
Once I do find work though – please hire me, I’m really nice, honest – then things will improve greatly. Adam and I are going to get our own place within an easy commute of where we both need to be, and we’ll be able to move forward with life. He knows where he’s going to be for the next two years and I am looking for something ideally career oriented and hopefully more permanent than anything I’ve had previously. We’ve even taken a big step and talked about getting a puppy. It’s just that I’m sort of stuck at the moment.
But it’s not all bad news. For one thing, with all this free time I have my doggie website has been coming along in leaps and bounds, reaching over 3000 hits last month and almost 900 Twitter followers. I have been doing informal PR for Pedigree and, somewhat ironically, The Kennel Club, so things are looking up even if I’m not getting paid for any of it.
Secondly, I added yet another website to my repertoire by becoming a regular columnist – yes, you read that correctly – for Intuition Magazine. I am writing a monthly series titled “Now What?” which looks at the realities of life as a graduate.
Plus, Adam and I, despite the long distance thing, are still going strong. Last month we celebrated our second anniversary.
Finally, thanks to a tip off and a cheeky email, I got invited to the Family Guy Season 11 UK premier next week. Fingers’ crossed that I meet some industry type who just happens to need a new writer… 
So things are a bit tough right now, but they could be a lot worse I know. I am trying to stay positive and I generally do feel that things are moving forward. Here’s hoping that tomorrow is the day that I finally get ‘the call’ though!
Until next time guys!
by Edward Stourton
4/5 Paws Up!
I have to beg your forgiveness for being brief and non specific in this review; I read the book some time ago and then loaned it to a friend so have no copy in front of me to reference. However, I would still highly recommend this volume to any and all of my doggie acquaintances, as it was a very enjoyable read, which covers a wide range of doggie issues.
(I should also point out that a quick Google search for “Ed Stourton Dog Walker” or “Ed Stourton Paw Prints” will reveal links to many of the original articles included in this book, for anyone who has not yet had a chance to get their hands on a copy.) Anyway, on with my review:
Diary of a Dog Walker is a delightful title, if a bit small for my preference – I devoured it in one sitting and wanted much more. I thoroughly enjoyed Edward Stourton’s writing and found some of his insights fascinating. It is funny without trying to be and poignant at times as well.
I will confess that this is because Edward’s style was attuned to my own – I particularly enjoyed his references to canine culture throughout the ages and the thorough research that clearly went into each column. This is not some pet owner pertaining to be an expert, writing in ignorance, but a very knowledgeable man who had trivia to share which even I was unaware of; no mean feat I assure you!
Mr Stourton writes in a sort of pretentious, almost academic style – it is The Telegraph, after all – which suited me but might not appeal so much to others. This is a light read but one which is highly intelligent and people looking for a shaggy dog tale might be disappointed here.
To that end, the reason for the removal of the final star is simply that Kudu (Mr Storton’s Springer Spaniel) did not feature as heavily as I would have liked him to. This is because he was often the means of introducing and framing the story or the topic at hand rather than being a major character or plot point within them, but I still felt that I didn’t know Kudu much better coming out than I did going in.
Aside from that minor naggle however, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book and I highly recommend it to anyone, not just dog lovers. I just wish the column was still ongoing so that there was more to enjoy!
by Michael Hingson & Susy Flory
3/5 Paws Up!
This unique tale about a remarkable Guide Dog who led her handler down 78 floors of stairs to safety during the World Trade Centre attacks is both interesting and well written, and has made us sad that we don’t offer half paws, as it really does deserve slightly more than a 3.
However, a couple of things stopped this book getting the full 5 paws up. For one, the dog featured in it too little to, in our opinion, really classify this as a `doggie story’. True, Michael made it out of the World Trade Centre with his Guide Dog at his side, but she seems to be mentioned as a mere afterthought at times and this book was, we thought, more about overcoming the difficulties posed by blindness than about Roselle as a character. Having said that, we did enjoy reading about her antics before and after the event, and are sure that is deserving of all the accolades she has earned in the past ten years. Sadly, Roselle died in June 2011, so will not be accompanying Mr Hingson on any of the publicity for the book about her bravery.
I doubt that will make much of a difference to the `campaign trail’, as it seems this book is more about educating people about disabilities than about Roselle herself. I found Mr Hingson’s constant lecturing about how the blind wish to be treated and how he lived a normal life despite being blind began to wear on me after a while. (Especially since he seems to demand equal treatment and then highlight this by detailing an occasion where he had to kick up a fuss to get things his way, therefore making people go out of their way to accommodate him.)
Equally, I doubt the value of the essays and glossary etc included as appendixes to the text. No doubt someone reading the book in another context would find them significant, but as our group are interested in the canine aspect of the story these didn’t add to my enjoyment or study of the book at all. I would have liked to have read more information about Roselle’s life and training, or, indeed, more details on any of Mr Hingson’s past Guide Dogs.
