FREECYCLE IT

By Sally Deneen, from TheDailyGreen:
"Let’s say you have a perfectly good fish tank or swing set or computer you no longer want, but it’s too much of a hassle to drag it to a thrift store – where it may be turned away, anyway.
A fun way to find new homes for stuff is posting your items at Freecycle.org, a grassroots, volunteer-driven Internet movement committed to the notion that one person's trash is another person's treasure. Think of it as an on-line message center that connects people who want to get rid of stuff with those who can use it. Members of the free web site can give and receive items for free.
"It’s a "free cycle" of giving, which keeps good things out of landfills, reduces waste and saves resources. Begun in 2003 when Deron Beal sent out an e-mail announcing the Freecycle Network to about 30 or 40 friends and a handful of nonprofit organizations in Tucson, the Arizona-based nonprofit organization since has spread around the world. So far, there are more than 4,000 local Freecycle Network groups (reachable via Freecycle.org). Among rules: All items must be completely free with no strings attached. No illegal or adult-themed materials are allowed.
"No item is too big or too small to post at Freecycle. Offerings have included comforters, beds, mattresses, a 10-year-old glider rocker that rocks smoothly but its arm joints are broken, a working dryer, clothing of all kinds, a satellite dish, Halloween costumes, jogging strollers, file cabinets, computer stuff, picture frames, vases, kids’ stuff, an avocado green refrigerator that must be picked up the next day, coupons for infant formula… You get the idea. Imagine if all of that ended up at the dump. The network estimates that it’s daily keeping more than 300 tons of stuff out of landfills.
"If you’re in the market for an item, you can browse the listings or tell the community what you’re seeking. You never know what people have tucked in the attic. You sure can’t beat free! "

WE IS BACK!

After five days with no power, and seven days with no internet connection (Grrrrrr!), we is back from the dark ages. Pix of some downed trees to follow.

SPEAK UP!

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up." ~ Martin Niemoeller, German Protestant Clergyman

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF POLITICS 2008

Despite the seriousness of the coming election, JibJab nails the quirkier aspects of the campaign... and life.

LIAR, LIAR

From ThePoliticalCat:

"How many flip-flops has John McCaincient made? Anybody know? Yes, hello? Wanna take a guess? Sixty-one is the current count, folks. Yup, that's right. SIXTY-ONE flip-flops. You can bet his good buddies in the mainstream media haven't covered more than a handful. Alternet details them. No peeking, now! See if you can assemble your own list before you go over there to look. Complete with links and cute Godzilla pitchers. Enjoy!"

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY, MORRY!

We'll be celebrating my brother Morry's Gotcha Day this weekend. We'll have treats (sugar-free for me), and he will get a toy and extra hugs and belly rubs!
All this for a doggy who started out as a stray in Chicago. He was then transferred to the QCAWC, a no-kill shelter in northwestern Illinois. My momma saw his picture on their web site; they called him a Corgi-Chow-mix. (He certainly has the short legs of us Corgis, and the big, orange-red fur of the Chow-Chows.) His bio said that he should not be around any other dogs or cats.
Welp, my momma visited him, and he seemed to be a "sweetheart;" but she could tell that he became very riled up when he saw other dogs. So my momma decided to bring me to meet and visit him; she also brought a pocket full of treats. Within 15 minutes, we were able to be eating our treats side by side. I think he could tell I'm alpha to every doggy I ever meet.
Momma took me out there two or three more times until she decided he was ready to bring home.
It took a while for him to get use to Rya and Jordan; he spent quite a bit of time on a leash, at first, getting corrected when he was getting agressive. But finally, he understood that he would get his food and his treats, and get loved even when the other dogs were nearby.
Now, he's the official watch doggy of the family. His favorite spot is on the living room couch, watching the front yard and the street, making sure that no other dogs, cats, or squirrels walk past without a warning.

WORLD'S DUMBEST PERSON?

From Dispatches from the Culture Wars:
"Found this via Pam's House Blend, which got it from Blogger Interrupted. This clueless woman from Medina, Ohio got on local TV saying that she thinks Obama is an "Arab" - not a Muslim, mind you, an Arab. So this guy from Blogger Interrupted found the woman and talked to her, not once but twice. He showed her information that Obama is, in fact, a Christian and that he has nothing at all to do with the Arab world and you have to watch her babble idiotically to justify it. "Video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxOSO07QDNU
"But the sad fact is that this is not the dumbest person alive; this is about par for the course. She's pretty much an average American - utterly ignorant, entirely incapable of thinking rationally or honestly and blissfully unaware of either of those things. This is the person you run into at the grocery store every day. They may be perfectly nice people, but they are perfect examples of virulent ignorance. "

DAY CARE FUN

The original crumbdropper, aka Peanut, loves the day care she attends. She has friends there, and they do a lot of fun things. In this warm weather, they have been having fun in the pool.
Ah, to be a young Corgi boy again!


















(Thanks to Boogers, Kisses and Spilled Milk for the great photos!)

