The cats

I now have the cats eating together in the demolished kitchen. I had been feeding Lucky separately in my closet, but the other day when I got home from work, I saw that his plate had hardly been touched, while Bootsy's plate in here was almost empty. So Lucky had been eating out of Bootsy's plate (and Bootsy had been letting him). So I decided to start feeding the cats together, in the kitchen, where they'll be fed anyway when the kitchen is done.

Before I got Lucky, I had moved Bootsy's feeding station to this room, out of the workers' way. But since there haven't been any workers lately (and apparently still won't be for a while), I just decided to do it this way. Lucky has been a little confused the last couple of days, but I'm training him. (Bootsy was already used to being fed in the kitchen.) I've been watching them, and Lucky doesn't appear to be intimidated eating near Bootsy, and Bootsy hasn't bothered him in the kitchen.

As you can see, since I don't have counters, I use the stove top and a card table (and the floor) to put things on. I've stopped putting stuff on the ledge at the right (above the green wall, where a counter will go), since that's Lucky's runway.

UPDATE: All that said, there was a major skirmish tonight, with Bootsy going on the attack. I attacked Bootsy back. Poor Lucky--he's rattled. "My nerves" (as somebody used to say). I think I'll go back to feeding Lucky in the closet. I may shut him up in the bedroom with me tonight.

I gave Bootsy a lot of attention tonight, brushing him, etc., and then Lucky came back into the picture, and Bootsy resented it. But Bootsy has to know he can't act that out by attacking Lucky while I'm around. (All of this probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been here, meting out attention.) I'm sorry that I had to remind Bootsy that I'm the alpha cat around here, not him, and that Lucky is a member of the household.

UPDATE 2 (Saturday): Bootsy was happy to see me after being locked out of my bedroom all night. He even said hello. I'm not going to say anything to jinx things. Last night was upsetting, especially after I'd emailed the Humane Society last week, with photos, going on about Lucky's successful integration into the home (and then forwarded it to my vet).

Kitchen update

Kitchen update here. The City of North Miami doesn't even have the permit yet and I FedExed it to the general contractor last Friday (they received it Monday morning). It will be sent to the city next Tuesday or Wednesday. Then I was told it would take a few days for them to approve it. So it appears nothing will get done here next week either.

Heard about B.

From someone I know who used to work with him. She ran into him at a store. B. was with his new friend. She said she didn't recognize B. at first since "his face was so big" as was especially his gut. She said he'd gained 20 lbs. at least. (I haven't seen him lately.)

I guess B. and I diverged on this issue (getting fat), even though he accused me of getting fat before he left. I've lost at least 10 lbs. since he left and have gone back to the gym on a regular basis after my shoulder healed (almost). B. didn't "like" the gym when he accompanied me to work out (the way he doesn't like mushrooms or soup). I'd bought him a year's membership as a birthday present and he could have taken dance aerobics classes, since he loves to dance. The gym has a lot of different programs and B. had a lot of time on his hands, but he used it to cheat around instead.

I hope his new friend likes chubby. (I'm not into that, but I loved him anyway.) B. was very attractive when we first hooked up (as was I, I guess, and still try to look half-way decent, and I'm 14 years older than B.*). We all get old--there's no escaping that--but we can counteract aging. I'm sad that things didn't work out.

_____________
*At the time we met, he insisted he liked "older men," so I (somewhat reluctantly) went along with it.

Thursday

Still no word from Home Depot. I think I'll call the store tomorrow and try to talk to the designer, if she's on duty. The reason I decided to do this remodel through Home Depot is that there's a store right down the street, and it's very convenient for me to go there. There's even a bus stop there in case I need to stop in after work.

The cats continue to get along better. I'm not going to worry about them anymore. I think I'll also discontinue the cat box in my bedroom. Lucky, being a kitten still, likes to play in it and has strewn litter all over the floor. (I had been keeping the box in my bathroom, but I closed off the bathroom at one point so as not to give Bootsy the opportunity to corner Lucky in there and start a fight.) Meanwhile I have two litter boxes in a hall closet in the main part of the house, which I think are sufficient. Lucky uses them also. I'll just vacuum up the strewn litter with my electric broom and put it back in the cat boxes. (There's a lot of it, so I'm not going to waste it.)

