Jim has more of the Kitty's story and several adorable (and sad) pictures up at Right Thoughts.

The catÂ’s name is Tagitha. So named because her former owners got her as a baby kitten at a tag sale, ten years ago. And raised her. how she turned out so sweet with these jerks in beyond meÂ…but anyway back to the neck thing. They had a collar on her for years. The same one. She grew. The collar stayed. She grew and gained weight. THEY NEVER LOOSENED THE COLLAR. It had to be cut off it was on so tight. Her fur grew around the damned collar.

Grr. Some people should not be allowed to have pets.

What a (expletive deleted) I can't even say the words that come to my mind. What kind of sick fucks do this? This must be the nicest cat ever, since she's a Siamese and was mistreated so badly and she still likes to snuggle.

Anyway, if you're within driving distance to New Haven, CT and would like a friendly, snuggly female older cat with all her shots, spayed, and with a clean bill of health, email Jim.

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JimK over at Right Thoughts needs your help finding a home for a beautiful kitty in the New Haven, CT area.

I don't usually do this, but her story is pretty compelling. She definitely used up one of her 9 lives, but not in the way you might think.

Jim says:

HereÂ’s her story: SheÂ’s a ten year-old very healthy, VERY friendly Siamese, sheÂ’s mostly dark chocolate with darker points and pale blue eyesÂ…sheÂ’s fat and happy. Her previous owner brought her to my vet to be euthanized. Why? Because the new poodles the woman got donÂ’t like her. SheÂ’s had the cat for ten years. TEN YEARS. And she wanted this perfectly healthy animal put down because she didnÂ’t want to be bothered having to keep them separate all the time.

My vet said no way. TheyÂ’re keeping her and looking for a home. If I didnÂ’t already have five cats, sheÂ’d be with me now. SheÂ’s so sweet I canÂ’t stand it. Just a big fluffy sweetheart of a cat. And sheÂ’s beautiful in person, my crappy phone pic did not do her justice. SheÂ’s had all her bloodwork done, shots, sheÂ’s fixedÂ…sheÂ’s as ready to go as any cat could be.

If you are within driving distance of New Haven, CT and youÂ’d like to meet herÂ…let me know via email, stark23x at gmail dot com and IÂ’ll get you the contact info.

Can you imagine the gall of that woman? Just because she doesn't want the cat anymore, she thinks she can throw it away like an old toy. Folks, owning a pet means that you are responsible for them for their whole life, or at least until you can find them a more suitable owner, it doesn't give you the right to end their lives on a whim. Would you do that to your kids? Thank goodness for people like Jim and his vet, who aren't willing to let a selfish woman have her way.

(h/t Lair, whose kitties are getting extra treats tonight)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:54 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 People really piss me off. I would absolutely help out, only the kitty would face a 6 month quarantine to come over here. In the meantime, I'm going to ignore karma and think bad things about the poodle owner.

Posted by: Helen at September 29, 2005 11:43 PM (Fpvv4)

2 I believe it. A coworker begged me to take in his neighbours dog, Maggie. The woman had had her for eight years, and she was 'just tired of her'. Co worker had been keeping an eye on the dog becasue the woman would leave for the weekend, just leave her outside with no food, and not enough water. So Jim would feed her and keep her company. So I caved. She was an Old English Sheepdog, and once we had her we spent a small fortune on vet bills due to a variety of conditions caused mostly by neglect. We called her our Lemon Dog We had her five years until a spine ailment forced us to have her put to sleep. She was a wonderful, loving dog despite her treatment. Whenever we'd drive anywhere near where she was from, she'd literally make herself sick. I think she was afraid we were taking her back.

Posted by: Ith at September 30, 2005 12:17 PM (LCvAk)

3 Forgot a bit in my novel She was tired of her and was taking her to the pound. At her age and with her health issues, she would have been put down.

Posted by: Ith at September 30, 2005 12:21 PM (LCvAk)

4 That is SUCH A CUTE KITTY. *sniffle* I'm too far away or she'd be fighting for lap space (which is getting smaller and smaller) with my Purrl Girl. I think some OWNERS should be euthanized.

Posted by: Margi at October 02, 2005 11:48 AM (nwEQH)

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To two very special people in the b'sphere, Jay and Deb's very precious and precocious Sadie Rose, who is celebrating her very first birthday, and the lovely Mrs. Smash, who isn't.

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You are HOBBES! My personal favorite. You like to
eat, sleep, and live a good life. Me too.


