My Doggie Kids

Some quick pics of two of our "kids".

This is Misty Chihuahua:


This is Misty thinking that if her head is hidden then you can't see her:


This is Little Man Jack:


This is Little Man Jack in bed(yes he thinks he's human):


That's it for now. Heh!

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Michael Steele | Dick Of The Day

Dickipedia - A Wiki of Dicks - Michael Steele:

Steele is seemingly the next model in a recent line of inept Republican officials who have risen to power simply because they are seen as an antidote to a major democratic candidate rather than being something unhelpful like, say, a strong advocate for their constituents positions.

HuffPo.

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Obama; Who's Side Are You On?

Maybe we're starting to find out.
Then again I started thinking such things back when they were throwing nearly a trillion dollars at Wall Street and the banking industry, while the the automakers/auto unions had to come begging hat in and kiss politician's patrician arses on tv for 15-30 billion.
Do I feel sorry for auto execs? Certainly not, but to me the auto unions are a pull upwards for millions of job salaries and benefits. Also I'm definately no more fond of wall street lizards and bankers giving themselves fat bonuses(for crashing) on my tax money.
Susie Madrick does a better job of covering it than I so here she is:

"Billionaire bankers (and their investors) walk away from the table with their pockets stuffed with taxpayer cash while members of the auto workers union are told they’ll have to sacrifice even more - in this case, the Obama administration wants the companies to get rid of “old liabilities” - i.e. retiree pensions. (You know, while bankers complain about having to sell the house in the Hamptons).."
And what’s all this crap about bringing the cost of wages in line with Japanese auto workers - whose government provides free health care? Why are workers the only ones expected to bear that burden? That’s a right-wing meme if ever I heard one."

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I Want My Super RoboBio Body? | Honda Connects Brain Thoughts With Robotics

It's amazing and frightening in many ways just trying to imagine what this can lead us to. The head gear for example kind of reminds me of the early space gear. In the future(near or far) it may be a small patch, or an implant.

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Honda connects brain thoughts with robotics

"Opening a car trunk or controlling a home air conditioner could become just a wish away with Honda's new technology that connects thoughts inside a brain with robotics.

Honda Motor Co. has developed a way to read patterns of electric currents on a person's scalp as well as changes in cerebral blood flow when a person thinks about four simple movements _ moving the right hand, moving the left hand, running and eating.

Honda succeeded in analyzing such thought patterns, and then relaying them as wireless commands for Asimo, its human-shaped robot.."

Continue..

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Anti-Health Care Reform Chairman Once Defrauded Government Out Of Hundreds Of Millions

Some would call this ironic, some would call it outrageous, some fitting. I'll just call it what it looks like. Sleazy.

Once Forced to Resign in Massive Fraud Case, Rick Scott Reborn as Leader of Anti-Healthcare Reform Lobby with the Conservative Patients' Rights Action Fund

Christopher Hayes at The Nation said:
Having Scott lead the charge against healthcare reform is like tapping Bernie Madoff to campaign against tighter securities regulation. You see, the for-profit hospital chain Scott helped found--the one he ran and built his entire reputation on--was discovered to be in the habit of defrauding the government out of hundreds of millions of dollars.


And here's the old fraud himself:


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Gadgets - Flash Drives

This may be the sweetest flash drive I've ever seen.
The LaCie iamaKey:


More with LS.

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NCAA Villanova Over Pittsburgh Elite Eight

I just saw one of the best endings of an NCAA tournament game ever as Villanova held on to beat Pittsburgh. And speaking of "Wildcats", like all Kentucky basketball fans I'm kind of waiting to see who the new UK Wildcats coach will be.



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Saturday Video | The Moody Blues

Strangest thing, I can't seem to view videos on the Youtube site anymore it keeps telling me that I have Java script turned off(I don't) or that I need the latest Flash player(I have). But I can watch the videos on other sites. Very strange...
From one of my favorite old albums, Days of Future Passed. Here's The Moody Blues with, "Tuesday Afternoon":



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Support the Appalachia Mountains Restoration Act | End Mountaintop Removal

The devastation of nature.

..And it doesn't have to be.

The Appalachian Mountain Restoration Act (S.696) is necessary to protect clean drinking water for many of our nation’s cities. It is also necessary to protect the quality of life for Appalachian coalfield residents who face frequent catastrophic flooding and pollution or loss of drinking water as a result of mountaintop removal.

Americans want an end to mountaintop removal coal mining. This is the reason the Appalachia Restoration Act was introduced in to the 111th Congress by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

Support the Appalachia Mountains Restoration Act (S.696) at ilovemountains.org

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"Parting View" | Astronomy Pic Of The Day

Parting View
Suspended in space and backdropped by the blackness of space and the jewel-like blue of Earth sits the International Space Station.

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John Boehner Knows A Lapdog When He Sees One

Tanned crying machine and mental midget John BonerBoehner(R,OH) gets one right:

Boehner calls Blue Dogs lap dogs.

