Thank God It's Friday...

The week is almost over and lets start the weekend with a song that you will not be able to get out of your head.

Funny Friday...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Why The Debate Needs To Go On...

Barbara Boxer (D-California) gives a great explanation of why McCain saying he is not doing the debate is a sign of weakness.



McCain has changed his mind and will be at the debate tonight.

Sarah Palin - A Bad Disney Movie...

From Towleroad:

Earlier this month, Matt Damon said he feared that Sarah Palin might become president:

"I think there's a really good chance that Sarah Palin could be President, and I think that's a really scary thing...cause I don't know anything about her. It's like a really bad Disney movie, 'The Hockey Mom.' Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska, and she's president. She's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd."

College humor decided to make that really bad Disney movie a reality.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Apple Picking...

This last Saturday was one of the best days that we have had in a long time. Mark, Mikayla, and I decided that we needed some time away from our "normal" life (read: school, canning, garden), so we took up an offer from our neighbors to go apple picking. The place we went was called Douglas Orchards and is located in Shoreham, Vermont. Our neighbors have been going here for years and they love it.

The drive took about an hour and a half and was very pleasant. I got to talk with Nancy, which I don't get to do often. Jon and Nancy's son, Gabe, is four now and we talked about the different stages that the kids were going through. Mikayla is in one right now that I will touch on in another post. The only distress that I had was riding in the back of the van. I was reading a book to Gabe (which is not smart for me) and then we started to go around many curves (again not good). I started to get real nauseated and my head started to spin. I held it together and we arrived at the orchard.

The day was beautiful and the place was amazing. The trees were all full with perfect apples. I was in awe. As you can see from the pictures below, you couldn't find a tree that was not full of apples. At the end of the picture I included a video of the day as well.

McCain Plays Dumb - Once Again...

While Wall Street is crashing, McCain tries to support his "Fat Cat" Carley Fiorina and her "Golden Parachute" from Hewlett Packard. She was FIRED in 2005 and still walked away with $40 million. This is the type of person that McCain says caused the Wall Street bust. Oh and many other employees of HP were fired and got nothing. Listen to McCain try to explain why she is different. What an ASS!

Photo-Op...

Following Bush's address last night, congressman Barney Franks told reporters: "I’m glad the president said what he said. It’s not that making the speech was going to help, but failure to make a speech was probably hurting. In America, if you don’t hear from the president, it’s not a crisis."

He then laid into the White House 'photo-op':

"All of a sudden, now that we’re on the verge of making a deal, John McCain drops himself in to make a deal. I really worry about this politicization of it. Frankly, we’re going to have to interrupt a negotiating session tomorrow between the Democrats and Republicans on a bill, where I think we’re getting pretty close, and troop down to the White House for their photo-op, and then come back and get on to it. We’re trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign."

(via Americablog)

What...

While looking for something on the Internet I came across a couple of articles titled "Ten Reasons Not To Hit Your Kids". There are only 10? The way I read this is here are the ten reasons not to hit your kids and later we will talk about the reasons why you should hit your kids. This is just ridiculous. And truthfully, would anyone that is hitting their kids really look for a sight to explain why hey should not hit them?

Just a comment!

Letterman Slams McCain For Suspending His Campaign...

Dave said what the rest of the country is thinking, "What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

From Huffington Post:

"In the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?"

Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

Update - Here is the video. Dave is Great and again says what the rest of the country is thinking. Gets good around the 2:30 mark.



Obama says that the debates are still on, as they should be. From Huffington Post;

Obama: The Debate Is Still On... This Is Exactly The Time When The American People Need To Hear From Their Leaders... Presidents Are Going To Have To Deal With More Than One Thing At A Time

No On Prop 8...

Here is a PSA for No On Prop 8. The nice thing about this ad is that there are kids (in their teens and 20's) that talk about having gay parents. The interesting part is that these kids turned out just llike every other kid in America. They all have different quarks, but the one thing they had in common is parents who loved them.

Can You Trust McCain...

Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Obama...

"The HSLF board of directors—which is comprised of both Democrats and Republicans—has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, regardless of party affiliation, to vote for them"

(HSLF)

Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act...

On May 3, 2008 President Bush signed a bill into law that dogfighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting. The law, known as Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, "provides felony penalties for interstate commerce, import and export related to animal fighting activities, including commerce in cockfighting weapons. It will make it much harder for criminals who engage in dogfighting and cockfighting to continue their operations. Each violation of the federal law may bring up to three years in jail and up to a $250,000 fine for perpetrators".



HSUS Video describing the law:

Bill O'Reilly Is An Asshole...

Here is a clip from Billy Boy's Fox Snooze show where he is debating the law with a lawyer - and he says she is wrong and doesn't understand what she is talking about. How arrogant is this dip shit and how can so many people consider him a journalist? To me he sits right alongside Jerry Springer.

The conversation deals with the hacking of Sarah Palin's email account. Billy wants the person who hacked the email to be prosecuted (as they should) as well as the website that posted the emails - two different people. According to the Supreme Court, Billy, there is something called the First Amendment and the person that posted the emails on their website falls under it. Near the end the attorney gives Billy a scenario. She said "what if someone obtained a document illegally that proved a massive conspiracy among the presidential candidates, and they leaked it to Fox News. And we knew it was stolen. You don't think we would put it on the air? You're darn right we would put it on the air."

