In Between Panels

Labels: cute, embarrassment, funny stuff

# posted by @ 12:27 PM ---> |

Labels: comics, embarrassment, politics

# posted by @ 10:29 AM ---> |

From: Caesar Saloma
Subject: From Caesar Saloma/20 April 2009/Mr Candare
Date: Monday, 20 April, 2009, 6:56 PM
20 April 2009

Ms. Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco
President
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society, Inc
New Manila, Quezon City

Dear Ms. Hontiveros-Lichauco :

This is to acknowledge the receipt today of your letter dated 17 April 2009 concerning Mr Joseph Carlo Candare who made an entry in his blog that he killed a cat in a manner that is pathetic, appalling and worrisome.

The College of Science (CS) does not tolerate the cruel treatment of animals by any of its scientist, researchers and students. Mr Candare is a BS Applied Physics student of the National Institute of Physics (NIP) which is one of the eleven constituent units of CS (www.science. upd.edu.ph).

I will ask the NIP Director, Dr Arnel Salvador to meet with Mr Candare and to demand an explanation about the acts that he mentioned in his blog. The NIP will make a recommendation to my office about the possible action(s) that can be taken against Mr Candare according to existing University rules and regulations.

I assure you that the Office of the CS Dean will handle your serious concern promptly.

Maraming salamat po.

Sincerely yours,
Caesar Saloma
–
Caesar Saloma, PhD
Professor, National Institute of Physics
Dean, College of Science
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Labels: cats, discovery, embarrassment, events, kittens, sad news

# posted by @ 1:06 PM ---> |

Labels: cats, discovery, embarrassment, sad news

# posted by @ 5:54 PM ---> |

US Military rips away pet of deployed US Soldier shortly before Baghdad Pups can send puppy to safety in Minnesota

(This isn't my normal fare here, but I had to write about this because it is so tragic. Please read.)

One of my good college friends is in Iraq right now. A couple months ago, she told me about Baghdad Pups, a really amazing organization that provides medical care, clearance and transport for the animals U.S. soldiers have come to love during deployment in the Middle East.

There are some initiatives that everyone - regardless of their political views - can agree are fabulous. This is one of those.

Baghdad Pups gives our soldiers hope by helping them send their pets home to safety. It's such a unique and touching idea. I couldn't wait to write about it.

Except today, I wish I could be writing about anything else. Because something so awful has happened that I'm writing this through tears.

My friend has been held in Iraq by the stop-loss policy for over 15 months longer than her original commitment to the military. It hasn't been easy for her--and the puppy she saved has been one of the few things that has kept her going.

We've been hearing about her puppy, Ratchet, on Facebook for months. She's shared pictures of him as he grew from a frightened ball of fur to an adorable young dog. We learned when he was accepted into Baghdad Pups, and how her parents were going to take care of him until she returned home. She's kept us up-to-date on his travel schedule, and badgered us into contributing money to bring him home.

He was supposed to be on his way to Minnesota right now. Except he's not.

Last Wednesday, my friend's commanding officers seized Ratchet as he was on the way to the Baghdad airport en route to his new home with her parents.

Why? Because:

"It is against military regulations for active duty troops to befriend animals"

It gets worse. According to the Baghdad Pups press release on my friend's behalf:

"Soldiers can face immediate court-marshal [for befriending animals] and some even see their animals brutally murdered by a direct gunshot to the head from commanding officers who will not bend the rules."

It was so close.... Ratchet was on his way to the airport. And now he might be killed, just because some power-hungry officers decided to flex their muscles and punish an innocent animal because Gwen dared to care about him.

And to make it even worse, she is under military investigation for caring about a helpless puppy--something hundreds of other soldiers do in Iraq.

She is absolutely devastated. I'm devastated for her. I cried for days last fall after the cat I rescued died of old age. I can't imagine how horrid it would be to save and love a pet, to be full of hope that he will be a part of your life after you finally come home - and to have that cruelly snatched away.

I don't know why this has happened to her. She has been through so much already. It's just awful.

Please help me get attention for her. She hasn't asked, but I'm hoping that we can help her.

This horrible situation is happening to Gwen, but it affects all our soldiers overseas. They're in a terrifying situation every day, and it's not unreasonable to let them have the simple joy of having an animal that loves them. Is it?

As a soldier wrote to Baghdad Pups:

“I have sacrificed a lot to serve my country. All that I ask in return is to be allowed to bring home the incredible dog that wandered into my life here in Iraq and prevented me from becoming terribly callous towards life.”

Could you take a minute to help spread the word about what is happening to my friend? We want to get news out there about her case before the military decides to "eliminate the problem" by killing her dog.

Could you please Digg or Stumbleupon this post or send it to a friend. Or, if you're in MN, could you call one of our senators?

All we want to do is help Gwen send home the puppy that has made her sacrifices bearable... who was already on his way to Minnesota before the military decided to punish her by seizing him.

Thank you so much for your help!