I also felt that Mr Hingson talked down to the readers a lot. Passages which, for example, explain that on September 11th 2001 two planes piloted by members of a terrorist group called Al Qaeda crashed into the North andSouth Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York felt patronising and needless, given that everyone in the world knows about the events of that day. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he included this information to make the story perfectly clear, and perhaps to make it last the annals of history or to be more accessible to people, but every once in a while he would go to the trouble of re-iterating what is largely common knowledge and it began to stand out and annoy me.
Finally, the other thing that Mr Hingson did which grated with this reader was to go on about how his religion influenced his life, how blessed he felt, how God was his guide and so on. Perhaps this is a personal thing (being an affirmed atheist), but he seemed to put more faith in the Lord to see him safely home than his Guide Dog, which seemed to make Roselle an interesting footnote in the whole thing rather than the star character. Personally, I would have enjoyed this book more if it was less about God and more about Dog.
But, all those negatives aside, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in blindness, Guide Dogs or American history, as it is a truly unique tale and gives a very good account of what it was like to be involved in a moment in history. Like his dog, Mr Hingson doesn’t get caught up in the ideology of the moment or the anti terrorism/disaster rhetoric that so many Americans are prone to when recounting that day’s events.
He tells his stories – his life story and his September 11th survival story, interweaved throughout the book – with very little self pity and in a clear and concise manner. Co-author Susy Flory has obviously had a lot of input on the actual writing and the structure of the book and it works. I’m sure this will become a popular read once it is released in the more inexpensive paperback format.
Hey guys, once again I have been ignoring you, haven’t I? Woops.
I am hoping to blog later this week, but for now the short version is that I ended my contract with the Kennel Club and currently living with my parents and job hunting and trying to make a real go of being a writer at the same time! While I may have been neglecting you here, I have become a regular columnist for Intuition Magazine (first article out in September), and my Dogs In The News website reached over 1000 hits last week! We also have a new banner and logo, designed by Cat Fyson.
Here’s a short rundown of what I’ve been up to over there, and hopefully I’ll be back soon with more non doggie related articles.
In July, things continued apace with the Don’t Cook Your Dog campaign, and I mailed out 81 car stickers to readers from across the UK and as far away as Switzerland, Holland and the USA. (I still have 47 looking for homes, so please let me know if you want one.)
In August I covered the KC’s Accredited Breeder Scheme changing its name, and a petition which hopes to end the cruel practice of puppy farming.
In September I wrote an article about the dilemma of killing off a beloved canine character, in response to the news that Schmichael the dog will soon be leaving Coronation Street.
Then, last Friday, BBC’s The One Show caused a huge controversy with their new “dog training expert” Jordan Shelley. You can read the full story here, along with a copy of the letter of complaint we sent to the BBC and a list of ways which were utilised to make our opinion heard. Just a week later, The One Show announced that they were dropping the segment from their program.
Which sort of brings me full circle – neither the Jordan Shelley protest nor the Don’t Cook Your Dog campaign would have been half as effective if not for the power of social media.
I am planning on spending this afternoon arranging giveaways and writing reviews for Dogs In The News’ Doggie Book Club. If you love free books about dogs, you might want to consider joining – but in the meantime you can see all the reviews I have penned so far here.
Thanks for bearing with me during this quiet spell – I will be back soon, I promise.
Yes readers, I am still alive. I apologise for the lack of blogging and promise to be ‘in touch’ soon.
But in the meantime, I just thought I’d let all my student readers know about a little competition being run by CrossCountry Rail. They are offering you the chance to win a free year at uni!
That’s right – CrossCountry Rail will pay your tuition fees in full (up to £3,375) for the 2011/2012 session! All you have to do is ‘like’ the Student Rail Deals Facebook page and fill in some minor details.
Not only will you be entered into the competition, but you’ll find some fantastic travel deals as well.
CrossCountry has also teamed up with the NUS to offer NUS Extra card holders an additional 10% off the price of a CrossCountry Advance rail ticket on top of your Railcard discount.
It seems too good an opportunity to pass up, so get on over to Facebook and enter now!
It’s been very hard to focus at work today. Everyone has been following the London Riots and wondering where they’re going to flare up next. I hope none of my readers were affected by them, and that everyone else takes necessary precautions to ensure they stay safe.
Here at work (in Piccadilly,Central London), there’s a very sympathetic atmosphere, one of everyone being in this together. We’re all concerned for people we know in the areas involved and everyone is sharing updates and advice as we receive it. We all gathered around a computer screen to watch David Cameron’s statement, and I think we all agreed with every single word he said.
I’ve also been following the new Riot Clean Up movement on Twitter – which is hoping to co-ordinate and organise people to assist public services in clearing up their neighbourhoods and getting their communities back to normal as soon as possible.
The response to this campaign has been remarkable. Anyone who is despairing at the state of humanity right now should take a look; these are people who are giving up their time to help those around them, who are holding out a hand to help their devastated neighbour back to their feet. They are refusing to let the few nasty people on the planet change the way they live. From the ashes of their town centres has risen something quite admirable.