Billy's response, "Oh, I'd have to see". Yes he would have to see. If it were a document that made McCain look bad, they would destroy it. If it made Obama look bad, it would be the story to end all stories. Again, why people. This man is a joke and an ass.

See the clip:

Michael Phelps Joins Cast Of Grey's Anatomy...

Jimmy Kimmel did an interview with Michael Phelps recently and they talked about Phelps' role as Dr. McSwimmy this season on Grey's Anatomy. Watch the sneak peak below - he is going to be good.

Fair and Balanced - Not...

Fox Attacks Obama - Again!

Was Supposed To Be Funny Friday, But Now Funny Saturday...

I wanted to start to compile some video that make me smile and put them on the site on Friday, but that never happened. So here at 11pm at night on Saturday are the video that I found. I will try to get more for next week and actually put them up on Friday - if Mikayla allows me to.

McCain and Palin Dance in High School Mucial 3! - JibJab


JibJab - Time for Some Campaignin


JibJab - Shawshank in a Minute


Stupid Fight

Bette Midler, et. al...

In April Madonna created a youtube video promoting her single, “Four Minutes” from her album “Hard Candy”. In the video she is vacuuming the set of the video. She jokingly complains that she has to do all the cleanup work herself “as usual”.

Well in Diva fashion, Bette Midler has done a parody of the video to promote her new album “Jackpot: The Best Bette,” which will be released on September 23. In the video (which she is on the set of her new movie “The Women”) Bette plays it as her character in the movie. I have both videos below as well as the trailer for the Women 2008 and some classic lines from the 1939 version.

Now I have always thought that the best way to make this play (movie) a classic is to have a bunch of gay men or drag queens play the parts. Since that never came to be, having some of the top gay icons in the movie is fine with me. Yes I do have the 1939 movie and have seen it many many times. Don't Judge!

Madonna's Video:


Bette's Video:


The Women Trailer (2008):


The Women Trailer (1939):


The Women - One Liners (1939):

We Don't Have Enough Money...

From one of Americablog's readers. This is how the republicans play it now:

Reader John writes:

How many times do we have to hear:

We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to fix Social Security.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to fix Medicare.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to provide health care to ALL Americans.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to help out Americans losing their homes.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to help all our veterans returning from war.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to rescue "no child left behind".

BUT...

We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out Bears Stearns.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out AIG.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to pay for an unnecessary TRILLION DOLLAR war.

When the LITTLE GUY needs help, they scornfully say, "GET A JOB!"
But when one of their BIG GUY CRONIES need a bailout, what do they say? SURE, NO PROBLEM. Where's the checkbook?

"But what about the debt we're leaving on the backs of our childen and their future?"
"Children? WHOSE Children? OUR children won't have to pay for this. YOUR children will."

The Republicans have had their hands in our pockets for well over 8 years.
Now they are robbing us blind IN BROAD DAYLIGHT and smiling about it!!!!
The Republicans have shown their true colors and now they expect us to vote them back into office?

What's next? Should we bend over and spread 'em? Oh, I'm sorry, but we've ALREADY DONE THAT!!
SEVERAL TIMES!!!

Vote for REAL change this November.

VOTE BLUE

Kittens Killed After Shelter Break-In...

Although the kittens in the picture are not the ones from the story - they are four weeks old - the same age as the ones killed at the shelter. To be able to do that has to take someone with a cold cold heart!

Wednesday September 10, 2008

Animal shelter workers are trying to figure out who killed 10 kittens - and why.

A parking lot sweeper found six dead kittens Thursday - the day after the animals were stolen from Springdale Animal Services. Five of the kittens were four weeks old and were taken from their mother, who was pining for them.

"We've been asking 'why' all day," said Teresa Johnson, the shelter's assistant manager. "Why?"

The six dead kittens were among 20 cats released from their cages during a break-in Wednesday, said Jill Hatfield, the superintendent of the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. Four other dead kittens were found at the Springdale shelter.

"They did terrible things," she said. "Some were thrown in dog pens inside the shelter. Luckily none of the dogs did anything."

The fate of the other 10 kittens wasn't known. It's possible they escaped.

Nothing was stolen in the break-in.

The Humane Society of the Ozarks is offering a $2,500 reward.

Police are investigating whether the break-in is related to one at the Fayetteville shelter last month. The night of Aug. 9, someone freed dogs and cats from their cages.

"They didn't harm any of the animals at our shelter, so we aren't sure if the two incidents are related," Hatfield said.

Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of one year in jail. Arkansas is one of only five states in the country with animal cruelty laws that do not have felony provisions.

"We want these folks caught," Hatfield said.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Springdale Police Department
(479 ) 750-4484

Update:
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $ 2, 500 reward for information in connection with the break-in at Springdale Animal Services that left 11 kittens dead and 10 more missing.

