ABOUT THIS WEBSITE

When we first started our company we were excited to develop a “state of the art” website to better promote our products, goals and objectives. However, we soon realized the senseless vanity and overall frivolity of this time consuming endeavour. At last official count, the World Wide Web contains an estimated 30 Billion (that’s definitely a B for Billion) unique web pages. Note, that is web pages NOT web sites. A distinctive difference, as any given web site (such as this one) often has many separate web pages!

Determining how many web sites there currently are is a bit of a trick question, as there isn't a definite answer. However, right now there are over 650 million active websites on the Internet according to Netcraft - a leading authority on web related infrastructure. Over half a billion websites to sort through is a lot. But when we're talking about the Internet, sounds kind of small. It won't be small for long. The Internet is still growing by leaps and bounds. With the rapid worldwide adoption of smartphones and tablets, the growth of both personal and corporate websites is expected to grow exponentially for the foreseeable future.

Consequently, we promptly decided it is both unproductive and impractical to try and compete in vying for web viewers time and interest. If you are truly interested in finding out the basic facts about us and Cranky Goat Publishing Ltd. then you will find that information on the numerous pages throughout this particular website. 

In our fickle world of “instant gratification” the average user views any given website for less than 60 seconds! In fact, we are pleasantly surprised you have made it this far into our website - thank you. However, we personally would much rather be putting that energy into developing better end products for our readers and simply enjoying life! So if you are reading this, we sincerely thank you for your interest but please stop reading now, turn off your damn computer and go outside to enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory and truly appreciate the wonderful planet we all share...before it is too late! You can always come back and peruse our site again at a later date... or join us on FaceBook and have Cranky Goat's Rants and Raves sent regularly to your timeline!

VERY IMPORTANT: Release Dates for our books are unknown, even by us! Life keeps on interrupting us, of which we do not mind as it is usually in a good way ... but expect our first major novel release sometime during the Summer of 2013. Cranky Goat Publishing Ltd. is more of a fun project than a serious business, so we have no deadline pressures and very much wish to keep it that way!

Annoying Neighbours - Not So Uncommon After All...

We have transitioned our "Rants and Raves" Blog feature over to our FaceBook site, please feel free to click the link below and "Like Us" on FaceBook to follow Cranky Goat Publishing's Timeline:

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This is a repeat blog by public demand, now at well over 175,000 page views and counting it seems like a lot of people have had the experience of an annoying or self centered neighbour at some point in their lives! Due to high demand, this post will be pinned to remain at the top of this blog.

Come on, be honest, we have ALL had an annoying neighbour at some point in our lives. It may indeed sound childish and petty, but it is an unfortunate reality many of us face. Our home is our castle, as the saying goes, yet just about everyone has at least one annoying neighbour story - it is a sad statement when we are slowly losing our ‘neighbourliness’ and no longer look out for each other for the common good. Our neighbours are more often than not complete strangers to us nowadays. Their annoying behaviour is more of a reflection of simply not knowing them - and we inherently develop a negative impression of all things unknown, it’s part of our human nature.

On the other hand, maybe there is some real legitimacy to being annoyed by your neighbour - perhaps they are drug dealers, wanna be biker dudes or suburban marijuana growers simply trying to keep up with society’s latest and greatest. Maybe it’s a car or motorbike enthusiast who enjoys revving their engines for the sheer sound of it. Maybe it’s a single parent who is negligent with their teenager - who then rebels by playing loud music and smoking weed all day long. Maybe it’s a divorcee who is bitter and melodramatic, or the nouveau rich with more money than brains. Maybe it’s an irresponsible pet owner with multiple dogs or feral cats; or a menopausal bitch who‘s grouchy at everyone else because their own life sucks. Who knows, and who the heck cares - bottom line is, they all can potentially be annoying as hell.

Often, as is the case with us, it’s far more mundane and the neighbours are just too obtuse to realize how truly annoying they may be perceived as by others around them. It’s the seemingly trivial matters that accumulate -- petty, I know, and this old goat fully acknowledges it. These behaviours, in itself, would not be such an annoyance except for the simple fact these folks are so seemingly self-absorbed that sincere consideration for their neighbours appears to be negligible at best.

It’s the common courtesy part that seems to be in short supply

with these particular neighbours, a little respect would truly go a long way.

Don’t get me wrong, we truly love our place and enjoy a terrific neighbourhood; this simply is a minor annoyance - akin to a mosquito bite whereby you simply want to swat it away. Our immediate neighbours to the left and right of us are absolutely superb - all of us have busy lives, yet we manage to be friendly, courteous and show some respect towards each other. It’s just unfortunate one neighbour has to appear so self-absorbed that they seemingly fail to realize other people actually live around them... or simply don’t care! They recently built a large boxy house whose architectural footprint is totally out of character with the rest of the neighbourhood. As an example, several other new homes were constructed on the same street that fit neatly in the neighbourhood and are both compatible and complimentary to the immediate structures nearby.