JOHN McCAIN'S FAMILY VALUES

From Badtux the Snarky Penguin:

"When he came home from Vietnam to find that his wife was disabled, John McCain divorced her and married an heiress twenty years his junior. H. Ross Perot, who paid Carol McCain's medical bills all those years ago while McCain was a POW, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.
"'McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory," he said.
"'After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.'"

Republican family values, yessiree.

BARACKNOPHOBIA

If you missed this fun piece on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, watch it here now:

GORE ENDORSES OBAMA

From Al Gore's endorsement:
"From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.
"Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America."

DIABETES Part 6

Welp, my mommas had me to the doctor last week, for a blood test. We got the results this week; I have to get 15 units of insulin, two times per day. That's up from 12.5 units a couple of months ago.
My momma was surprised, because I had not been having any noticable problems. She hopes that I will stay at this new level for a while.

THE McCAIN BUSH CHALLENGE QUIZ

AND THE WINNER IS...

Obama-man has changed the course of American history. He has clinched the Democratic nomination, crossing the critical delegate mark, becoming the first African-American nominee for President. Woo Hoo!
From the text of Obama's prepared remarks at his June 3 rally in St.Paul: "Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said - because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States."

JUST SAY NO...TO WAR

"John McCain and Hilllary Clinton voted YES to George's war. You wouldn't want someone in the White House who would make a collosal mistake like that!" - Michael Moore

NEW CRUMBDROPPER

My mommas have a new grandson, Adam. He was born yesterday, and is a big guy at 9 pounds, 9 ounces, and 22.5 inches long. Can you imagine the amount of food he's going to need? He's going to be a major crumbdropper. I am going to totally score treats whenever he comes to visit! That will nearly make up for all the noise and nasty smells!

THE WOLF INSIDE US

This post is from the blog Serenity's Journal:
Native Americans have a story of a grandfather walking with his grandson.
The boy asks why there is hatred, evil, violence, and broken promises in the world. The grandfather replies, "The answer lies within. Deep inside each of us is a fight between two wolves. One is evil: He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt. The other wolf is good: He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This fight between the two wolves is going on inside of you and inside everybody."
The grandson thinks for a moment and then asks his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one that you feed."

CRUNCH!

My momma's two-month old Prius got rear-ended yesterday afternoon. Grrrrrrr! She was on her way home, to pick up my brother Morry for a vet appointment. She was stopped at a traffic light, in a long line of cars. When the light turned green, the front cars started to move, but the ones by her hadn't started to move yet - except for the stupid guy behind her! Grrrrrrr! She had to wait nearly 45 minutes for the police to arrive, but at least the cop was very nice.
Now, my momma has to hassle with the insurance and rental car while her car is getting fixed. Grrrrrr!
If I'd been with her when it happened, I would have bitten that stupid guy in his fat ankles! Grrrrrrr!

EDWARDS ENDORSES OBAMA

From the Associated Press:
"Democrat John Edwards endorsed former rival Barack Obama on Wednesday, a move designed to help solidify support for the party's likely presidential nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to give up her long-shot candidacy.
"The endorsement came a day after Clinton defeated Obama by more than 2-to-1 in the West Virginia primary. The loss highlighted Obama's challenge in winning over the "Hillary Democrats" _ white, working-class voters who also supported Edwards in significant numbers before he exited the race in late January.
"Edwards, who received a thunderous ovation when Obama introduced him to a crowd of several thousand, said, "brothers and sisters, we must come together as Democrats" to defeat McCain. "We are here tonight because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I."

PANIC ATTACK: GOP'S NEW SLOGAN

From Jason Linkins, The Huffington Post:
"Leave it to the tone deaf GOP to find a way of attaching themselves to this election cycle's 'change' mandate that simultaneously reinforces the fact that their failed policies have messed up the world to such an inhuman extent that many Americans now live their daily lives in a state of free-floating panic and paralyzing anxiety.
"In today's New York Times' Caucus blog, Carl Hulse reports that House Republicans have got themselves a brand-new slogan: 'It looks like Republicans will counter the Democratic push for change from the years of the Bush administration with their own pledge to deliver, drum roll please, 'the change you deserve.' The first element of the party agenda developed over the past few months by the leadership and select party members will focus on family issues.
'Through our 'Change You Deserve' message and through our 'American Families Agenda,' House Republicans will continue our efforts to speak directly to an American public looking for leaders who will offer real solutions for the challenges they confront every day,' said the memo prepared for lawmakers.'
"What the GOP doesn't seem to realize, because they are idiots, is that 'the change you deserve' is the registered advertising slogan of Effexor XR, a drug that many of you might have started taking as a result of all the...you know -- terrorism. Effexor, also known as Venlafaxine, is approved for the treatment 'of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults.' Its common side effects are very much in keeping with the world the House Republicans have striven to build: nausea, apathy, constipation, fatigue, vertigo, sexual dysfunction, sweating, memory loss, and - and I swear I am not making this up - 'electric shock-like sensations also called 'brain zaps.'
"Its less common side effects are equally awesome in their appropriateness.
"And when the Food And Drug Administration reviewed the ad copy that included the tagline, 'The change you deserve,' it took issue with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures Effexor, saying that the company made 'unsubstantiated superiority claims.' Sounds like the GOP have picked an ironically accurate tagline for their efforts!"