Someone entered through an unlocked window overnight Wednesday at 321 Randall Wobbe Road, opened all the cat cages and killed four kittens by throwing them against the ground, shelter officials said.

Seven kittens wearing shelter collars were found dead Thursday morning in The Home Depot parking lot at 675 E. Joyce Blvd. in Fayetteville.

(Pet-Abuse.com)

Dogs And Puppies Neglected, Some Found Dead...

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Animal control was called out to a house in Madill after dead puppies and malnourished dogs were found in the backyard. Authorities say residents have already been warned about an excessive number of animals living in the home. KTEN's Hailee Holliday reports.

Over 15-dogs were either chained up or in pens in the backyard and 4-puppies were found dead.

Animal control and police were notified about the situation at the house on 3rd street.

The residents of the house were not home at the time.

Authorities say the dogs were extremely malnourished and having this many animals in the city is against the law.

They also claim more dogs were inside the house.

Animal Control Officer, Jeremy Proctor, says, "You're only allowed to have 3 dogs within city limits so these people have way too many. We're going to do an investigation and we're going to take the dogs outside the residence and do a further investigation to see what else needs to be done.'

There have been no charges so far on the owner of the dogs.

Animal control say they will pick up the dogs and have a veterinarian check them.

Authorities say if charged, the owner of the dogs could face animal cruelty charges.

(Pet-Abuse.com)

Salsa...

This last weekend we made salsa. Actually this is the second time we made salsa. The first was the weekend prior when we went to Mark's mom's house to do our annual salsa fest. This actually was only the second year, but it will continue for many more. Mark's mother found the perfect salsa recipe. The problem with this recipe is that when one person does it, it takes almost four to five hours. It's an all day event.

Along with the salsa, we made tomato relish. This goes on almost anything - well OK anything. The reason it is so good - sugar.

The picture above is the salsa. Below are the recipes - enjoy:

Salsa (usually doubled)

10 cups peeled, cored, chopped red ripe tomatoes (approx 6 pounds)
5 cups seeded, chopped long green peppers (approx 2 pounds)
5 cups chopped onions (approx 1.5 pounds)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2.5 cups seeded, chopped hot peppers (approx 1 lb)
1.25 cups cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp cilantro
3 tsp salt
t tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a lrge sauce pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling bath. Yield: approx 12 pints.

Tomato Relish (usually doubled)

12 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced, about 4 pounds
4 large onions, peeled and sliced, about 1 1/2 pounds
salt
6 red chili peppers
2 cups vinegar
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp flour

Layer tomato and onion slices with salt in a large bowl. Cover bowl with a towel, let stand overnight.

Drain. Place tomatoes, onion, and chili peppers in a heavy kettle. Add 1 1/2 cups of the vinegar. Heat to boiling, boil 5 minutes. Mix sugar, curry powder, and flour in a bowl. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup vinegar to make a smooth paste. Stir paste into vegetables in a kettle. Cook, stirring often, 1 hour. Spoon into hot, sterilized jars and seal. Especially delicious on top of grilled hamburgers.

Yield: 6 pints.

When Will Marshal Law Actually Start...

Mark sent this article to me this afternoon. It's from the Army Times. It's kinda of scary where our country is going. The article, "Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1", tells of how the 3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT is going to be redeployed here in America. Yes, that's right they are going to be here to "help people at home" and this may be a permanent part of the Army now. This may sound good, but lets look a little closer.

They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.

So at the end of Hurricane season, near the election, and after many years of disasters already, the government has decided that they are now there for the average person. I don't think so. If you think that when this happens we are able to fight back - think again. Below is a video from Prison Planet that tells about Concentration Camps for Americans. We should all be afraid.

Now of course people are saying that this cannot happen in America. Maybe, maybe not, but why don't we all unplug from the Television News that only wants to give you the stories that would play on Jerry Springer and do some research. Look at America since Bush took office and notice a change. Read other people's information. The information that is out there cannot be given to you in a two minute story surrounded by pharmaceutical ads. Unplug from the MSM and notice that we are in a world of hurt here that is only going to get worse.








To read more:
U.S. Concentration Camps: The Evidence
Rule By Fear or Rule By Law
U.S. Approves Use Of Military Against Citizens

I Think I Found God...

This is the best god worship video I have seen. The three in the video are singing praise to god and the Renewed Mind Is The Key. Now I had to watch it all the way through and if I didn't I would have missed the wonderful "white-boy" popping and moon-walking that starts around the 2:00 minute mark. The song will stick with you all day. Its just wonderful!!



I also love the verse: "We've got all our potential power that god could ever give. Now we stand up on our legal rights and boldly make them live." This comes from a blog I read: Famous Like Me

Family's 2 Pitbulls Kill Infant...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A family's two pit bulls burst into the house from the backyard to attack a 4-month girl, mauling her to death even as her grandmother tried to escape with the baby into another room, police said.