If you want to know how to help Ratchet, click here to go to my follow-up post giving an update about his situation.

HOW YOU CAN HELP (Added by request)

If you are in Minnesota, call one of our Senators. She's a MN native and Ratchet was going to come here.

Senator Amy Klobuchar:
(888) 224-9043 -or- (612) 727-5220

Senator Norm Coleman:
(800) 642-6041 -or- (651) 645-0323

(or, if you prefer) Candidate Al Franken:
(888) 908-2008 -or- (612) 344-2008

If you're not in MN, call your senators and representatives as well. Also, pass this along to news outlets.

DonatenowdogAND! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE for my friend and other soldiers, donate to Baghdad Pups. It can cost over $4000 to bring back a dog or cat to the US, and Baghdad Pups receives 3-4 new requests from soldiers every week. Please help them to continue their mission.

Thank you!

*** NOTE, I can't release information such as her unit and the names of her commanding officers because I don't have it. I've been trying to get more information since yesterday because I know that it is important. Please be patient.. I'm doing my best.

~Katie

Labels: discovery, dogs, embarrassment, sad news

# posted by @ 3:39 PM ---> |

Transcript: "I think there is a really good chance that Sarah Palin could president. And I think that's a really scary thing because I don't know anything about her. I don't think in eight weeks I'm going to know anything about her. I know that she was a mayor of a really, really small town. And she's governor of Alaska for less than two years. I just don't understand... I think the pick was made for political purposes but in terms of governance it's a disaster.

"You do the actuary tables and there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term and it will be President Palin. And it really...we were talking about it earlier...it's like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom. "I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska." And she's the president. And it's like she's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd. It's totally absurd. And I don't understand why more people aren't talking about how absurd it is. It's a really terrifying possibility. The fact that we've gotten this far and we're that close to this being a reality is crazy, crazy.

"I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4000 years ago, that's an important...I want to know that. I really do. Because she's going to have the nuclear codes. I want to know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4000 years ago. Or if she banned books or tried to ban books. We can't have that."

Labels: aaahh, embarrassment, entertainment, funny stuff, interview, politics, sad news, uh-huh, whatever

# posted by @ 11:12 AM ---> |

Labels: embarrassment, reminiscing, whatever

# posted by @ 12:10 PM ---> |

Labels: comics, comics related, embarrassment, movies

# posted by @ 1:08 AM ---> |

Cat Bathing as a Martial Art
by Bud Herron

Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick themselves clean. They say cats have a special enzyme of some sort in their saliva that works like new, improved Wisk - dislodging the dirt where it hides and whisking it away. I've spent most of my life believing this folklore. Like most blind believers, I've been able to discount all the facts to the contrary - the kitty odors that lurk in the corners of the garage and dirt smudges that cling to the throw rug by the fireplace.

The time comes, however, when a man must face reality; when he must look squarely in the face of massive public sentiment to the contrary and announce: "This cat smells like a port-a-potty on a hot day in Juarez." When that day arrives at your house, as it has in mine, I have some advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under your arm and head for the bathtub:

Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)

Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face mask and a long-sleeve flak jacket.

Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket. Draw the water. Make sure the bottle of kitty shampoo is inside the glass enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached, even if you are lying on your back in the water.

Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking part in a product-testing experiment for J.C. Penney.)

Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more that two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record is - for cats - three latherings, so don't expect too much.)

Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semipermanently affixed to your right leg. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.

In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.

You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But, at least now he smells a lot better.

Labels: aaahh, awesome, cats, cute, embarrassment, entertainment, funny stuff

# posted by @ 7:32 PM ---> |

Labels: dirrrrty, embarrassment, pang-asar, politics, whatever

# posted by @ 1:19 AM ---> |

"But please don't tell me that all the politicians pursuing this issue aren't little piglets either (below). Getting little greasy slices of pork from projects like the NBN is modus operandi in ANY administration - it's no secret to us and it's no secret to the senators doing the grilling. It's been the modus operandi for decades! Where else would ANY administration get money to do things like, oh, give to senators and congressmen for their election campaigns? Senators and Congressmen don't come for free, ya know. Tip: instead of looking at the noisy ones, let's try and count who are the quiet ones in Senate and Congress. Perhaps they are quiet because they already were given their pieces of the pork. And it's only the squealing ones that are upset because they didn't get theirs. Hence, if it's all just piggies fighting piggies over pieces of pork that they just pass on to other piggies, then it's just politics in the end. Period. Philippine politics and governance is sick, that is as obvious as obvious can be. But will this Jun Lozada scandal be the catalyst for the great changes that need to be made? Ha! Great changes will be done in this society through small ways and on a person to person basis. Paradigm shifts don't happen through Senate hearings. Trust me, this "moral revolution" WILL NOT be televised." (More...)

Labels: dirrrrty, embarrassment, pang-asar, politics, whatever

# posted by @ 2:20 PM ---> |

Labels: curios, embarrassment, interview, pet rats, tv

# posted by @ 1:03 AM ---> |