Which CALVIN & HOBBES character YOU?
brought to you by Quizilla

Yay! Hobbes!
(h/t VW)

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Click on the box to give him treats. Double click to drop them!

(h/t Gir)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For Jay and Deb, and a little sister for Sadie!

and she's sucking her thumb too.....

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Well, bookmark this page, because it's the answer to your prayers. Courtesy of fellow MuNuvian Physics Geek, this site has the instructions for how to get to a REAL HUMAN BEING when you call in, from credit companies to airlines.

Kudos to Amazon for directly connecting you to a human every time you call!

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From SarahK:

You are Proverbs.


Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

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Formerly "Feisty" Christina is asking for your help. Her mom lives between Lake Charles, LA and Houston, and may be without power for quite a while. Chrissy may need to go get her and needs some specific information about the availability of gas and clearness of roads. If you've been in that area recently, or are in contact with someone who is or has been, please leave Chrissy a comment here.

In the mean time, please keep this family in your prayers and thoughts.

Thanks.

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At least, according to the Commissar. I know you're there. Only half of my traffic is due to google!

Drop me a comment and let me know who you are!

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Remember Lite Brite? I loved it. Used to have all the picture cards, too. And extra pegs in special colors.

Now, you can play with Lite Brite without fear of stepping on the pegs.

Just go here for an online version.

(h/t Pam)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:11 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 That's SO COOL! Now if only they'd bring back the Parcheesi, Rainbow Brite dolls, Jem and her friends, and real cartoons on TV, I'd be reliving my childhood!

Posted by: Amanda at September 22, 2005 09:53 AM (ay+rD)

2 80s? How about 60s? I loved my Lite Brite!

Posted by: Ith at September 22, 2005 10:00 AM (LCvAk)

3 I'm with Ith. I *always wanted* a Lite Brite and didn't ever get one. This explains a lot, doesn't it? *twisty grin*

Posted by: Margi at September 22, 2005 01:39 PM (nwEQH)

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Saw this loony quiz at Boudicca's and I knew I had to post it:

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?

Born in England sometime in the second decade of the nineteenth century, you carved a notable business career, in South Africa and later San Francisco, until an entry into the rice market wiped out your fortune in 1854. After this, you became quite different. The first sign of this came on September 17, 1859, when you expressed your dissatisfaction with the political situation in America by declaring yourself Norton I, Emperor of the USA. You remained as such, unchallenged, for twenty-one years.

Within a month you had decreed the dissolution of Congress. When this was largely ignored, you summoned all interested parties to discuss the matter in a music hall, and then summoned the army to quell the rebellious leaders in Washington. This did not work. Magnanimously, you decreed (eventually) that Congress could remain for the time being. However, you disbanded both major political parties in 1869, as well as instituting a fine of $25 for using the abominable nickname "Frisco" for your home city.

Your days consisted of parading around your domain - the San Francisco streets - in a uniform of royal blue with gold epaulettes. This was set off by a beaver hat and umbrella. You dispensed philosophy and inspected the state of sidewalks and the police with equal aplomb. You were a great ally of the maligned Chinese of the city, and once dispersed a riot by standing between the Chinese and their would-be assailants and reciting the Lord's Prayer quietly, head bowed.

Once arrested, you were swiftly pardoned by the Police Chief with all apologies, after which all policemen were ordered to salute you on the street. Your renown grew. Proprietors of respectable establishments fixed brass plaques to their walls proclaiming your patronage; musical and theatrical performances invariably reserved seats for you and your two dogs. (As an aside, you were a good friend of Mark Twain, who wrote an epitaph for one of your faithful hounds, Bummer.) The Census of 1870 listed your occupation as "Emperor".

The Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, upon noticing the slightly delapidated state of your attire, replaced it at their own expense. You responded graciously by granting a patent of nobility to each member. Your death, collapsing on the street on January 8, 1880, made front page news under the headline "Le Roi est Mort". Aside from what you had on your person, your possessions amounted to a single sovereign, a collection of walking sticks, an old sabre, your correspondence with Queen Victoria and 1,098,235 shares of stock in a worthless gold mine. Your funeral cortege was of 30,000 people and over two miles long.

The burial was marked by a total eclipse of the sun.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:57 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Wow. Yours is WAY cooler than mine!

Posted by: Bou at September 21, 2005 07:36 PM (5JHEt)

2 Hey, at least you didn't allegedly sleep with your own sibling!

Posted by: Contagion at September 22, 2005 05:53 AM (Q5WxB)

3 Emperor Norton defined Frisco. And it's been downhill ever since.

Posted by: Ken Summers at September 22, 2005 06:13 AM (UefPN)

4 The best legacy of Emperor Norton? Emperor Norton's Sourdough Chips. Waaaaay better than the Old San Francisco brand. And Ken, please don't call it "Frisco". This is a hate crime-able offense.