The grandmother, who was baby-sitting at the time of the attack Friday, was hospitalized Saturday with non-life-threatening injuries. (Rest of story)

I am not sure that I could ever recover from something like this. This is such a tragic story. The history of the Pitbull:

Dog fighting, which could be carried out under clandestine measures, blossomed. Since Bulldogs proved too ponderous and uninterested in dog fighting, the Bulldogs were crossed with English White and Black and Tan Terriers. They were also bred to be intelligent and level-headed during fights and remain non-aggressive toward their handlers. Part of the standard for organized dog-fighting required that the match referee who is unacquainted with the dog be able to enter the ring, pick up a dog while it was engaged in a fight, and get the respective owner to carry it out of the ring without being bitten. Dogs that bit the referee were culled.

As a result, Victorian fighting dogs (Staffordshire Bull Terriers and, though less commonly used as fighters, English Bull Terriers) generally had stable temperaments and were commonly kept in the home by the gambling men who owned them. (wikepedia)

Here are some statistics from 2007 that gives us more insight on the breed:

Information about 2007 dog attack fatalities was gathered through media accounts that were available at the time of the attack or found through internet archives, including Google News Archive, The Internet Archive and NewspaperArchive.com.

1. 35 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2007. Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 60%. Pit bulls make up approximately 2-9% of the US dog population.
2. The combination of pit bulls (21), rottweilers (4) and American bulldogs (3) accounted for 80% of all fatal attacks.
3. 51% of the attacks occurred to children (11 years and under) and 49% occurred to adults (21 years and older). Of the adults, 76% occurred to ages 55 and older.
4. 46% of fatal attacks in 2007 involved multiple dogs; 23% involved chained dogs.
5. 71% of the attacks occurred on owner property and 29% off owner property. Of the off-property attacks, 70% (7) were attributed to pit bulls.
6. 60% of the victims were female; 40% of the victims were male. Of the female victims, nearly half (10) were 55 years and older.
7. The state of Texas had the most fatalities (7). Of these fatalities, 86% (6) were attributed to pit bulls.

In 2007, two fatalities involved dogs from two different breeds, thus producing a "death credit" total of 37, rather than 35. Four dog breeds each contributed to one death and included a: mastiff-mix, doberman, Siberian husky and wolf-hybrid.
(Dogbite.org)

Economic Crisis - Are People Paying Attention...

Waking up this morning started the day off not in the best frame of mind. Mikayla was a little off and everything that Mark and I did did not seem to change her mood. So to say the least I was a little off myself. Mark and I were talking about Wall Street and what is happening. Americablog had a letter from a reader of their telling the story of how this couple had started to put money away for their retirment and how they had built built it up over the years and in just a couple of days the market is back to where it was when Bush came into power. And it is still falling.

So after Mark headed off to work, I started to look at the headlines (thise in the main street media as well as elsewhere - you know the place that the MSM doesn't want to go until people demand they report it) and here is what I found:

Bank of Canada Joins Global Central Banks in Providing Funds

The Bank of Canada joined the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks in providing extra cash for banks to calm financial markets.

The central bank of Canada agreed with the U.S. bank on a swap facility to pump $10 billion into Canadian money markets. The swap, which expires in January, will give commercial banks in Canada access to more cash if needed.

US To Declare October 'Economic Emergency', Suspend Elections

Russian Military Analysts commenting on these reports state that though it is unlikely that the American President can suspend US elections solely on the basis of an Economic Emergency alone, it is entirely probable that he could do so should their Nation suffer another 9/11 type attack, and which they ‘cryptically’ observe could place as early as September 22nd as American Military Forces begin to conduct their World-Wide tests of their new nuclear alert system as they conduct another test of their so-called Star Wars Missile Defense System.

Election Day Could Be a Mess

Faced with a surge in voter registrations leading up to Nov. 4, election officials across the country are bracing for long lines, equipment failures and confusion over polling procedures that could cost thousands the chance to cast a ballot.

The crush of voters will strain a system already in the midst of transformation, with jurisdictions introducing new machines and rules to avoid the catastrophe of the deadlocked 2000 election and the lingering controversy over the 2004 outcome. Even within the past few months, cities and counties have revamped their processes: Nine million voters, including many in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida and Colorado, will use equipment that has changed since March.

Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End In Sight

The financial crisis that began 13 months ago has entered a new, far more serious phase.

Lingering hopes that the damage could be contained to a handful of financial institutions that made bad bets on mortgages have evaporated. New fault lines are emerging beyond the original problem -- troubled subprime mortgages -- in areas like credit-default swaps, the credit insurance contracts sold by American International Group Inc. and others. There's also a growing sense of wariness about the health of trading partners.

Finance Fatcats Live Large As Firms Crumble

It is one of the ironies of the subprime mortgage crisis that while millions of people stand to lose their homes because they can no longer afford to pay their mortgage, the people at the top of the financial institutions that wrote the loans or packaged the risky debt on Wall Street are still tucking themselves in at night, safe and sound inside some very ritzy real estate.

Now we have to think about this siuation that we are in. We have been under a Republican administration for 7.5 years. The House and Senate have been Republican run for the first 6 years. These people are not taking responsibility for the crisis that we are in. They want to blame, blame, blame. And then we have McCain, as the market was crumbling, stated that "fundamentals of our economy are strong". Then when the Powrs That Be in his campaign tell him that the market is crashing, he changes his tune.

