I think I like this video a little bit more than I liked the movie

And, THIS is just bloody good fun!

Okay, here's something I really don't get.  Last night on one of the cable news programs, there were some poll numbers indicating that a significant percentage of Hillary Clinton's supporters say they will vote for John McCain if Hillary doesn't get the Democratic nomination. To the extent that Hillary has a large female base of support, this gives me pause.  To a Hillary supporter, there should be nothing appealing about John McCain.

John McCain is no friend to women.  Many believe McCain is pro-choice.  He is not.  Seriously!  He's not. 

He voted against the minimum wage adjustment in 2006.  He voted against the equal pay bill in 2008.

He dumped his first wife after she was left disabled from a car accident and he has used some offensive language toward his current wife.  Furthermore, some may recall the "joke" he made at Chelsea Clinton's expense?  Indeed, he even thought it was quite okay to refer to Hillary as "the bitch."

So, as a woman, how could you even think about voting for John McCain?

Bill Clinton is mad!

She is winning the general election today, and he is not, according to all the evidence," Clinton said. "And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running.

Right.  Because we all know that Bill Clinton would Never Disrepect Hillary.

What did you do for fun when you were a kid? How is it different from what you see kids doing now?
Submitted by jaklumen.

Good timing on this question as I just paid an impromptu visit to the mother of a childhood friend last weekend.  This woman still lives in the same house where she lived during my childhood and she hasn't changed much of anything about it, so stepping inside was like walking into a museum of sorts.  And the memories all came flooding back to me.  In the summer, we would swim, roller skate, ride bikes, play hide-and-go-seek.  Our backyards were wooded and a creek ran along our street, so there were endless outdoor adventures in the woods.  In the winter we would sled and ice skate (on our local frozen pond) or stay indoors and sing and dance to albums (played on a record player).  And then there were the many slumber parties.

The greatest difference I can see from what I did as a kid and what kids are doing now, is that there were no hand-held games or videos, no Nintendos or text messages, no e-mails or myspace, no modems or wires or anything like that.  It was all very primitive compared to today's standards. Yet, somehow we survived (wink!).

I Am Not Brainwashing Your Kids!

I don't even know this guy, but I'm so glad he was named Teacher of the Year for Indianapolis Public Schools!

Llamas!

We live in that strange part of Indianapolis that is Washington Township, but is in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) zone.  IPS doesn't have the greatest reputation whereas Washington Township schools are considered to be excellent. 

So, in weighing our school options for Maria, we have looked at (a) private schools (expensive!); (b) moving (not really an option); and (c) the IPS Magnet schools, the Center for Inquiry being one of them.  There are two Centers for Inquiry and the one that corresponds to our address is not the same CFI where this teacher works, but this still gives me reason for optimism. 

Last year, Heiter was selected for a teaching trip to Honduras and involved his students in the lessons. They created artwork related to Honduras that he then took there. He also wrote a blog so they could track his journey.

To teach students last week to conjugate the Spanish verb for "to jump," he brought a pogo stick to class. For lessons on Peru, he brought llamas -- yes, real llamas.

Heiter said he thrives at the Center for Inquiry, where students are encouraged to learn through questioning and exploring the world.

"It's what I live for," he said. "Eyes that open and minds that ask. That's what every teacher loves."

Amen, Mr. Heiter!  Amen! 

The Indy 500 is coming up this weekend, so a variety of related activities are taking place this week, including this one, where local bartenders had a "mix-off" to come up with the perfect race day drink.  The winner is this drink, called "The Perfect Finish"

Ingredients

The Perfect Race Day Drink?

3 parts vanilla vodka (Smirnoff preferred)

2 parts coconut vodka (Pearl Coconut preferred)

3 parts Godiva white chocolate liquor

2 parts Godiva Dark chocolate liquor

1 part Frangelico liquor

1 splash of half-and-half

Finish off the mixing tin (or shaker) with an outline of whipped cream along the rim of the tin.

Mix together with a few shakes and strain the chilled mixture into the prepared glass. Garnish the glass with the checkered marshmallow, using a martini olive spear to hold it in place.

I'm sure it was all in good fun, but it seems such a horrible waste of time since most race fans would prefer something like this

PBR Me ASAP!

I am growing ever so tired of the claims of sexism on behalf of the Hillary Clinton campaign.  And, you know, I'm female with some working knowledge of sexual harassment/discrimination matters, so I think I can detect sexism when I hear it or see it, and in the context of Hillary Clinton's campaign I don't even get a whiff of it. 

As a woman, and mother of a daughter, I would LOVE to see a woman elected President someday, just not Hillary Clinton.  And, if Hillary is some sort of champion of women's rights, that is news to me.  In fact, as this article articulates so well, I don't even think of Hillary as a woman candidate, probably because she's doing her best to act like a man.  And I just don't think that's good for women.  

Hillary has proven that sometimes the best man for the job may be a female posing to be a man. In other words, Hillary has simply clothed herself in men’s tactics and strategies. She can nuke with the best of them. Hillary not only authorized the war in Iraq but she repeatedly continued to do so for several more years — up until the time she began running for president. She allowed, along with Bill Clinton, the egregious trade blockade against Iraq as hundreds of thousands of children starved to death after the ‘91 war. She more recently has supported Israel’s terror bombing of Lebanon and has newly endorsed “the total obliteration” of Iran.

When Hillary became a US Senator, I saw that as a perfect opportunity to set herself apart and handle things with a cooler head and a gentler touch.  It could have been oh-so-effective.  And it was so disappointing when she started toeing the Republican Party line. 

Hillary is a sexual decoy. She looks like a woman but is not a feminist nor does she speak for or on behalf of most women. She speaks for white people while identifying with her gender, as a woman. But she has trumped herself here. If a female prepares to bully the rest of the world with war and white privilege hopefully we — the big “we” — the “we” that spans across our differences will defeat the political forces she represents. And this means building a coalition for the November elections that makes sure that a non-misogynist agenda is part of the anti-racist politics of the Obama campaign.

Isn't it sort of funny that Barack Obama is coming across as the softer, gentler candidate?  I don't know about you, but I'll take calm and controlled over bombastic and belligerent anyday, and most especially on Election Day!

My favorite news story of the day: 

Lost parrot gives vet his name and address

Shhhh. Quiet! It's the Fuzz!

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught -- recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.

He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.

"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

"We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we've found Yosuke," Uemura said.

The Nakamura family told police they had been teaching the bird its name and address for about two years.

But Yosuke apparently wasn't keen on opening up to police officials.

"I tried to be friendly and talked to him, but he completely ignored me," Uemura said.

I love how the parrot was so discerning that he wouldn't talk to the cops, but opened up to the vet.  And I love how he identified himself as Mister Yosuke Nakamura.  Indeed.   

 "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." - George Orwell, Animal Farm

Share a scene from a movie that uses music perfectly.
Submitted by nohablo.

 One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors ...  It makes me a little weepy to watch it.

Why would a cat hate Mondays?

But, Why?

In between eating and sleeping, my cats alternate between napping and staring out the window, no matter what day of the week it is ...