Little Hamsters Stopover in a Quiet Town

Isn't this cute?



I do love cuteoverload. But this one really kind of creeps me out, because it reminds me so much of the plight of Bob and Millie Frasier, average young New Yorkers who Stopover in a Quiet Town.

Thank you, Wanda

Awww, youtube took this one down. Here's the link to the longer version at nbc.com

But it's OK if you talk about both of them

Oh man, is this the best election campaign ever? Well, the best ever for comedy? Here's another great one, this time from Saturday Night Live. Surely you noticed that Sarah Palin developed her look by studying the smart-strong-hot Tina Fey...

Isn't it wonderful that anyone can be president, if you want it bad enough?



And now surely you are asking, "WTF does flurge mean?" Well, Hillary and I both googled it. The spelling is not yet stable, but it seems to mean flush+purge as in get rid of or remove.

But WTF does MILF mean? Mother's I'd Like to... that's all you need to know. If you can't imagine the rest, I'm proud of you and would like to know how old you are and where you hail from. Sorry, I'm not telling what WTF means either.

I, for one, have never referred to Sarah Palin in that MILF way. And I can promise her that I never will.

Stop talking about her

You know, really, we should not even be talking about Sarah Palin. Because it's sexist to talk about the experience or character of candidates for office if the candidate for office is a woman. You didn't know that?

Lipstick on a pig

I don't have the nerves for these shouting heads politics shows, but this clip is necessary viewing. Watch Chris Matthews push the question of whether the latest McCain attack ad is really saying that Obama called Palin a pig and that Katie Couric does not approve.



So, to sum up. McCain used the same "lipstick on a pig" reference twice right after naming Hillary Clinton. No one accused him of calling Hillary a pig. One of McCain's (female) campaign strategists wrote a book called Lipstick on a Pig that advises politicians on how and when to use the phrase. And now McCain produced and tossed out an ad that implies it is sexist if Obama uses the phrase and that Obama is calling Palin a pig.

Finally, What's-his-name McCain guy on the show says, no, McCain isn't really saying that Obama is calling Palin a pig. No, What's-his-name isn't really saying so either. So what's up with the ad? Apparently, McCain may not exactly be responsible for the ads that include him saying, "I am John McCain and I approve this message." Apparently, our nation is threatened by rogue McCain ad producers. Also, apparently, McCain is powerless to do anything about it. But he's ready to lead some other stuff.

Creature comforts

Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna have moved on. It's a lovely day and the birds are back. Which makes me wonder, "What's it like to be a bird?" In this short documentary, the birds explain it all.



More Creature Comforts

What's the word for that thing?

You know. That thing that the Palin family women should have the right to make for themselves... government should just stay out of it... that thing that is personal... that is very personal... what do you call it?



No comment. Well, okay. One comment. Thankfully, feminists have a sense of humor. You go, Samantha Bee!

Good morning, New Orleans, how are ya?

New Orleans, by The Highwaymen. That's Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.

Labor Day was beautiful here in D.C. It looks like Gustav will not bring disaster on the scale of Katrina, though I'm sure many people lost much and there are days of rain and flooding and more hurricanes ahead.

Our two possible next presidents responded differently. Both posted ways to volunteer on their campaign websites. McCain headed to Mississippi, apparently to make sure there will be photos of himself helping someone. Obama visited Iowa after the flooding emergency there settled. He says "the important thing to do now is to stay clear of the area until things have settled down... The thing that I always am concerned about in the middle of a storm is whether we're drawing resources away from folks on the ground because the Secret Service and various security requirements sometimes it pulls police, fire and other departments away from concentrating on the job."

In Katrina, many of the people who didn't get out in time either didn't have transportation or delayed because they were trying to find a way to save their pets. This time New Orleans and Louisiana mobilized. A fleet of buses and Amtrak trains evacuated people who don't have cars. Volunteers helped evacuate animals. A few more weekend thoughts about our possible future presidents. They have very different approaches to building our national infrastructure, all summarized right here.

In 2007, McCain and Bush opposed the $23 billion Water Resources Development Act, which funded improvements to rivers, harbors, levees and flood control projects. Congress overrode Bush's veto and the bill passed. In 2002, McCain proposed abolishing Amtrak and privatizing our rail system.

Obama supported the 2007 Water Resources Development Act. He also proposes to strengthen urban infrastructure, highways, public transportation, bike paths, pedestrian friendly streets, and increase funding to Amtrak.