With lies, foreign policy mistakes, connection to Bush, a running mate that has no concept of the world we live in, and now a lack of understanding the economy - how can people still think this person (campaign) are good for this country? It makes me worry.

Baby Number Two...

I have not mentioned anything about baby number two just yet because, well, nothing has happened. Although we are active, we are just waiting to hear from the adoption agency. This could take anywhere from now or three years. Yes, three years. This is why we started the process this early. We are actually hoping that the baby will come sometime next spring. This way Mark and I are done with school and we will have a better mindset to go into something like two wild kids.

So then why am I writing about the next child when nothing has happened? Well nothing has from the adoption agency, but from Mark it has. First a little history. Mark has a heightened sense when it comes to many things. I still remember very vividly the day we were driving downtown Orlando (when we used to live there) and out of nowhere he said "do you know how they can bring us down. They can fly planes into building just like those". He said this as if he was having a conversation in his head with someone else (he does that often). He was pointing to two or three of the taller buildings in Orlando. I looked at him with surprise. The day was September 8, 2001. I thought nothing of it and then...

Then in July of 2006 after we started the process to adopt for the first time, he told me one morning that he had a dream that we were going to adopt an African-American baby girl. The adoption would happen in either March or April. Then a few weeks later he came down after waking up and told me that he had a dream with our daughter's name in it. Her name, of course, would be Mikayla. Now Mark is not one for thinking of names, but this name sounded right. Now we told everyone, including our agency, about the dream. They were all very shocked when the dream came true. Now think about this as well. The dream happened in July and nine months later we have a little baby girl.

Now a couple of days ago Mark came downstairs and told me that he had a dream of our second child. This child was (if I remember right) going to have a white birth father and and African-American birth mother. He got the feeling that this next child is going to be a little calmer than Miss Mikayla and will be a boy. The difference her is that with Mikayla Mark felt that Mikayla's spirit was talking with him. With our son, he said that it felt like someone else was guiding him in his dream.

So, if we go on the same assumption that Mikayla graced our lives, we should have a new baby boy sometime in May or June. Although Mark feels that the baby had already been conceived and we will be graced sometime in April or May. Lets see what happens. Oh and if it is a boy his name will be Zachary (unless we come up with a different name - but I like it).

Copy Cat II...

Just recently Mikayla has started to do something that Mark and I could not figure out. We have been doing a little potty training (not much she is too young still), but nothing too in depth. We have been asking if she has to pee or has done so. We ask if she has pooped and she usually says yes when she did. She has not gotten the idea that she needs to tell us before she does it, but when she has we take it to the toilet and flush it. This, we hope, will associate the process with the place to do it.

But then one day we were walking through the bathroom (yes we have a walk through bathroom) and she ran to the toilet, lifted the seat, and grabbed her shirt and pulled it towards the water. We thought she was going to pull it into the water, but she only pulled it far enough to go over the rim. Then she closed the seat cover and flushed. You probably already know, but for Mark and I (we are slow in that way) we could not figure out what she was doing. This became an event that happened more than once a day. We figured that it was something that her little mind needed to process and only she knew what it was.

Then one day it hit me - she was copying her Daddy and Papa. She wanted to pee int he toilet like we did so she would walk up to the toilet, open the seat, and pull on her shirt since that was the only thing that she has. She was pretending to pee like us. Once we figured this out (again we are slow), we figured that she was ready to understand that she needs to sit while she used the potty (unless of curse she is trying to be Madonna). So from that point on we are making it a point that when she is around we are showing her what she needs to do when she used the toilet. We now tell her that she needs to sit when she pees and she turns around and tries to sit.

Below is a little movie of her trying to use her shirt to pee from.

Billy The Bus Driver of the Straight Talk Express...

How Wrong Is This...

Kids on a Shopping Spree:

He was like a kid in a candy store - about 120,000 times over.

A 5-year-old boy in Serbia took $120,000 out of his father's safe and went on a massive shopping spree with his friends.

They purchased clothes, toys, bikes, candy, computers and games at a local mall.

The dad has asked police to investigate why shopkeepers sold the goods without asking questions. (New York Post)

So my question is how did this kid get to all these stores. He is FIVE years old. Shouldn't there be some form of adult supervision? This is wrong in so many ways.

This Should End The Debate...

A study in Sweden has concluded that the brains of gay men are like that of heterosexual women and lesbians are like that of heterosexual men.

Scientists have noticed for some time that homosexual people of both sexes have differences in certain cognitive abilities, suggesting there may be subtle differences in their brain structure.

This is the first time, however, that scientists have used brain scanners to try to look for the source of those differences.

When these results were collected, it was found that lesbians and heterosexual men shared a particular "asymmetry" in their hemisphere size, while heterosexual women and gay men had no difference between the size of the different halves of their brain.

In other words, structurally, at least, the brains of gay men were more like heterosexual women, and gay women more like heterosexual men.

A further experiment found that in one particular area of the brain, the amygdala, there were other significant differences.

(BBC News)

Now of course this should put the debate to rest, but we all know that the Christian right does not believe in science. If "god" did not talk to one of their leaders (James Dobson, the Pope, Pat Robertson, or Bush - he talks directly to god), then no matter what scientist found would be true.

