You just have to wonder how some of our elderly made it to their 80’s, 90’s or even into their hundreds with all the bad habits some of them have.

I’m sure that must make some people wonder if some of the stuff that we’re told is so bad really is all that bad for us? Yes I’m pretty sure smoking really is bad for us - especially with all the chemicals in the tobacco these days, but you have to wonder about some of the other stuff when you see a picture like this don’t you?

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all my visitors a happy new year filled with health and happiness. May your resolutions not be broken!

Hopefully you didn’t party as much on New Years Eve as this little creature did!

Did you hear about the man, Ronald Evano, that was sentenced last month to more than five years in jail due to his role in a fraud scheme in which he and his wife are said to have intentionally eaten glass fragments in order to collect more than $200,000 in compensation from a multi-state insurance company?

Evano was also ordered to repay as much as $340,000 for his role in defrauding insurers, grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals and doctors in the scheme in which both he and his wife claimed that there was glass in the food that they had eaten.

The couple filed fraudulent insurance claims worth more than $200,000 and incurred more than $100,000 in unpaid medical bills between 1997 and 2005 across several states.

Evano plead guilty to charges in federal court to 20 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, identity theft, and making false statements on health care matters and social security fraud.

Evano’s wife, Mary, remains a fugitive. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mary Evano listing the same charges that her husband plead guilty to in August.

Evano asked the judge for mercy, saying in court that he and his wife are members of the minority Roma community, and needed the money to pay for dowries and other costs associated with the marriages of his sons under cultural practices.

My wife wrote a post on her site about how she wants us to get a dog one day. She’s got her eye set on a Boston Terrier, but I don’t know, if we were ever to get a dog I think that I might like a Basset Hound. I think they’re more my kind of dog.

Since she’s getting her heart set on a new pet I decided to do a bit of research and found myself on The Dog Guide. Just as I suspected they say that while Basset Hounds have been bred to be hunting dogs,commonly hunting animals such as the hare, rabbit, fox, pheasant, and opossum, they are also a generally calm and easy going breed.

We’re hoping to have children so if we decide to get a dog it must be a breed that’s known to get along well with young children and luckily the Basset Hound does have that reputation. They can be stubborn, but overall tend to be very affectionate dogs where their owner is concerned.

Since I’ve had a few scares with larger dogs I’m not interested in getting a large dog, so again the basset being a medium sized dog is perfect for our needs.

We enjoy being outside and so does the Basset Hound. It’s apparently a bit of a lazy dog while indoors, but like most dogs quite enjoys it’s time outside. I’m pretty sure if we got one it would not only get daily walks but some time outside in our garden.

If the Basset Hound gets a moderate amount of exercise and isn’t allowed to get heavy it sounds like it might have few problems as it ages. One that does gain weight or gets out of shape can get weak hind legs due to the strain of it’s long body. This weakness can even lead to paralysis. Foot infections and eye ailments occurs occasionally as well.

Compared to some dogs that seem to have a lot of problems as they age the Basset hound doesn’t sound like a hard breed to care for if you keep them in shape and I suppose keep an eye out for foot and eye problems.

I don’t know if, or when we might get a dog, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to do some research in advance to find a dog breed that suites your lifestyle.

Now I’ve gotta see if I can change my wifes mind about her choice of dogs.