Palin: Could Run, But Prefers to Jog

Please, please, please

Crossing my fingers (and voting, of course) for my beloved senator Russ.

If things don't go well today, election-wise, at least we'll still have this

Boooooooo, Tim Pawlenty

I used to think that Minnesota's Governor Tim Pawlenty was a reasonably practical conservative, the kind who can go on Rachel Maddow's show and intelligently discuss important issues, but lately he's been proving himself to be a righty nut job. (How frightening is it that it's now considered necessary to be a nut job to be an electable Republican? That can't bode well for the GOP or the USA.) He's been trying to earn the Tea Party's love by turning down federal money for children's health care and sex ed (bonus Religious Right points on that one), and now he's gone on Fox News to say this to Neil Cavuto:

Instead of all just running around saying, “We’ll take the money because it’s free money,” let’s call it what it is: The federal government is basically a drug dealer trying to give out free samples, or give people a taste, get them further addicted. And I think we just say: “No, thanks, we’ve had enough, and get your own house in order, by the way, at the same time.”

That's right - accepting federal money = being a crackhead. Hope you're paying attention, elderly folks on Social Security, soldiers and veterans, companies with government contracts, and pretty much everyone else in America. Also, sorry kids, Tim Pawlenty's personal health care is just health care, but YOURS is rhetorically crack, and he demands that you get sick and die to prove his point.

We pay taxes to get services. But Tim thinks we should pay taxes and not get services. And that's the sort of position for passes for economic know-how in today's Republican Party.

Excellent Causes: Even Super-Tough Marines Love Fuzzy Kitten Snuggles

Behold, US Marine Brian Chambers and his rescued kitten Kiki.

Brian and two of his fellow Marines made it their personal mission to help find homes for stray cats while they were serving in Afghanistan.

The plight of needy animals in Iraq and Afghanistan also inspired a group of Commando Royal Marines to found Nowzad Dogs in 2007. They have been joined by cat-loving contractor Louise Hastie, who is merging her Baghdad Animal Rescue with them to form Nowzad charity. Visit their site to support the rescue and care of dogs, cats, and donkeys -- and the service members who love them.

Pussycat Panty Bandit

Oscar the cat brought home so many pairs of ladies knickers that his Southampton owners called the police on him.

The director at their local Cats Protection charity says that this is "natural behavior that is completely normal," but the conspiracy-minded may well wonder if Oscar is a convenient scape-cat for a non-feline panty-fiend.

BBC story

Terrariums!

I've been seeing a lot of terrariums and miniature gardens lately, but these are fantastic -- and fantastical.