More Significant Today...

Was listening to music today when this song came on. It's sung by Carrie Underwood in this video, but was originally penned by George Michael in the 90's. Listening to the lyrics sort of saddened me. They ring so true in this world that we live in with the rich only wanting to get richer and the poor trying to figure out how to make it. This truly is not the Christian view of how the world should be. The Christian view is to help everyone. If that is the case, why do the Christians feel that McCain is the person for them? This is a man that cheated on his first wife while she was ill, takes from the lowlife lobbyist to finance his campaign, and pick a person who standing in her own affairs is questionable.

How can these so-called Christians rationalize all the wrong that is out there and the wrong that is still being created and will continue to destroy the U.S. if they choose McCain. How can these people look at Palin and think "this is the person for me. The person that can make the important decisions when needed" - even though she has no clue what the VP does, cannot tell you what the Bush Doctrine is, is being investigated in her home state, and loves killing animals that have no way to escape. Are You Kidding Me? Are we that stupid in America that everything has become a popularity contest (or in Palin's case a beauty contest)? I hope not!

Like the song says -
And its hard to love,
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of



Praying For Time Lyrics:

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars
And the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But well take our chances
Because God stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all gods children
Crept out the back door

Chorus
And its hard to love,
Theres so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say its much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear
Twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there
Is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say whats mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much
But Ill take my chances
Because God stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things
They sold you
Did you cover your eyes when
They told you
That he cant come back
Because he has no children
To come back for

Unnecessary Censorship "Come and Play Edition"...

I laughed so hard I think I wet myself a little.

For Her...

I have been posting more and more stuff concerning politics. Why is that? The reason is my daughter. So many people don't fully understand the concerns that I have with regards to my little angel. The Bush administration doesn't see that Mark and my relationship is truly valid. If the administration had their way we would be locked away (far away) never to be seen again (such as the "terrorist" in Guantanamo). Now we could have the next generation of Bush called McCain-Palin. This scares me more. The reasons are many, but anyone that knows Mark and I and loves Mikayla should think twice before they decide to vote for McCain. One main reason is that fact that McCain thinks that gay adoption should be illigal and that Mark, Mikayla and myself do not represent "family values"!

In an interview with George Stephanapolous in July 2008, Stephanapolous asked John McCain,"What is your position on gay adoption? You told the New York Times you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn't find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?"

McCain responded, "My position is, it's not the reason why I'm running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America."

Stephanapolous asked, "Well, what do you mean by that, it's not the reason you're running for President of the United States?"

McCain replied, "Because I think -- well, I think that it's -- it is important for us to emphasize family values. But I think it's very important that we understand that we have other challenges, too. I'm running for president of the United States, because I want to help with family values. And I think that family values are important, when we have two parent -- families that are of parents that are the traditional family."

Stephanapolous: "But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don't have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what's wrong with that?"

McCain: "I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents."

Stephanapolous: "So, you're against gay adoption."

McCain: "I am for the values and principles that two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many of these decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will do everything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things that keeps families together, including educational opportunities, including a better economy, job creation. And I'm running for president, because I want to help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe that family values and family traditions are preserved."

(lesbian life)

Just remember when you vote on November 4th, you are not only deciding the future for yourself. You are deciding the future for her:

More and More I Become...

For the past two years I have been getting my Bachelors of Science in Humane Leadership. This is a degree that the Humane Society of the United States put together with Duquense University. They have also created a Masters Degree in Community Leadership, which I may continue with. While doing research for some of my classes, I have delved into places that I never knew existed. With the help from Mark (he is on a new diet) and this degree, I am moving more and more towards a vegetarian.

When did this realization hit me? Well first I mad point of trying not to eat meat when I did not know where it came from. Luckily we have many farms around this area that raise their animals humanely and never abuse them (as with most slaughter houses). So I felt fine eating meat on occasion. Then one morning (about three days ago) I was making scrambled eggs from my daughter and then the light went on - this is an embryo (or one day could have been). Then I asked myself would I eat a human embryo? The thought sounded gross and made my stomach turn a little.

Tonight I made tacos and as I was cooking the meat I again started to think - I am cooking the decaying flesh of a cow. Yes I said decaying because once things die they start to decay. Then the smell hit me and again my stomach turned a little. I then added the taco spices and the smell went away, but the thought was still there. I did eat it but not with the same enjoyment that I used to have.

Then more realizations hit me. This was a sentient creature (Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectively.) (wikipedia) At one time this piece of meat that I am eating could feel. What right do I have to take part in the death of this animal? I then started to associate all the meats that I used to eat and (finally) connect them to the animal. It may sound stupid but I would not make the connection in my mind's eye that the ham for Chirstmas was once a pig. That the hamburger, the steak, the roast, was once a cow.

This was very disturbing to me. It was disturbing that I could so easily disconnect from reality and think that what I was eating did not have any affect on the other creature in this world. That there are so many people out there that probably have the same disconnect. If they watched the video Meet Your Meat and not feel completely disgusted and have the light go on for them as well I would be surprised.