However, to make matters worse, these folks had the audacity to request a bylaw variance seeking permission to construct an additional boathouse / garage and arrogantly argued for it under a "hardship" plea!  Their so called "hardship" was that their existing garage is too small to meet their needs and the house, which they designed and built, is situated in the middle of the lot leaving no room for RV parking on either side!  Honestly, I am not kidding, what an amazing example of self-absorbed arrogance - fortunately our Town Council agreed that this was a frivolous claim and unanimously rejected this ridiculous proposal (which, by the way, is now a matter of public record).

Furthermore, for a newly constructed place - these neighbours display it with a slovenly looking yard; poor landscaping with minimal privacy features; utilized cheap, noisy pea gravel driveway and walkways; and it resembles the ‘white trash‘ stereotype often associated with suburban America. For instance, who would have a smoke house operating in the middle of a residential neighbourhood during hot summer days when everyone has their windows open? Or be so inconsiderate as to rev their outboard motor to run fresh water through late at night during the weekday or mow their lawn regularly during the dinner hour or after 9 pm on a Friday evening when the neighbours are all trying to relax after a busy week - minor but significant examples of how utterly inconsiderate, discourteous and self centered these neighbours can truly get! No - these folks are not drug dealers, nor are they particularly loud and obnoxious except when outside on the phone or trying to seemingly impress their guests. Instead, they come across as what many now consider to be much, much worse -arrogant, self-absorbed and clearly exude an ‘it’s all about me’ attitude.

From this old goat's perspective there is no excuse, as their newly constructed house was designed on a large residential lot with the existing neighbours already very well established all around them. Yet it is quite obvious that absolutely no consideration was ever seriously given about the existing neighbours or their house orientations. Again, a blatant display of "it's all about me" and, in fact, I would not be surprised that their perspective is the time honoured one of “it’s my property, I can do whatever I want with it”. However, it is this very attitude that has placed our magnificent planet in such peril. Folks, like it or not, we are merely stewards of the land and our brief time on that land can leave a huge environmental and sociological impact. This is particularly true with small communities such as our beautiful Qualicum Beach. Can people really be so obtuse as to presume you actually “own” a piece of our planet and do “whatever you want” with it?

If you are unable to display common courtesy to your neighbours,

how can we honestly believe you have any regard for our planet in peril?

Yet, from this old goat’s unfortunate experience - neighbours such as these pretentiously claim to be green and environmentally conscious, when they truly appear to be everything but. Perhaps this attitude is truly what annoys me the most as, most likely, the extent of their environmental activism is to be members of a fly fishing club and signing on to a few online ‘eco-friendly‘ protests with web oriented agencies such as Sierra Club. The average person on first blush would likely commend their "environmental attitude" and thereby reinforce their already inflated ego, which becomes appropriately stroked in a Pavlovian manner. Please - enough with the pseudo-environmentalist attitudes out there, you are NOT doing our planet any favours.  Most likely their involvement with any environmentally oriented group is a pretence and merely a good excuse for social hobnobbing. It is this old goat’s perspective that passive environmentalists cause far more damage than the litterbug’s of the world.  Give me an 'honest redneck' over a pretentious wannabe any day...

However - life is simply far too short for this and it’s important to determine how can we make light of such ridiculous yet annoying situations. The best way by far is to simply find the humour in it, as life always tends to be hilarious when you really stop to think about it.

For example, we have our annoying neighbour broadcasted live 24/7 on a high definition security webcam for all the world to see. It’s not purposely directed at them, as that would not be legal, ethical nor something we would deliberately do. However, it does cover our backyard as a blanket security feature which we now webcast live (due to high viewer volume and limited bandwidth, our webcam link is now pass code access only I'm afraid) - of which their improperly sited and poor architecturally designed box of a house happens to overlook. If they don’t want to put blinds on their windows or enhance a privacy space between us or any of their neighbours, that is certainly their choice - heaven forbid, perhaps it may mess up their decor! However, the end result of their own actions is that they ultimately live in a fishbowl for all the world to see...

It may be seen as a sad statement of society, but our webcam has become a source of online entertainment for our rather large internet audience in that it’s almost like a reality television show - the late morning riser always wearing a toque; the apparent narcissist who enjoys walking around shirtless with a controlling demeanour and exhibitionist tendencies - of which most viewers liken the image to a walking peckerhead ... get a life man, nobody really cares; the disjointed house parties where everyone appears to stand uncomfortably around each other in the kitchen like some religious gathering ... such a classic example of ineffective house design according to Susan Susanka; and so on ... you, the viewing audience, get the picture -- literally!  At over 175,000+ unique web visits and counting, this obviously holds some appeal to the broad expanse of web explorers out there.

