19:40 - Don't Ruin the Magic
This makes me giggle in a dark, demented way...
Current Music: People Of The Sun - Rage Against The Machine
This makes me giggle in a dark, demented way...
Santorum ‘absolutely’ considering 2012 bid, says Palin has ‘some explaining’ to do if she runs. 
In September, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) told Catholic leaders that he was “thinking about” a run for the GOP nomination for president in 2012. “I hate to be calculating, but I see that 2012 is not just throwing somebody out to be eaten, but it’s a real opportunity for success,” he said. Today on ABC’s Top Line, Santorum appeared to be leaning more towards running. “Absolutely — absolutely taking a look,” he said, adding, “[W]e need to stand foursquare on the traditional values.” When asked if Sarah Palin — another potential GOP candidate — is qualified to be president, Santorum dodged and later took a veiled shot at the former Alaska governor:
SANTORUM: No, I’ll let the people decide that. I think, you know, she’s done a lot to draw attention to herself that’s positive. She’s done some things that, you know, certainly are going to cause her to have to do some explaining if she runs for president. But right now I think she’s on a roll, she’s having a good time, she’s having an impact.Watch it:
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nostalgicWASHINGTON – Senate Democratic liberals are seeking expansion of two large federal programs, Medicare and Medicaid, in exchange for dropping a government-sold insurance option from health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, several lawmakers said Monday.
Under the potential trade-off with party moderates, near-retirees beginning at age 55 or 60 who lack affordable insurance would be permitted to purchase coverage under Medicare, which generally provides medical care beginning at 65. Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, would be open to all comers under 300 percent of poverty, or slightly over $66,000 for a family of four.
Senators and aides said the changes have been discussed extensively in recent days as a small group of moderate and liberal Democrats search for a middle ground to assure passage of the bill atop Obama's domestic agenda.
Given the complexities of the two programs, and the White House's goal of passing legislation by year's end, it wasn't clear whether the negotiations would ultimately prove successful, or whether they merely were a last stab by liberals to salvage some concession in a monthslong debate.
( Read more... )
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid, said in response, "Today's feigned outrage is nothing but a ploy to distract from the fact they (Republicans) have no plan to lower the cost of health care, stop insurance company abuses or protect Medicare.
source
GOP Would Require President, Cabinet, Staff To Enroll In Public Option
Senate Republicans opposed to a public health-insurance option intend to introduce an amendment Monday that would require not just members of Congress to enroll in any such plan -- but also the president, vice president, cabinet officials and all political staff.
An earlier, narrower version of the amendment just covering Congress, proposed by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and David Vitter (R-La.), led to a Capitol spectacle on Friday as some Democrats called their bluff.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) tried to join their effort, but told the Hill that he was rebuffed. A Coburn spokesman said Brown would have been welcome to join and that the office had simply yet to get back to him.
Regardless, Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Brown all went to the Senate floor to ask unanimous consent to be added to the amendment, a request that was approved.
Franken said on the Senate floor that he had discussed the situation with his wife Frannie and they had agreed to go on the public option if the bill became law. (If the amendment doesn't become law, Franken wouldn't legally be able to make that choice since he has employer-provided coverage.)
( Read more )Read the five page amendment here.
A zookeeper in the Ukraine temporarily took a baby elephant into her home. It roams the house like any other pet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SMqCgX6G
We’ve just been informed the National Geographic Photo contest has announced their winners… Here’s one of them, courtesy of the fine folks over at Nat Geo. It’s called “Baby Gibbon Gets Schmutz Taken Off Cheek by Mom”
I've recommended Sony Reader instead of Amazon Kindle to people in the past, and some have told me that the Reader didn't have Mac support. I'm not sure how long it's supported Mac, but the Dec 11 release will support Snow Leopard (10.6) as well as Windows 7.
Also, they're converting all support to ePub format. Their previous default format was proprietary, although they released an update some time ago that allows the Reader to read ePub files gotten elsewhere. Now all new and redownloaded files will be in ePub format. This effectively deprecates their proprietary format, and I assume that means they'll eliminate it eventually. ePub is an industry-wide document format that's basically XHTML with a file bundler.
They also have or will have soon direct wifi download support. Sony clearly have Kindle directly in its sights, and although early indications were that Reader may be another Betamax, these are interestingly aggressive stirrings.
It was a very financially stimulating day! Today, I switched from gift-giving mode to one of acquiring the appropriate cold weather items for the trip back East. For me, that meant sweaters, which I love and need anyway. I am a Sweater Girl. Give me a chilly evening, a cracking fireplace, hot chocolate, book on MP3, sketchbook, comfy pants and slippers... and a cozy sweater. Perfect.
