Tuesday: Department Meeting at 4:00

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Weekend Cat Blogging #212

Jules: Well, this is just not comfortable at all. How is a feline suppose to get any rest? What the...? I'm falling!

Jules, the decorator: This pillow should go here, and this pillow here......

Jules: Basking in the glory of his accomplishments, Jules exclaims: "I'm a decorating genius! Someone call Architectural Digest!"

Jules: After a hard few minutes of labor, Jules enjoys his latest creation. He was heard to say before falling asleep, "Humans. You gotta love 'em".

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Miz Mog and Kitties at Mind of Mog.

How did I miss this? How did they miss that?!

Lee Fang at Think Progress reported last week:

On Saturday, Pat Buchanan hosted a conference to discuss how Republicans can regain a majority in America. During one discussion, panelists suggested supporting English-only initiatives as a prime way of attracting "working class white Democrats." The discussion ridiculed Judge Sotomayor for the fact that she studied children’s classics to improve her grammar while attending college. The panelists also suggested that, without English as the official language, President Obama would force Americans to speak Spanish.

One salient feature of the event was the banner hanging over the English-only advocates. The word conference was spelled “Conferenece.”

Complete post may be read here.

Feel Good Friday

Michael Jackson: King of Pop

I grew up listening the Jackson 5. Despite my musical tastes, one can't deny the magic of a great pop song.



This is one of those moments when you stop what you are doing and watch because you know you are witnessing something extraordinary.


Favorite music video: "Black or White"

Thank you, Michael. I hope you find the peace in death that we did not allow you to have in life.

More on Mark Sanford

Update at 11:34 a.m. - Gary Kamiya at Salon.com said what I was feeling more succinctly in The strange nakedness of Mark Sanford

Moreover, I was hardly predisposed to cut Sanford any slack. From Bob Livingston to Newt Gingrich, the hypocrisy of sanctimonious, Bible-thumping, family-values-espousing GOP politicians who get caught with their pants down has become a national joke. Until Republicans abandon their judgmental moralism about all things sexual, their marital peccadilloes will inspire schadenfreude, not sympathy.

But something strange happened during Sanford's confession. He broke the formula. He got lost. He went too deep. He exposed his soul. He got all weird and human on us. His life had become an awful train wreck happening in front of the whole country, and it didn't seem like he had any idea of how it was going to end up and he didn't care who knew it. Instead of a press conference, we had been carried into some Eternal Bedroom of Misery that most of us have been in at one time or another, that room where marriages and love affairs -- all alike, all different -- come to a painful end. Surreal, jagged emotional shards flew through the air. "I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina." "I'm committed to trying to get my heart right." "The odyssey that we're all on in life is with regard to the heart." Sanford used some of the familiar rhetoric, speaking of God's law and asking for forgiveness, but this was not another blow-dried, prefab confession. It was unscripted. It was so intimate it was almost unwatchable.

8:13 a.m.
As President Obama is so fond of saying, "let me be clear". It is the hypocrisy, not the personal failing. We've all been there. Yes, all of us, in one way or another. It is the hypocrisy that deserves a post.

Yet, after struggling through Sanford's press conference, I had a couple of thoughts about it:
1) He didn't prepare anything to say.
2) He obviously was not a 'playa' or he would have had more of a plan and covered his tracks more carefully. His actions seemed to suggest he wanted to be caught.
3) He seemed conflicted. Could he actually be in love? Could the comfort of being somewhere out of the spotlight and where he felt loved and safe trump a career? No, it does not excuse the pain he may have caused his wife and children. Yet, life can be painful and messy.
4) Unlike others (i.e., Larry Craig), this actually seemed like it might have been a first for him.
5) Doesn't it seem that once you've come face to face with your own humanity that you would have more empathy for others?
6) Yes, there are much more important things going on in the world to spend air time on than this, despite its human appeal.
7) Don't forget what they did to Bill Clinton.

Today's GOP:

Marty and Moose

Story People by Brian Andreas

Governor Sanford Admits Affair: No Sh**!

The World According to the GOP: Marriage should be between a man and a woman, and evidently another woman or a man and a woman and a stranger in a men's restroom.

I love these family values people. Nobody, and I mean nobody, bought the reports that came out of that office. An affair is between you and your family UNLESS you try to lecture me or legislate me. The GOP - what a bunch of laughable hypocrites. (At least it was a woman this time, or was it??)

You guys crack me up.