Sure, this may be a somewhat satirical commentary about discourteous neighbours - we certainly ALL have a right to our personal opinions and perspectives and we ALL have the right to choose how we live. But that lifestyle choice should not be imposed on others - whether it be deliberately done so by sheer arrogance or just simply via self absorbed ignorance. However, maybe these neighbours of ours will pleasantly surprise us by installing some window blinds or a privacy screen; or, heaven forbid, simply display more consideration and common courtesy to their fellow residents in this wonderful neighbourhood of ours! Or perhaps not, as they may enjoy being broadcast live 24/7 for all the world to see -- seems as though many people do in this strange social world of ours!

This old goat finds it sadly amusing that, if you web search for annoying neighbors you likely will be surprised at how common this phenomenon of general discourtesy is worldwide. There are some downright ‘laugh out loud’ stories being shared and commiserated over... and it appears to be a rapidly growing problem in many communities - possibly a reflection of the world’s rapid population growth or perhaps simply poor community planning. 

By our very nature, we as human beings will never get along with everyone. 

Whatever the reason, be it right or wrong - annoying, nosy, egotistical or downright asshole neighbours can obviously become rather bothersome. If simple communication is ineffectual and general common sense doesn't seem to be your neighbours forte, then there are some things you can legally do to try to address the situation - particularly if the behaviours are becoming unbearable for you and / or infringe your legal rights, be it criminal or community based by-laws. Always be sure to take photographs and record everything with due diligence - but always try to be proactive rather than reactive!

It’s a small world and we all live a short life - let’s live it as happy and peacefully as possible. It would be terrific if everyone could simply get along and look out for each other, as it surely would make for a healthier neighbourhood and happier community. However, it takes two to tango and reality is often harsher than hopes and wishes ... so put up with your annoying neighbours if you have to and make light of the situation whenever you can. Why? Cause it is always best to enjoy the humour in life. Perhaps, above all else - do not let them win by getting your goat ... as life’s just too short for that as well.

So, whenever I get asked about an update on our "neighbour issues" I can only truly reply by quoting the dictionary - as it seems to define these particular neighbours to a tee. We do not expect any positive changes but, hey, life goes on and we have an increased viewing/blog subscribed audience because of them:

OBTUSE (ob-tuse)

Adjective: Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.

Synonyms: Dull; Blunt; Dense; Slow-witted

'nuff said...

Why Cranky Goat?

The Mountain Goat is perhaps the epitome of sustainable living - frugal in the extreme sense; able to use the harshest terrain and survive; versatile and adaptable. It does little / no harm to its natural environment and, in many ways, actually enriches the harsh terrain it calls home.

SOME KEY FACTS:

• No larger mammal on earth lives at higher elevations

• The Rocky Mountain Goat is the LEAST studied large mammal in North America

• The Rocky Mountain Goat can stand on a ledge the size of a paperback book and can even turn around on it! 

• Adults, both male and female, have long hair under their throat forming a characteristic "beard"

• Despite its name, it is not a true goat, as it belongs to a different genus - and the only species in the genus "Oreamnos"

• Found throughout North America, British Columbia has the largest population at over 100,000.

The Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain Goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its name, it is not a true goat, as it belongs to a different genus. It resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach. The mountain goat is an even-toed ungulate of the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae that includes antelopes and cattle. It belongs to the subfamily Caprinae, along with thirty-two other species including true goats, sheep, the chamois and the musk ox. The mountain goat is the only species in the genus Oreamnos. The name Oreamnos is derived from the Greek term oros (stem ore-) 'mountain' (or, alternatively, oreas 'mountain nymph') and the word amnos 'lamb'.

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However, humankind’s encroachment on it’s habitat, destructive environmental behaviours and senseless need for trophy killing is but a few good reasons for this goat to be cranky ... and is a microcosmic example of the horrible footprint mankind is leaving on Mother Earth.

Depressing? You can choose to ignore the world environmental issues all you want - but that will not make it go away. The planet needs a rest from our incessant greed and rampant human population growth. We, humanity, simply need to grow up and take better responsibility as caretakers of Mother Earth. 

Does this sound like preaching to you? Perhaps, but unless people speak out - no voices will be heard... and that is why we choose CRANKY GOAT as our online persona. We may be mere drops in a bucket, but if enough people speak out and take action than all these "mere drops" will fill up the bucket and produce positive and lasting results.

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Getting Your Goat?

It began as American slang, apparently early in the 20th century. H. L. Mencken writes in American Language (1945) of being told that the saying originated with the practice of horse racers often placing a goat in the stall with a nervous horse. The horse soon becomes accustomed to having the goat there and finds it comforting. The horse becomes less nervous and is not so easily upset. If a rival owner can steal or "get" this goat, then the horse gets nervous and upset and is likely to loose the race. In any event, the first recorded appearance of the expression in print is in Christy Mathewson's Pitching in a Pinch (1912): "Then Lobert stopped at third with a mocking smile which would have gotten the late Job's goat."