Posted by: Jihad Jimmy, Minister of War Crimes and Chief Defender of the Faith at September 24, 2005 06:22 PM (65FEa)

5 Still Tesla.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 26, 2005 06:17 AM (QriEg)

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Just Yay!!

It's a Boy!

Congrats Margi and Koolaid!

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Lair Simon and one of the kitties who lets him live in the house bring you a new way to measure hurricanes, or at least a way to tell if you're about to get swiped with a paw.....

The Piper Scale

Meow!

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Over at Vodkapundit, Steve posits that the NY Times is making a bad business decision, between laying off hundreds of employees and charging for access to their opinion pages.

To me, it signals the end of a long era in journalism. The layoffs and the desperate bids for increased revenue tell me that the Times is bleeding and is trying unsuccessfully to staunch the flow. Instead of looking seriously at the big knife stuck in their chest, they're trying to stitch around it.

Ok, enough with the blood metaphor. Clearly the growth of new media and the internet has taken a chunk out of their business, and they are scrambling to catch up. You could argue that these layoffs represent the first concrete evidence that "flammable" media is dying. The problem is that like most large corporations, those who are responsible for fixing the problems refuse to examine their own biases. A paradigm shift has taken place in the last 5 years. Media consumers now have multiple sources for news, and freely compare the information they get from each. They don't just accept the editorializing found at one source or another. Editors and publishers haven't (as yet) been able to look carefully at their own papers or broadcasts to see what it is that consumers are turning away from.

The Times will never be the same. It will never wield the same kind of authority that it did in days past. Why? Because as they lay off reporters they will lose the newsroom flexibility to cover breaking news, update older stories, and fact check pieces before publication. Forget editing, if you've even perused the Grey Lady over the last couple of years, you know that went out the window a long time ago.

Another step away from the "old media" also took place this week, though it was largely symbolic. During Sunday night's Emmy broadcast, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and the late Peter Jennings were honored for their contributions to network news over the last two decades. Although the segment was supposed to serve as a memorial to Jennings, and a recognition of the careers of Brokaw and Rather, it was also a tacit memorial to the role of network news in American culture. Since the birth of TV, the majority of Americans got their national and international news from the evening broadcasts of each of the three major networks. With the retirement of Brokaw, the "retirement" of Rather, and the death of Jennings, clearly an era has ended. What remains to be seen is whether the evening news will ever be as important in American culture as it was before.

It is likely that in years to come we will look back at this week as highly significant in the history of media in that the events of this week represent the emerging importance of "new media" and the effect that internet journalism and blogging have on the bottom line of older media outlets.

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Yet another reason why Cuba must be freed from her opressors: cagastro's regime denies an education to children whose parents have been trying to flee. From Cubanet:

Four years ago the political police seized the identity card of Bárbara Lorenzo de Armas. Without this document, Lorenzo de Armas cannot obtain a minor's identify card which the Adolfo del Castillo school requires in order to register her daughter.

Even if the school allowed Jessica to register, her mother couldn't buy the required uniform because this comes from a government store that requires a document to buy there, which was also seized four years ago.

This is just beyond sick. Like Val, I'm just speechless. I'd like to see any of you little communistas out there defend this one.

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It be talk like a pirate day you scurvy dogs!

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Presented without comment:

From AP/ Yahoo!: Major Quake Could Be Worse Than Katrina

"As many as 18,000 people dead. More than $250 billion in damages. Hundreds of thousands of people left homeless. That's not the latest estimate of Hurricane Katrina's toll on the Gulf Coast. That's a worst-case scenario if a major earthquake were to hit Los Angeles.
...
California has been hit by significant quakes about every 15 years over the past century. Experts say there's a better-than 60 percent chance that a quake with a magnitude around 6.7 will hit Southern California or the Bay Area within decades."

No shit...

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it doesn't cost you a dime!

RomeoCat of Cathouse Chat is donating $5 for each comment up to a maximum of $300 for each of these charities:

The Red Cross here

or

Soldiers' Angels Operation Katrina here.

Click through and leave her a comment on each post, it's for a good cause!

(h/t Bad Harvey)

Linked to rusty's fatwa-a-thon

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Yesterday's blog for Katrina was a smashing success, according to NZ Bear:

WooHoo!!!!

Keep up the good work!

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