UPDATE from Daily Kos:

Fox News has done it again!! Think this is an accident? Check out this.

Inspired by Iranian Protestors

The struggle for democracy is an amazing process to watch. The fact we are able to see and hear about it as it is happening is amazing - Twitter message by Internet message. I am in awe of those in the streets of Iran demanding that their votes and their voices be heard. Historically, the fight for democracy has never been easy and, unfortunately, casualties occur. Men, women, young and old are protesting, not to overthrow the government but a potential fraudulent vote. (Just when I thought I was over our own 2000 election/Supreme Court appointment, "they pull me back in!")

President Obama said today that we don't know yet how this is going to play out. I am hopeful that this is the beginning of the fall of Islamic theocracy in Iran. Fareed Zakaria, author, foreign analyst and host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, has stated that the difference between the street protests in the past and now is that there is a division among the clerics. What is happening in Iran should underline the importance of the separation of church and state.

People of the U.S. who insist the U.S. is a Christian nation and attempt to insert themselves and their personal spiritual beliefs in the government must stop shouting others down and practice the skills of listening and reasoning. Do we want an oppressive regime similar to the Islamic theocracy? No. If we continue to desire a democracy, which we do, then we must demand the separation of church and state.

I support the brave protesters in Iran.

Read what newspapers around the world are saying about these extraordinary events in Iran, as listed on the Fareed Zakaria GPS website:

Guardian Council ready to recount 10% of votes
The Tehran Times
Deepening election crisis threatens ideological stand-off in Iran
The Kurdish Globe
Iran's Khamanei defends president, demands halt to election protests
Hurriyet, Turkey
Iran and Britain in diplomatic stand-off as protest death toll rises
The Times of London
Tehran Tense After Clashes That Killed at Least 13
The New York Times
'Khamenei Has Never Seen a Crisis Like This'
Spiegel, Germany
Q+A-What might happen next in Iran
Reuters

Recommended books by Zakira:
The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Hooman Majd
The Soul of Iran by Afshin Molavi

Gotta love those lolcats

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Seeking Volunteers: United We Serve Kick-Off

Today, June 22, is the kick-off for United We Serve. Go to the website, www.serve.gov, to find an area that interests you. From the website:

The President has said that the challenges America faces are unprecedented, and that we need to build a new foundation for economic growth in America. The Administration has begun this work with dramatic new investments in education, health care and clean energy, but we cannot do this alone here in Washington. Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.

Serve.gov is your online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own. Use Serve.gov to help you do your part. America’s foundation will be built one community at a time – and it starts with you.

"United We Serve" is a nationwide service initiative that will help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. This initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects. United We Serve is an initial 81 days of service but will grow into a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans.

What can you do?

* Create Your Own Project
* Register Your Project / Recruit Volunteers
* Find a Volunteer Opportunity
* Share Your Story

This summer, President Obama is calling on all of us – young and old, from every background, all across this country – to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities. From June 22 to September 11, United We Serve will begin to engage Americans from coast to coast in addressing community needs in education, health, energy and the environment, and community renewal.

Sunday Reflections: Prayer for the World

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.

Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.

Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.

Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.

Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly.

So that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin color.

Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness. So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbors.

Let the earth, nourished by rain,bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.

~~Rabbi Harold Kushner

JibJab: He's Barack Obama

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Weekend Cat Blogging #211

In keeping with Maverick and Mr. Tigger's International Box Day theme from Friday, Butch wanted to show everyone his cardboard box experiences. As you can tell from his expression, squeezing himself into a box is not as much fun as it was when he was a kitten. I guess you can't go home again.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Mr Tigger and The M-Cats Club.

And, in an unrelated story:

Feel Good Friday

Marty and Moose

Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's
Hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
~ Two of Us ~~ The Beatles

Women and Men

A man's bathroom vanity needs...

After sun exposure gel
Mouthwash
Electric razor
Shaving cream
Deodorant
Two undetermined bottles
Toothbrush
Shared hand soap
Forgotten bottle of water






A woman's bathroom vanity needs...

Similar to the above but with enough products anticipated and available to satisfy any potential request of everyone else in the household, including the pets. At a moment's notice!

It Would Be Funny, If Not So....True

Tom Tomorrow's cartoon This Modern World appears regularly in Salon.
This Modern World archive.

Tom Tomorrow's blog.
Tom Tomorrow's book "The Future's So Bright I Can't Bear to Look."

