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Archives for December 2012
Cat Rescue Bleg – Memphis
From commentor Reid K:
Writing this from my tablet, so forgive misspellings or incoherencies. Last night, as I was dropping off my partner in crime, I met a young, maybe six months old at the most grey tiger kitten. He’s terribly affectionate, but very scared of my two current kitties. I have to get him out of here because I can’t feed him in my bedroom for lots of reasons. In addition, and I hate to say this, but I can’t afford a third baby right now. It’s too bad – he’s a pure lap cat.
I don’t have any pictures because I can’t figure out the camera on this piece of equipment. If commenters want to help with that too, I’d appreciate it. But what I really need is a foster or potential home.
I’ll be away from the computer until this evening, but if you have any leads, send me an email at AnneLaurie (at) verizon.net (click on my name in the right-hand column) and I’ll forward them to Reid.
Open Thread With Doggie Pictures
She couldn’t be bothered to sit up and pose properly. This is the Bichon version of Mikayla Moroney. Click to enlarge a bit.
Open Thread, too.
A Little Hobbit Remembrance
I’m not an obsessive fan of the Tolkien books, but I’ve read them, liked Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series, and am looking forward to the Hobbit. I am concerned that it might be a victim of the Kill Bill phenomenon, where a director leaves in stuff he should have cut because the movie is supposedly “too long”, and especially skeptical that it merits the same number of releases as LOTR. But no matter, I’ll be seeing it.
I’m usually not much for nostalgia, but when I was looking up the details of the Hobbit movie, I began to think back on the first time I encountered that book. The story is kind of relevant to the standardized testing debate, of all things, so here it is after the break.
Beginning to Hope
Ed Kilgore worked at the DNC, which makes him a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief when it comes to expecting Democrats to do anything to change the status quo in Congress. So when he starts counting heads for filibuster reform and gets a majority, I begin to think it might happen:
When you go through the list of holdouts, however, the number likely to buck Reid (who has himself reversed his position since the 2011 vote on a very similar Udall/Merkely/Harkin measure) begins to shrink. John Kerry, who has additional reasons to be a team player right now, is “leaning heavily” towards support. Jay Rockefeller says he’d prefer “radical over nothing.” Daniel Inouye’s doubts are only about the “talking filibuster” ban (entirely legitimate doubts, as Jonathan Bernstein keeps pointing out). Diane Feinstein is similarly on board a ban on filibustering motions to proceed. Bill Nelson doesn’t like the “constitutional option,” but says “I’m supporting Harry Reid.” Max Baucus and Jack Reed seem entirely neutral at this point, which makes it unlikely they’d buck Reid and the Caucus and kill reform.
That leaves two Senate Democrats who voted against the 2011 bill and haven’t said anything indicating a change of position: Carl Levin and Mark Pryor. If they and Donnelly wind up being the only holdouts, then Reid would comfortably have the votes without any concessions to bring a Republican or two on board. And you’d figure Levin might be susceptible to some back-home Blue State pressure if push comes to shove.
The Senate is populated by dozens of people who think they should be President, and maybe one or two who actually will, if the cards fall exactly right. The rest express their frustrated will to power by throwing little obstructionist, snot-nosed, red-faced, tear-stained, booger-flinging tantrums that get them on the TV and in the columns of the DC press corpse. Taking away their power to block a vote whenever their mommy or daddy issues are flaring up was always going to be a tough sell. I hope Kilgore is right, but I’m still not expecting meaningful filibuster reform, even though it’s clearly in the Democrats’ best interests.
Early Morning Open Thread
My big, fat, honking new truck:
It’s a 2012 Ford F-250 with a diesel engine. It’s so high up I have to make a running start to jump into the cab, and the dogs have to be boosted in bodily. The acquisition of aftermarket running boards is therefore at the top of our agenda today. What’s on yours?
Late Night Movie Thread: Rise of the Guardians
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Rise of the Guardians is the most fun my inner six-year-old has had at the movies since How to Train Your Dragon. And, yes, it is worth paying the 3D premium for this one — starting with the very first image in the ‘Dreamworks’ opening title, you know you’re in the hands of crafters who know how to use the technology to propel the story. Since there’s a lot of vast, vaulted spaces and swift action (believe me, the Tooth Fairy and her hummingbird-like minions are a lot more impressive in motion) there’s the feel of a really good illustrated book, without ever getting too precious or distracted by technique.It’s direcetd by Peter Ramsey, directed produced by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth), with considerable imput from the original author-illustrator, William Joyce (The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore). There’s a considerable comix-geek sensibility (“Kids know more about Green Lantern’s origins than they do about Santa’s,” Joyce is supposed to have said), as explained by Charlie Jane Anders at io9:
… The hook of Rise of the Guardians is pretty ingenious, too — basically, the main mythological figures of the American childhood are joined into a kind of Justice League. There’s North, aka Santa Claus (who’s inexplicably Russian and a tough guy, with Baldwin supplying the Boris Badenov accent). And then there are similarly renamed versions of the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny (who’s Australian, with Jackman doing his actual accent.)
At the start of the film, two things happen — Jack Frost (Chris Pine) is chosen as a new member of the Guardians super-team by the Moon (who’s basically the team’s secret boss, or maybe their version of Oracle.) And Pitch, aka the Boogeyman (Jude Law) returns to try and take over the world with nightmares and terror. As the team struggles to pull together to fight this ultimate threat, it’s up to Jack Frost to make the difference…
Late Night Movie Thread: <em>Rise of the Guardians</em>Post + Comments (27)