JUNEAU, Alaska – Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines.

A day after surprising even her closest friends by announcing she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the controversial hockey mom was still keeping details of her future plans under wrap. But in a statement posted on Palin'sFacebook account, she suggested that she had bigger plans and a national agenda she planned to push after she resigns at the end of the month.

( Bolded for the tl;dr crowd )

Most epic flounce evar Y/Y?

"Let's Go Back to the Moon -- and Beyond"

Pro-Apollo, pro-Human-space-exploration-in-general essay by James Woudhuysen, visiting professor of forecasting and innovation at De Montfort University, Leicester, in British libertarian journal Spiked. Annotated.

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/earticle/7096/

Today I learned from watching a documentary on PBS that the entirety of the fireworks used on the Capitol Mall in Washington this evening to celebrate American Independence were manufactured in Communist China.

I love 1776, and yes I am well aware that the declaration didn't get written like that... you'd be surprised how many people point that out to me. Duh, right? As if the musicals Les Miserables or Evita were real depictions of accurate history, musicals aren't supposed to be Accurate History, they are supposed to be Entertaining. And for my money, 1776 is full of win on my entertainment scale. I watch it every year for the 4th of July. It makes me happy the way ham on Easter and presents at Christmas make me happy.

I need an icon that says "I'm obnoxious and disliked you know that's true..."



Aren't you glad I am not posting the slash fanvids available...

I have uploaded photos I took of sock puppet making!

Enjoy!

Take a look at this picture.

The caption reads: In this picture provided by Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Liberty, a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, wears a hat and waves an American flag in honor of the Fourth of July at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. on Friday, July 3, 2009. Liberty, born on July 4, 1990, was named after his birth date, and this year turns 19 the same day the nation marks its 233rd year.

The irony of naming a caged animal born in captivity (no matter how well-treated) "Liberty" and teaching it to do foolish tricks to earn money is astounding.

I'm not opposed necessarily to zoos and whatnot, nor to teaching dolphins tricks (it stimulates their minds, anyway), but the name...!

Today is July FIFTH. Your fireworks, aside from being illegal, are much too loud for midnight. A lot of people on this block have kids who might not appreciate being woken up by those overly powerful explosions in the middle of the night. A lot of people on this block might intend to go to church tomorrow, and would like some rest. If this was a once a year thing, I'd ignore it, but you have a history of acting like five year olds in regards to your own noise levels. Knock it off, or I'm calling the cops. They actually care about things like illegal fireworks.

Here's hoping one of them sends themselves to the hospital with minor injuries....

Just because mom brings food home for you does not mean you should feel OBLIGATED to eat it. Especially when both of you know that you ate the better part of a batch of overly-sweet cinnamon rolls just a few hours before.

And once you've OD'd on sugar, it's not necessarily the 'right idea' to try eating 'real food' to 'combat it'.

***

Yeah. I ate too much today, most of it being death-by-sugar in content. So I'm feeling almost comatose, but also nauseous and bloated.

Also, I managed to hurt my leg today, I don't know how. I was walking to the living room and thought "hm, weird, my knee hurts" and it went shortly from there to "OMFG MY LEG FUCKING HURTS FROM KNEE TO ANKLE AND I WANT MOTRIN NOW" to a continued dull ache all along my knee, shin, and ankle even after taking motrin, though at least not to the cussing level.

I half wonder if it's my body telling me I need to walk around a little more, but if so, my body is stupid for sending me pain to make me be active, since pain makes active extra undesirable.

After our hike to Twin Falls, we cruised back across Two Medicine Lake and hiked to Aster Falls. This time Mark carried me out to the rock in the middle of the pool to shoot!



( Read more... )

Hi all!!
I have some little questions about my cat Sally... I know she's different and unique...(Lol like her owner XD...)

1. She really doesn't use her scratching post. I tried sprinchling some cat nip on it and it actually made her turn away from it.
2. She's got the personality of a dog I swear! When it comes to people that is..she comes up to strangers, she likes being picked up and held (most of the time..), everytime I pet her she licks my hands..(or feet or legs..)
3. She's a true people person, but a jerk towards other cats! Hissing and growling at them..and once they leave her, "space," she gets kind of stressed out for a couple hours. Thing is, i'd like to get another cat (hopefully a fixed male kitten..) in a couple months. Sally is a spade 2 year old female.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thank you,
Tessa

Palin resignation splits GOP

Sarah Palin’s jaw-dropping announcement that she is quitting her job as Alaska governor before finishing even her first term has divided Republican ranks and the wider political community in a very familiar fashion.

Many establishment GOP operatives and political commentators of various stripes were withering, both about the decision and the way she announced it — in a jittery, hyperkinetic news conference that rambled between self-congratulation and bitter accusations at the foes she says are eager to destroy her.

The performance, by these lights, adds credence to the claims of some associates that Palin — burned by the intense scrutiny on her and the crossfire that swirls around her — is so fed up that she's ready to get out of elective politics. Even if it's only the small stage of Alaska politics she hopes to escape, skeptics say Friday’s events also diminished and perhaps even demolished what was left of her viability as a 2012 presidential candidate.

But her defenders believed an unorthodox move, even if risky, has a clear logic and may only further increase her standing with conservatives who don’t care what establishment figures in or out of the GOP think. Leaving the governor’s office at the end of this month leaves her free to travel the country, command large speaking fees, and begin the process of rallying her devotees without pesky home-state opponents criticizing every move.

These varied reactions were an echo of the debates that have followed Palin every step since her nomination as John McCain’s running mate 10 months ago — a surprise that turned out to be just the first of many surprises served up by one of the most colorful and polarizing American political figures in a generation.
( Read more )


Murkowksi Blasts Palin: You Abandoned Our State

Alaska's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski issued a surprisingly harsh statement late on Friday, ripping Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to leave office at the end of the month. "I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded," Murkowski wrote.

Palin had announced mere months ago that she would help Murkowski raise money for her 2010 Senate race.
( Read more )

Here is an image of the Great Grey Slug mating.

Here's another.

I'm staring at what are *obviously* the sex organs and find myself deeply, deeply fascinated. And confused.

And now I find out about Love Darts. People, gastropods are the kinkiest animals in your backyard. You heard it here first!

And if I do this again, I need to remember to bring along my own radio, because I couldn't hear the concert very well.

But the fireworks were Goooooooood...

The Lad's been playing with his Mega Bloks stuff a lot over the past few days.

We were in the car yesterday, and he piped up:

"You know those Mega Bloks sets, with the plasma dragons and castles and trolls and stuff? If they made a movie of that..."

"Yes?" we said.

"...I don't think that movie would be appropriate for me."



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Thanks to farrandy and bat_cheva, I can has dead possum in a bukkit.

OMG ceiling cat is watching me macerate!