Hendricks' Art Collection

Many years ago, my niece and her husband introduced me to camouflage art and the art of Bev Doolittle. Among their collection were prints by Doolittle, the late Stephen Lyman, and Scott Kennedy. It was wonderful to be surrounded by these beautiful paintings while visiting them in Casper recently. Here are a few I got to enjoy plus one of my favorite Doolittle paintings that I let slip through my fingers many years ago:

Mountain Campfire
The late Stephen Lyman

Christmas Give or Take A Week
Bev Doolittle

Sacred Ground
Bev Doolittle

Season of the Eagle
Bev Doolittle

The next print was briefly in my possession and may be my favorite Doolittle painting. She writes:

"In the companion portraits of "Guardian Spirits", a Blackfoot Indian rides forth in full dress, adorned with the feathers, pelts and claws of his animal protectors. Next we see him in the moment he has become aware of danger, warned by the spirit of the wolf he wears as a headdress. Fearless as the mountain lion whose pelt he uses as a riding cloth, he turns his face toward us and we see ferocity and cunning, wisdom and strength come alive to ride with him. There are eighteen spirit animals watching over this warrior."

While Back in Tennessee...

I no longer live in Tennessee but that does not prevent me from feeling disgusted, yet again, by Republican State Senator Diane Black of Gallatin, whose executive assistant forwarded this in an email. (Notice the picture of our 44th President, Barack Obama). The executive assistant, Sherri Goforth, has refused to apologize as of this writing.

According to a report in Daily Kos:

For those of you not familiar with her (Goforth) boss, Senator Diane Black, she's a Republican who was the main Senate sponsor of S.J.R. 127, a trigger amendment passed this year that, if passed in one more legislative vote and by a ballot initiative, will allow abortion to quickly be banned in Tennessee should Roe v. Wade ever be overturned. She also rudely cancelled a meeting with GLBT activists from her own district (you know, people she was elected to represent) at the last second by saying that they "wouldn't change her mind" and therefore she didn't even need to hear from them. So in other words, a really charming individual who's doing SO MUCH for the people of her district.

If you're in Tennessee and want Senator Black to know exactly what you think of what her office is doing, contact her at:

5 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243-0218
Phone (615) 741-1999
sen.diane.black@capitol.tn.gov

Tennesseans: Sign up for SOS Training to save Tennessee from the State GOP.

Unfortunately for Tennessee, this has gone national. Read The Problem of Apology (Part 2) in The Atlantic and on Wonkette: Latest Republican Racist Email Features Hilarious Summary of 44 American Presidents.

Celebrating Flag Day

Sunday Reflections: Wyoming Vacation

I celebrated two family birthdays while I was in Casper, my precious 14-year-old great niece and my precious 'blank-blank' year-old sister. Cake, genuine buffalo burgers, singing, cameras, decorations, and mega-gifts - my niece has created a wonderful tradition full of memories for her daughters. (I have to admit it is a bit hard to eat buffalo meat when there's a buffalo head staring at you from over the fireplace!)

A front door greeting was only one of many decorations celebrating the birthdays.

The front yard smelled of fresh pine. Isn't this a beautiful tree?

Martin's Cove - Casper, Wyoming

Martin's Cove is located on the Mormon Trail and is part of the North Platte-Sweetwater segment of the Oregon Trail. We did not stop due to bad weather but drove through where we saw at least 100 or more stacked handcarts which, as I understood it, was unusual. We decided there must be a reenactment scheduled soon.

Do you know why it is called 'sweetwater'?
The springs the settlers previously encountered had been polluted, mainly as a result of their own use and the usage of previous travelers and livestock. By the time they reached this point, the water was not polluted so it tasted good and thus referred to as 'sweet water'. (Source: my niece, testing her daughter on Wyoming history.)

Independence Rock was our original destination for the day where we had planned a picnic. Severe thunderstorms prevented us from sitting outside but we still had our picnic - in the car!

The rock derives its name from the fact that it lies directly along the route of the Emigrant Trail and that emigrant wagon parties bound for Oregon or California, which usually left the Missouri River in the early spring, attempted to reach the rock by July 4th in order to reach their destinations before the first mountain snowfalls. During the period of westward emigration on the trail (from 1843 to 1869), it was common for emigrants to carve their names in the granite rock, especially near the summit.

My niece and her family have climbed to the top of the granite rock, ~130 feet high.

One of the most interesting sights along the way was Devil's Gate, a natural rock formation between Independence Rock and Martin's Cove. Here we are approaching the cut in the rock.