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Corporate America's Hidden Offshore Tax Havens

Joe Conason:
"Time to Find Corporate Billions Kept Offshore"
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This Modern World | The Genius Of Capitalism

By golly, I think this Tom Tomorrow fellow has this dang bailout system all figured out!



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Unemployed, Day 24 | Video - Charlie Rose And Krugman

I've been on a bit of a sabbatical from "the Blog" for nearly a week. If I'm not checking job listings, I'm revising resumes and cover letters for job openings. If not that I'm doing those household chore thingies that we all love. I am "Mister Mom" at the moment. And if not that I'm immersed in World of Warcraft. If people tell you that that's not addictive don't believe it.
I signed with an employment agency last week. We'll see how that works out. I won't have my hopes up, but it would be the best revenge to come out of this with a better job. Now if that great puppeteer Soros would put me on his evil "Liberal" payroll I wouldn't have any worries buuut I just don't think that's gonna happen.
Anyhow while I'm here a bit here's a pretty good interview Charlie Rose did yesterday with Paul Krugman, Joe Nocera and Andrew Ross Sorkin on the latest bailout news. Getcher popcorn:



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Letterman | Top Ten Ways The GOP Can Become More Hip

GOP, hip?



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Jon Stewart Hosts Cramer

Part 1.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Parts 2 and 3.

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Friday Video | Amy MacDonald

Amy MacDonald's "Let's Start A Band"



The pics are in no way related but it's the best sound quality I could find.

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Marijuana Files | Matt Lauer, Corporate Media's "Dick Of The Day"

One of the problems with being out of work is what to do while drinking my morning coffee. Unfortunately much of that time is watching corporate "InfoNews" on the tube. Case in point is the "Dick of the Day" Matt Lauer.
Matt's corporate masters at the GE/NBC Today Show had poor Michael Phelps on again for an "interview", and of course we all know beforehand what that means. As a matter of fact as they were introducing the interview I said out loud to no one in particular(no one here but me and my dogs)-"pucker up, and suck up Michael(it's time again to kiss American corporate ass, for being caught using the most benign drug known to humanity!)".
I know there's others who'd do a much better job of this semi-rant than I, The Rude Pundit for example comes to mind, but I'm sure they're engaged in much more serious work...or not. It's really the hypocracy folks. Anyone out there who thinks Matt "The Dick" Lauer has never smoked a little reefer raise your hands..and there you have it.
Media whore Matt even brought up the poor kid's mom, and made him apologize to her for using the same drug that millions of people use every day with no noticable damage. Of course I saw later that good ol' corporate Windstream has jumped on the "stomp the 8 gold medals(14 medals total) olympic swimmer" bandwagon.
Note to Jon Stewart; Have Michael Phelp's mom on your show to tell "Matt the Ho" to kiss your behind, and maybe suggest that if this is what smoking does for him maybe they should introduce it to the US Olympic locker rooms.
You know this could have been something good and the start of serious talks about our drug laws and the insanity of jailing casual marijuana users. But you can't have that. It's just more corporate Matt Lauer dancing bear tricks, Screw 'em and the corporate profits they ride in on!
Want a serious discussion of marijuana? Here's MPP's Bruce Mirken on The Rachael Maddow(bless her) Show a few days ago:


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Louisiana's Sen. David Vitter | Going Berserk At The Airport

HAHAHAHA! That crazy GOP Senater "Diapers" Vitter! Time for MSNBC to mis-identify David Vitters as a Democrat...and by that I mean, again.

GOP senator flips out at airport worker, sets off alarm

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Afternoon Video | Travis, "Song to Myself"

Live in studio, Scottish band Travis:



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HSUS | Give Chimpanzees A Sanctuary

The Humane Society asks you to watch this undercover video, and then follow your conscience by demanding our lawmakers give chimpanzees and other great apes a measure of freedom by providing a sancuary and a method of care. Hundreds are currently being warehoused in U.S. labs. Taken from their mothers in the wild and held for years, one named Karen has been caged since the Eisonhower administration.

The Great Ape Protection Act was re-introduced in the House of Representatives last week, on the heels of our undercover investigation. This legislation would phase out invasive research on the more than 1,000 chimpanzees remaining in U.S. laboratories, and lay the groundwork for permanent retirement of the approximately 500 chimpanzees owned by the federal government, including Karen and other chimps at the New Iberia Research Center.

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Salon watches CNBC | "Why is Jim Cramer shouting at me?"

The answer doesn't surprise me. It's ALL Obama's fault.

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Why is Jim Cramer shouting at me?
Is CNBC as bad as Jon Stewart says it is? Yes, and...
By Gabriel Winant
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Being out of work, I was home to watch Cramer's snarling response on the Today Show to Jon Stewart's smackdown of he and the other talking head market elite's. Let's just say he didn't do that well.
Oh, and just for your enjoyment, here's more Jon Stewart:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

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Crawford | A Documentary

The documentary of a town, and a country ruined by George W. Bush


Crawford: a documentary from Crawford: The Movie on Vimeo.