Even more perfect: Lane Bryant had a buy one, get one free sweater sale today and Eddie Bauer had discounted their Fisherman's cable-knit sweaters. Including tall sizes! Socks for me and Manderwear for Phil. Now, I know Phil needs things, but he hates shopping. I mostly don't mind shopping for him when he tells me what he needs. If I'm unsure of his size in something, if it runs large or small, I just get 2 sizes and return what doesn't fit. It really is easier to shop for someone else. This color, not that one, this cut instead of that one. But today, he wasn't saying much about what he needed. So I went looking for shoes. I need shoes that travel/pack well. Flats. And I'm stupidly picky. Flats are either boring or expensive. It makes me grumbly.
As I was about to give up for the day, Phil pinged me asking if I wanted a brief financial lesson. Uhoh. I hoped that meant we weren't over our limit! Rather, he wanted to explain the concept of IRAs to me. Having recently taken a business class, I have a few things to do and setting up a retirement plan is one of them. True, artists rarely retire in the traditional sense, but Things can happen. At the end of it, I had a brand spankin'-new Roth IRA with $50 in it. I joked that we would at least now be able to afford a month's worth of cat food!
"Not we! You!"
At which point, I said the most romantic thing that sprang to mind:
"I would share with you my very last can of Friskies.*"
And that... is Love. Kinda makes y'wanna cry, dudn't it?
*We're hoping to be able to afford a better brand, but we've at least priced out what we'd settle for!
Thank you for the loan of the DVD Player.
Would you like your copy of "Orgasm Overload #6" back?
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indescribableI've been selected to be guest of honor at the upcoming Feral! 2010 convention. It's quite an honor but also a bit nervewracking; I've never really done a live show or had much cause to play and sing at the same time, since I always focus on songwriting rather than performing. And why not? It's not like I'm going to be on tour anytime soon.
But while that will be a challenge I will have to overcome, it's given me renewed vigor to get that second, fully-instrumented album done. I'm doing EVERYTHING now - drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synths, keyboards, vocals, editing, mixing, mastering.... it's a ton of work, and it keeps me up nights (in a good way), but it's worth it. There's something about creating and having something that moves people in the end very special, despite how much hair I pull out in the process.
Oh! You can follow @campferal on Twitter, and see their website - http://campferal.org.
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calmOkay. It's seriously time for a big, awesome party for new years eve. Anything planned yet? There better be something amazing going down.
Or I'll be an angry peacock-wolf and give you all seizures with my spazzy colors.
D
What brand of pasta is most favored by Canadian animators?
( Answer )
My sister Lois and niece Ashley came down for a visit. Lois had been working more weekends than usual do to being short-staffed at work, so they hadn't had a chance to come down here in quite some time. We went out and braved the crowds on Saturday amidst the wet weather; I got most of my Christmas shopping done.
The rest of the time was casual, hanging out and watching TV having fun. I was watching "My Name is Earl," a series I'm still catching up with in re-runs when they came down on Friday. They hadn't seen it but were instantly hooked with all the crazy characters and ridiculous stories. I had a fair number of them queued up on my TiVo, so we spent some good time laughing at those. It was good having them down and spending some more time with them.
I went and saw Fantastic Mr. Fox in the theaters on Thursday. I'd been curious to see it, but I wasn't sure how I'd like it, since I'd had mixed feelings on previous Wes Anderson movies I'd seen. I totally didn't get nor like Rushmore and while I appreciated the style and cleverness of The Life Aquatic, I didn't know if I really liked the story or the characters. This is probably the most accessible Wes Anderson film, though it's still quirky in places, especially with the odd dialog and affected character deliveries. However, the the visual flairs were a treat to watch.
I was also unsure how I'd like the stop-motion puppetry. That was a little jarring at first, and the tall and thin character designs looked a little odd, but it was easy to get pulled into the world they created. The movie both embraced and at points highlighted the limitations of the medium, but in a nice way and I found the film wonderfully charming. There were spots where the previously mentioned dialog dragged things down a bit, but on the whole it was a lot of fun. The film might not be for everyone, especially if you don't appreciate at least some indie film styling. It might also be a little weird for young kids, but older children and hip teens and adults could dig it.
Hi folks!
So back when hotel reservations first opened, I went ahead and got a full 2 room suite, the one with a master room with kingsize bed, then attached second room with two full beds.
Unfortunately the folks who were going in with me have had to back out. SO! I'm looking for someone who is interested in upgrading to the suite who may have not gotten in earlier! Even better if you have just a regular hotel room I could swap to! If not no worries, I can make other arrangements. I just can't afford a full suite by myself, and would like to save the cancelation fees.
If anyone's interested, or know of someone who's interested, let me know!
Hi folks!
So back when hotel reservations first opened, I went ahead and got a full 2 room suite, the one with a master room with kingsize bed, then attached second room with two full beds.
Unfortunately the folks who were going in with me have had to back out. SO! I'm looking for someone who is interested in upgrading to the suite who may have not gotten in earlier! Even better if you have just a regular hotel room I could swap to! If not no worries, I can make other arrangements. I just can't afford a full suite by myself, and would like to save the cancelation fees.
If anyone's interested, or know of someone who's interested, let me know!
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