A vegitarian. This is more and more what I become.

Sarah Palin's Record on Aerial Wolf Hunting...

From the Defender's of Wildlife:

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has championed aerial gunning of wolves and bears. Using powerful images of this needless and brutal practice -- and the indisputable facts about Palin's promotion of it -- we've created a hard-hitting new television ad to educate voters about what Governor Sarah Palin really stands for.

As governor, Sarah Palin...

• Proposed paying a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf.
• Approved a $400,000 state-funded propaganda campaign to promote aerial hunting. (The state voters of Alaska have twice before voted to ban aerial hunting.)
• Introduced legislation to make it even easier to use aircraft to hunt wolves and bears.
• Sued the federal government, the Bush-Cheney administration, to keep polar bears from being listed as an endangered species.
• She promoted drilling in ANWAR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge)

Is this the type of person we want to be one heartbeat away from the presidency? If you are a hunter, then please tell me why you would want to hunt wolf. I looked all over the Internet and could not find a recipe with wolf as an ingredient!

See Video Below:




If you want to make a difference - vote and make sure Sarah and McCain never see the inside of the White House. Also go to the Defender's of Wildlife website and make a donation.

Just Because It's Fun - And Makes Me Laugh...

Now Walk It Out!!!

Talking More and More...

The little one is off and running with her speech. She is quickly learning the alphabet (not verbatim) but she does know A, B, D, F, H, I, J, M, O, P (and tell you what P sounds like), S, T, Z (but she thinks Z is YEEEEEAHHH!). If asked, she can point out almost each letter. I started to recite the alphabet and stopped at L and she followed up with M - without me helping her.

She now knows the difference (somewhat) between Yes and No and she says both very clearly. Colors are coming. We have a book, "Little Bear Counts His Favorite Things", where under number 8 are a set of crayons each a different color. She can point to the color you ask. She has only been able to do it with this book. She hasn't been able to point out all the colors outside this book. We are working on that though. While down at grandma, she had some crayons and she grabbed the color we asked for.

So the confusion that I have when teaching Mikayla new words and associating those words with the actual objects is interesting. The reason is what do we teach her. Is a cup a cup or glass or plastic or blue or round or clear. There are some many ways to describe something and I have noticed that Mark and I have told her a different description for the same object. Is this confusing her or is it helping to build her understanding of the world around her?

In the video below, Mikayla is outside playing with some sidewalk chalk that Grampa got for her when we went back to visit. While we were on vacation she learned how to do surprise, drama and blow a kiss. The drama is the best.

The Cackling Women of the View...

Like some people, I have tried to get as much information as I possibly could when it comes to both of the candidates. The reason I say some is because most people are going with how the candidates make them feel. Most people make some sort of connection with the person. Most people say they vote for a person because they feel they can sit down and have a beer with them.

What I don't understand is why people who slam Obama for not knowing what he stands for or feels that he hasn't done anything that makes him qualified to be president, are rallying around Palin. Then I saw the wonderful insight of the Sherri Shephed. You remember her. The one that couldn't answer if the world was round or flat. Well now she has decided to give her insight as to why Palin would make a great president. Sherri and her stupidity again:

"Barbara, please do not discount Palin as a mother. This woman's got four, now five kids. you tell me what mother cannot run the country after having five kids. She either comes in and she does it politcally or she takes it by force. Do not, I mean and I know that everbody says she lacks experience but as a mother I'm going the woman was in charge of the PTA. You can't even get chairs when you're in charge of the PTA. Come on. I'm so excited about this race now."

What really scares me is that when she said this the crowd started to clap and chear. WHAT? So people think that since she ran the PTA and has five kids she can take on countries that hate us? Oh, but I should not forget that Sherri puts us all at ease because she knows that McCain will not die in his first term. So how does she know this? She is talking to god?

The wonderful insight of Sherri starts at 1:16. The other bad part of this is that not one of the other hosts said anything to her. They let her spew her infalible insight.

God Help Us All!!!

Palin: "It's Like A Really Bad Disney Movie"...

I love Matt Damon. Ever since I saw him in "Good Will Hunting" I was totally infatuated with him. Now he is speaking out on Gov. Palin and why more people should be concerned with her as the possible Leader of the Free World. He sums it all up in one sentence:

"The hockey mom, you know, 'oh, I'm just a hockey mom'... and she's facing down President Putin... It's totally absurd... it's a really terrifying possibility."

See the full clip below:

Phoebe At Shelter...

Here are some pictures of Phoebe after we cleaned her up at the shelter. She came to us as a stray. One morning when I came into work, she was outside in the pen playing and I noticed that she had what looked like dirt around her eye. I asked one of the volunteers to wash her when she came in. The volunteer came to me with some concerns. She told me that it wasn't mud that was around her eye but blood. Luckily we had a vet who was supposed to show up that day and she could take a look at Phoebe for us.

The vet said that under Phoebe's fur there were what looked like burns. She wanted to take Phoebe to her office and have her shaved down and have the burns cleaned. Later when we got a call from the vet they told us that it looked like some form of chemical burns. The way the injuries were on Phoebe looked like someone had poured something on her head (notice in the side pictures how the injuries looked and imagine some form of liquid dripping down her neck).