The Urban Dictionary Definition

• Basic Definition: To annoy you to the point of getting pissed.
• Sub Definition: The goat is a metaphor for your state of peacefulness. When your goat is with you, you are calm and collected. When your goat is stolen, you become angry and upset. 

Please Take Note: Getting someone's goat can not be a quick process and must be done by not being directly mean. The best way to get someone's goat is by means of clever annoyance...

Cranky Goat Publishing Ltd. is an innovative self-publishing venture company that challenges the way we see the world and the environment around us.

© Cranky Goat Publishing Ltd. 2010-2012.

New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies!

Over the past few decades, researchers have found evidence that the global climate is changing in an increasingly wide range of places: the retreat of Arctic sea ice, the gradual acidification of the oceans and the overall warming of the atmosphere. A new study by researchers draws upon a more unlikely source—19 years of records of an amateur naturalist group called the Massachusetts Butterfly Club.

It all started when Harvard biologist Greg Breed and his colleagues, who conduct research in the 3000-acre tract of land known as the Harvard Forest, wanted to look into the movements of migratory animal populations over time as a proxy for regional climate shifts. If warmer-climate species were slowly moving into the area, it could indicate a steady warming of the climate over time. They found, however, that no researchers had collected thorough data on any migratory animal species in the region.

Then they discovered that the amateur members of the Butterfly Club had kept meticulous records of the species they saw for nearly two decades, carefully charting each butterfly they encountered on nearly 20,000 butterfly-observing expeditions across the state. Breed and the others realized they could analyze this rich data set in order to develop an understanding of climatic changes over time.

Their results, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change, are heartening in that they put to good use the careful work of citizen scientists—and depressing in that they provide further support for the fact that the climate is changing and disrupting wildlife populations. “Over the past 19 years, a warming climate has been reshaping Massachusetts butterfly communities,” Breed said in a Harvard press release.

Specifically, the research team found that a number of temperate or even subtropical butterfly species that historically had ranges that ended south of Massachusetts have been showing up in ever-greater numbers in recent years. The zebulon skipper, for instance, was virtually unknown in Massachusetts in the 1980s. Over the past two decades, though, the butterfly club members spotted them more and more often—and they were 18 times more likely to spot a zebulon skipper in 2011 than in 1992, the first year of the records.

Conversely, species that originally had ranges that started roughly in Massachusetts and extended mostly to the North were much less likely to be found as of 2011. More than 75 percent of the species that had a range with a center north of Boston had decreasing populations over the course of the study. Presumably, these species moved north to stay within the range of their preferred climate. On the other hand, southerly species were disproportionately more likely to increase in population in Massachusetts over time, as they followed their preferred climate into the state.

The atlantis fritillary, a species with a range than extends north of Massachusetts, has declined in population by more than 80 percent in the state over the past two decades but still receives no formal protection. 

The researchers say this raises issues with current methods of butterfly species protection—and, for that matter, protection for all forms of wildlife that easily migrate between different locales. Many of the species that had experienced a rapid increase in population were still under formal protection, such as the frosted elfin, which had become 10 times more frequent over the course of the study. On the other hand, many northerly species had declined dramatically but still haven’t been listed as threatened and don’t receive formal protection measures. The researchers advocate more responsive updating of threatened and endangered species lists based on the latest data.

Of course, a more accurate rendering of which species are at risk won’t help much if our approach to conserving them is outdated, too. Traditionally, butterfly conservation methods focus on habitat protection as a key strategy, but this type of work demonstrates that in our new, quickly changing climate, local habitat might be less important than shifting boundaries between previously stable climate zones. “For most butterfly species, climate change seems to be a stronger change-agent than habitat loss,” Breed said. “Protecting habitat remains a key management strategy, and that may help some butterfly species. However, for many others, habitat protection will not mitigate the impacts of warming.”

Bonus: Read about how butterflies serve as inspirations for engineers creating new technologies in a new story from our Style and Design Issue.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - Is it really worth $120 Million Dollars?

Edvard Munch's "The Scream," one of the most famous portraits in the world, has sold for a record $119.9 million, making it the most expensive work of art ever auctioned off.

This truly is a remarkable painting, and I LOVE good art ... but when I hear a story like this, it makes me wonder about the senselessness of this. Our world is literally in chaos, children are starving and animal species are going extinct weekly if not daily. Could not this $120 Million be spent for a much greater good than the simple appreciation of a good piece of art? The more I ponder on this, the more disgusted I am with the often senseless whims of humanity in general... it literally makes me want to scream, how ironic!

And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart, 

till the Devil whispered behind the leaves "It's pretty, but is it Art?"

~ Rudyard Kipling