As we got closer to the rock formation, the gap in the rock appeared to be closed or no longer there.

This is a shot of Devil's Gate from Martin's Cove, directly behind the rock formation. As you can see, it is open again! Isn't that a great illusion?

The next day we had the chance to experience Wyoming's history at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. Thousands of people traveled the Oregon, Mormon, California and Pony Express trails in the 1800s, etching their stories in American history. We experienced simulated rides in a covered wagon across a river and a Pony Express stagecoach. Here my precious great niece is tracing the names of some of those people, similar to what was written on Independence Rock.

Lastly, I got to know my two 'nephews': Max and Charlie. Even I, the ultimate cat person, couldn't resist these sweet faces.

An earlier post with photos from my trip may be seen here. Thanks to everybody for a wonderful trip!

Weekend Cat Blogging #210

Vincent

"..But I could have told you
Vincent
this world was never
meant for one
as beautiful as you..."
~Don McLean

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Breadchick and LB at The Sour Dough.

Feel Good Friday

Sometimes It's Hard Out Here for a Bama Fan

(ESPN video removed by blogger.)

Sure, there are several games from the 2005-2007 football season I'd like to forget but I don't want to lose the best of those struggling seasons. Remember Tyrone Prothro's amazing over-the-defender's-back catch against Southern Mississippi in 2005? If anyone reading this knows whether or not Prothro may have to return his Espy, please post a comment with link.

Remember former quarterback John Parker Wilson's 2-yard touchdown pass to fullback Le'Ron McClain, beating Ole Miss, 26-23, in overtime in 2006? Both plays expunged after moments of childish greed and disregard for the institution, the sport, and their teammates.


The penalties imposed by the committee as outlined by the NCAA are as follows:

* Public reprimand and censure.

* Three years of probation (June 11, 2009 to June 10, 2012).

* Vacation of all wins in which any of the seven football student-athletes identified by the university as “intentional wrongdoers” competed while ineligible during the 2005-06 through 2007-08 academic years. Further, in men’s tennis, men’s track and women’s track, the individual records of the 15 student-athletes identified as “intentional wrongdoers” shall be vacated and team point totals shall be reconfigured accordingly. This includes regular-season contests, postseason contests and any NCAA championship competition. The university’s records regarding all of the involved sports, as well as the records of the head coaches of those sports, will reflect the vacated records and be recorded in all publications in which these records are reported, including university media guides, recruiting material, and university and NCAA archives. Finally, any public reference to these vacated contests, including conference championships, won during this time shall be removed from athletics department stationery, banners displayed in public areas and any other forum in which they may appear.

* The university shall pay a fine of $43,900 to the NCAA. This figure represents an approximate value of the benefits obtained by the “intentional wrongdoers” ($21,950) multiplied by a factor of two.

Releasing My Inner Outlaw

Welcome to Deadwood! My niece, sister, and I took a day trip to South Dakota to "release our inner outlaw". The land was beautiful and we spotted several pronghorns along the way. My sister, the eternal casino fan, won some cash at the slots and I tested the bartender's skills. Outlaws and preachers roamed the streets, picking up a game or two of poker with the visiting 'city folk' while later dancing in the streets to the music of "Cotton-Eyed Joe".

On our drive to Deadwood, we were able to see Devils Tower National Monument at a distance. Sound familiar? Think Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is one heck of a mashed potato sculpture.





From the brochure:

Imagine an entire city on the National Historic Register. What you'll see in Deadwood today is a careful, accurate restoration of a historically significant city. Deadwood's extensive Victorian architecture is unique to the West. While the gold rush of 1876 brought the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, it also provided the wealth to construct a thriving commercial center in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota.

From historic to contemporary, Deadwood's 80-plus gaming halls provide the same lively action they did over 100 years ago. By the mid-1980's, many of the City's historic buildings were dilapidated. In 1986, Deadwood citizens formed the "Deadwood U Bet" organization and advocated legalized limited stakes gaming to increase tourism and generate historic preservation funds. Legalized gaming in Deadwood began on November 1, 1989.

Gaming over the past fourteen years has revitalized Deadwood's tourism industry and provided significant funds for city government activities and historic preservation. Significant City infrastructure improvements have been made in a short time frame, and today Deadwood is the largest historic restoration project in the United States.

Thankfully, today's Deadwood has more conveniences than HBO's version of Deadwood and cleaner mouths, from what I could tell!