It’s all very “Keep Calm and Carry On” here in London today.
I used to roll my eyes when people told me that poster was a “mantra for recession hitBritain”, but today I’d have to say it’s an apt message for the way people are reacting. Before, they wore the slogan on their t-shirts, but not on their hearts; they turned and looked the other way when the damage wasn’t in their backyard, and apathetically moaned if it happened to hit somewhere that hurt.
But today, people are actually standing up and doing something to right a wrong. We’re showing the bad apples that they will not bring us down. We’re all pitching in, one for all and all for one, not just serving our own self interested purposes. It’s amazing.
People have compared it to the atmosphere during the Blitz. What hurts most this time is that it’s the British hurtingBritain, not an outside force beyond our control. I only hope the troubles stop and let us get on with our rebuilding efforts soon – and that those responsible are duly punished.
In the meantime, people are coming to work as usual. We’re smiling at each other on the Tube and we’re sharing messages of solidarity and support. No one I know is on the side of the troublemakers.
But deep down we are afraid – afraid it will get worse, afraid it will affect us or our loved ones. Afraid anarchy will prevail. We’re following it all very closely. Like I said, it’s been hard to focus on work today. But I’m here.
Here in London, we’re defiantly carrying on. And we’re all trying to keep calm.
by Stephen Foster
1/ 5 Paws Up!
I wrote quite a lengthy review of Mr Foster’s first doggie volume, Walking Ollie, so I will aim to make this one quite brief – especially as my opinion of him hasn’t changed much!Along Came Dylan details what happens when Mr Foster and his partner questionably decide to bring another dog into their lives. This time around they opt not to give a home to a rescue dog, but rather to acquire a “silver” Saluki puppy with impeccable bloodlines.This pup fares no better than Ollie did at the hands of this ignoramus and he grows up in the later chapters of the novel to display the same lack of manners as well. What was galling about Stephen’s way of raising a dog boarders on criminal when it comes to raising a puppy, and readers with strong opinions on things like puppy proofing, socialisation, and training would probably do well to avoid this tale.If, however, you enjoyed Walking Ollie, then its sequel offers much of the same. The book is full of anecdotes and stories of the dogs (and owners) that Ollie and Dylan meet while out and about, and many “hilarious” stories of times when they were naughty or play fighting or refusing to come back when called. (Read, criminally misguided observations and repeated evidence of a total lack of training or discipline. Oh dear.)
In fact, I found this book even slightly more unbearable than the first one, due to the addition of a “delightful” new character called Phillip. Phillip is a hobo who at one point in his life had the money to acquire a purebred Dalmatian. He and his dog accompany Ollie, Dylan and Stephen on many walks (often while inebriated). While the dogs play, the owners swap stories on the two subjects which I care least about in the entire world: football and horse racing. While these exchanges and adventures were meant, I assume, to add a new dimension to the narrative, I personally found them dull and pointless, and they convinced me even further that Mr Foster and I would NOT get on if we were ever to meet in person.
As an aside, I again found the writing style to be all over the place; rambling and incoherent at times and just plain bad in others.
So I think it’s safe to say that these are two books which I would not recommend to anyone, on any level. In fact, I think it’s safer to say that I recommend you avoid them!
It was a month ago today that our sister website, Dogs In The News, reported the death of two police dogs, Milly, a five month old GSD, and Chay, a Belgian Shepherd Malinois, after they were left in a hot car by their handler.
At the time, many dog lovers were outraged not just that this had been allowed to happen, again, by the police, but also that people STILL hadn’t gotten the message that dogs die in hot cars and that even leaving them for a few minutes with the windows down is unacceptable.
Well, they’re going to get the message now.
Within hours of our original post, enough people had gotten upset and spoken out in frustration and anger that Beverley Cuddy, Editor of Dogs Today magazine and well known campaigner for canine rights, had decided to use her powers to do something about. “Don’t just get mad,” she urged on her blog “Let’s stop it happening ever again.”
The way she proposed to do this was by giving the general dog owning public a shocking reminder that dogs die in hot cars every summer. In just a few short days, a slogan was devised and the amazing Judith Brough was called in to design an eye catching image.
This image and slogan were to adorn a car sticker, which we hope to soon see in cars up and down the country and around the world. Dogs In The News are offering this sticker for FREE to anyone who wants one; you can place your order here.
The campaign is coming along in leaps and bounds: there is now an accompanying video, downloadable material and web buttons, and even a merchandise store if you fancy spreading the word via a mug or t-shirt. You can find out about all the latest updates via the official campaign website.
Plus, the message has been endorsed by the British Kennel Club, as well as other animal rights groups and charities.
I’m doing my bit to spread the word by promoting the heck out of the campaign via any outlet I can think of. I hope all my readers will help me by writing a short post for their own blog or website, or at the very least placing an order for a sticker. I really don’t want to see any more tragic headlines!
Remember, it is unacceptable to leave your dog in the car on a hot day, even in the shade or with the windows down. Dogs die in hot cars. Don’t cook your dog.