Watch the whole thing on Hulu.

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Evening Video | Annie Lennox

An oldie but a goodie, "Here Comes The Rain Again"('83)



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Shorts

Obama says: Thanks conservatoids for all these neat new Super-President powers!

The US crazy drug war escalates and rages on.

Judges on Siegleman Panel all GOP appointees

Don't Stuff Money In your Mattresses.

A US President may be actually moving to better relations with Cuba

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Republicans At Your Back

Greed, Bushonomics and criminal bankers.

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Bill Maher Responds to Bobby Jindal(and Others)

"New Rules", Government is good.



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Robots and More Robots

ROBOTS



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Planet Searcher Kepler Launched Friday

NASA's planet-hunting telescope, Kepler, blasted into space Friday to search for other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy.
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Obama On Health Care | And Scary Statistics

The cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds.



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More Daily Show | CNBC, Those Brilliant Financial Minds

Funny. More Jon Stewart, this time with those poor Wall Street folks ranting about mortgage help for homeowners.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Amazing how they got this whole meltdown thing right from the beginning and saw it coming, and, ah hell...never mind.

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Jon Stewart - "A Party In Limbaugh"

Funny and bitingly on point.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

A Party in Limbaugh

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

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Job Losses And Priorities

One point three million jobs lost in the first 2 months of 2009

Sadly I'm one of them.

And Booman get's right to the point:

"..but Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats are all agitated about increasing taxes on rich people. Go figure."

I caught a bit of The Today Show this morning where they had, what I assume was a fairly wealthy advisor on, telling the wealthy hosts what to do in these "tough times".
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Letterman Calls Rush Limbaugh a "Bonehead"

You know you've been waiting for it. David Letterman calls "Rush the drug addict" a bonehead, and fun is had by all:



Rush Limbaugh, as you well know, Is A Big Fat Idioo....er, is the Leader of the Republican Party, and they deserve each other.

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The Obama Code

The Obama Code
George Lakoff

For the sake of unity, the President tends to express his moral vision indirectly. Like other self-aware and highly articulate speakers, he connects with his audience using what cognitive scientists call the “cognitive unconscious.” Speaking naturally, he lets his deepest ideas simply structure what he is saying. If you follow him, the deep ideas are communicated unconsciously and automatically. The Code is his most effective way to bring the country together around fundamental American values.

For supporters of the President, it is crucial to understand the Code in order to talk overtly about the old values our new president is communicating. It is necessary because tens of millions of Americans—both conservatives and progressives—don’t yet perceive the vital sea change that Obama is bringing about.

The word “code” can refer to a system of either communication or morality. President Obama has integrated the two. The Obama Code is both moral and linguistic at once. The President is using his enormous skills as a communicator to express a moral system. As he has said, budgets are moral documents. His economic program is tied to his moral system and is discussed in the Code, as are just about all of his other policies.

Behind the Obama Code are seven crucial intellectual moves that I believe are historically, practically, and cognitively appropriate, as well as politically astute. They are not all obvious, and jointly they may seem mysterious. That is why it is worth sorting them out one-by-one..

Continue

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Astronomy Moment | New Horizons, Cosmic Times And Distances

..And he comes crawling back to the Blog.
You know I might could actually start enjoying this "unemployed" situation if not for money worries and fear of ending up living in a cave. Went out today and put in 3 job applications. My first job applications since, let's see, about 1986? Sounds about right.
Anyway, astronomy. Here's my astronomy pic of the day. Excellent proof that I'm still alive to Blog. I think the BIG reason I love astronomy is it's ability to put me, my problems, even all humanity in a different perspective.
Here's Omega Centauri the largest of nearby globular clusters. What are globular clusters? Follow the link and learn my friends:

"..Long before humankind evolved, before dinosaurs roamed, and even before our Earth existed, ancient globs of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy. Of the 200 or so globular clusters that survive today, Omega Centauri is the largest, containing over ten million stars.."

And one of humankind's creations that will probably out live humanity, our earth, even our sun; NASA's space ship New Horizons will travel to Pluto and it's moon, Charon and then follow the Voyager ships out of our solar system toward the stars.
Thanks to Darksyde, here's the father of New Horizons(you might say), Dr. Alan Stern with a nearly poetic description of the fate of his baby:

"..It won’t be moving quite as fast as the Voyagers after Pluto; New Horizons only had the one gravity assist, from Jupiter, but the Voyagers each had two or more gas giant flyby's, so they are moving faster now and we will never catch up with them. But yeah, our spacecraft is moving plenty fast enough to leave the solar system -- it’s headed to the stars!

You know, that's one of the most amazing things I thought about, when I would look at it in final assembly in the clean room, I thought about how long this bird will be flying through the galaxy. It’s not just that it will outlive corporations or nations, or even human civilization as we know it. New Horizons will outlive mountain ranges, it will outlive the earth and the sun. It may very well go on, until the stars burn out; until the protons making it up decay or until the end of time, if there is one. Amazing, isn’t it. What human beings can build?.."

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