I told Mark about this poor little puppy and one night as we were driving home he said he wanted to go an meet her. At that point I knew that she would be a part of our lives. Below are the pictures. These were taken only a few days after the vet shaved her down. We needed to give her a bath daily and scrub (yes scrub) the burned areas to remove any dead skin. Amazingly she was wonderful.

Olbermann apologizes for GOP exploting Victoms of Sept. 11...

Fear and dread from the floor of the RNC.

ST. PAUL -- One of the most enduring taboos in American politics, the airing of graphic images from the September 11 attacks in a partisan context, died today. It was nearly seven years old.

The informal prohibition, which had been occasionally threatened by political ads in recent years, was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 CST, when a video aired before delegates at the Republican National Convention included slow-motion footage of a plane striking the World Trade Center, the towers' subsequent collapse, and smoke emerging from the Pentagon.

The September 11 precedent was one of the few surviving campaign-season taboos. It is survived by direct comparisons of one's opponents to Hitler.

via The Boston Globe

Insanity...

McCain's Voice Mail to Palin Leaked to Press...

This is too funny. Here is what the voice mail to Palin would have sounded like if McCain actually called her. This is classic!


McCain Phone Call To Palin

Copy and paste in browser - blogger isn't working correctly when I posted this.

Enjoy!!

Comparison - The John Stewart Way...

Now if the Main Stream Media would only do the same and not run with their tails between their legs!!

They Really Do Understand The Average American...

On Tuesday night Cindy McCain and Laura Bush asked that the people attending the RNC not be Republicans during the Gustav crisis. They needed to be Americans and to dig deep into their pocket books and help. But how do you think the average American feels when Cindy McCain shows up on stage in an outfit that cost anywhere between $299,100 and $313,100. The earrings cost $100,000 + more than the house I am living in. How special. The pearl necklace alone could pay for some people to eat for a year. So yes the Republicans really do understand the plight of the middle class and what we are going through. Even if they realloy did, why rub it in the face of the Hurrican victoms. The ones that they want (or so they say) to help.

How can people like this really understand that most American are living from pay check to pay check - if they are getting a paycheck. Most Americans are trying to decide if they should pay for the medicine that they really need or buy groceries. Most Americans are trying to figure out a way to pay for the high cost of oil for the winter. And the solutions that most Rupulicans tell them - get another job becuase its not our problem. So the new standard in America is for people to be working three or more jobs or they are not holding up their end of the bargin.

We cannot do this for four more years. We cannot lose all that America stands for. We cannot let these rich, out of touch, fat cats ruin our country (although GWB has already done that). We cannot let these people take away the future of our children and their children. It will already take way to many years to repair what GWB has done in just eight. Don't be afraid to talk about the issues, but know the issues and where each canidate stands. Don't become a talking head for the out of touch MSM. Do your own research and inform people. Know your stuff and let the other people prove you wrong.

The Media Gets Some Balls...

Just wanted to post this because it shows the media getting some backbone and balls. Although the McCain spokesman never really answered the questions on Palin (he tried to avoid the question and show how inexperienced Obama is), he did get his GOP ass wiped up. Too bad the interview could not have gone on longer. I don't think CNN would have let up and the McCAin spokesman probably would have walked off. Well this little incident made McCain so made that he canceled his interview with Larry King (so sad - did we piss you off). Watch the vieo below and enjoy!

She's Hot, Thank God The Issues Don't Matter...

Thank god for us, the issues don't really matter. The republican party has "the Hottest VP" ever. This is what matters or so it seems to the GOP. Who cares that she wanted to ban books, that she wants to take the rights away from women and their bodies, that she touts abstinence and does not want sex education taught, but her daughter is learning from her baby's daddy. Someone that has no idea what the VP does. Someone whose only international experience is traveling to another country on vacation. But why should we worry? Why, because the GOP seems to be able to get away with anything.

Even when two top Republican pundits, Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy, talk about how this choice is "bullshit" (watch below), all will be forgotten of the things that Palin has not done when it come time vote. People will vote for McCain because they connect with Palin. They understand her and where she is coming from. No one cares that she could be the next president. No one cares because she is HOT. Gotta love the Republicans. They can take the office of the VP and sexualize it. This should piss many off, but will it? No!



Here's the transcript, courtesy of TPM:

CHUCK TODD: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job Up next, one man who's already convinced and he'll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman.
(cut away)

PEGGY NOONAN: Yeah.

MIKE MURPHY: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys -- this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And --

PEGGY NOONAN: It's over.

MIKE MURPHY: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

CHUCK TODD: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

PEGGY NOONAN: Saw Kay this morning.

CHUCK TODD: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this --

MIKE MURPHY: They're all bummed out.

CHUCK TODD: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PEGGY NOONAN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --

CHUCK TODD: Yeah they went to a narrative.

MIKE MURPHY: I totally agree.

PEGGY NOONAN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

MIKE MURPHY: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.

CHUCK TODD: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.

MIKE MURPHY: Yeah.