Wednesday night

No word from Home Depot so far this week. I'm not going to call them. I've done everything I can do. The ball is in their court and they already dropped it.

When I got home after work today, the cats gathered around me here at the computer, waiting to be fed. Lucky even went up and kissed Bootsy on the muzzle, and Bootsy didn't recoil or attack. That's a lot of progress.

Tonight they've been chasing around the apartment a bit, but nothing serious.

So I'll try to banish all thoughts of coming home from work and seeing blood on the floor.

The Olympics are coming. Time for some Chinese culture.

From The New Yorker:

Few citizens of China stand to benefit more from this summer’s Beijing Olympics than classical pianist Lang Lang. Lang Lang will be a ubiquitous Olympic presence. Bookstores will feature his new autobiography, “Journey of a Thousand Miles,” along with his best-selling album, “Dragon Songs.” Theatres will later screen “Lang Lang’s Song for 2008,” an adoring documentary. In the realm of high culture, he is China’s first crossover star.

Here's Lang Lang performing at Carnegie Hall with his father, Lang Guoren, who plays a two-stringed Chinese instrument called an erhu. I love the sound of it.

Here's Lang Lang playing Chopin's "Black Key" étude with an orange.

'Fineman: Obama Camp to Clinton Camp - We Can Win Without You'

Talk Left post here.

Howard Fineman writes:

Does Barack Obama think he needs the Clintons’ help this fall? And do the Clintons really want to give it to him? The answer to both questions seems to be a resounding “no.” And this could very well be the reason why a slam-dunk Obama victory in November becomes a down-to-the wire race against John McCain.

(Emphasis supplied.) Fineman quotes a Clinton fundraiser saying:

“It’s not that we’re being dismissed,” she said. “The Obama people are perfectly happy to have our support. But their attitude seems to be, ‘we can win without you.’ And I guess that’s why none of us is going from rah-rah Hillary to rah-rah Obama.”

As I have written, I think Obama is certainly going to win this election -- and that he can win without the Clinton Wing of the Democratic Party. The question is why does he want to win that way? Why go for a close victory without the Clintons when you can have a slam-dunk victory, a mandate-giving victory, with them?

See this post, too.

New Obama ad

Joan Walsh

Good column here.

Tuesday night

Tonight as I was sitting here at the computer, watching TV, Bootsy was sitting on a throw rug near my feet and Lucky came in and got right up in his face. This I hadn't really seen before. Bootsy then went on the offensive and Lucky ran off, but Bootsy didn't go after him (in part because I got involved). It was really no big deal. It was like Lucky knew what he was getting into by making this overture and had his exit already planned. I was glad to see that. Lucky isn't afraid but rather seems to enjoy the situation and even pushes the limits.

As far as I know, the cats are getting along pretty well together when I'm at work, even if there might be minor skirmishes. I know they mostly sleep. (I wouldn't have made the decision to leave them alone together had I not been confident that Lucky would be able to hold his own. He has certain advantages such as speed and agility and can easily evade Bootsy now that he knows the layout of the apartment.) As I watch them interact like this (even though some of it might be for my benefit), I feel that the situation has greatly improved, with Bootsy becoming markedly more (if not totally) accepting of Lucky. Frankly I don't expect Bootsy to become totally accepting. But I think Bootsy's life is a lot more interesting and less lonely now that he has a new housemate.

Good stuff

As Todd Beeton at MyDD says, "More of this, please."

Paris Hilton strikes back!

I'd like to see Obama do something... well, maybe not quite like this. (Seen at Talk Left.)

Alan G. Rogers (1967-2008): First known gay combat fatality in Iraq

New Yorker article here.

While working in biometrics, after completing the thesis, Rogers had his first extended exposure to civilian contractors, and realized that not only did they make twice as much money for doing similar work, in many cases, as that of active-duty officers; they had their private lives to themselves. Shortly after accepting his third tour of duty in Iraq, last year, Rogers began telling friends that he planned to retire from the Army when he reached the twenty-year mark, which would have coincided with his stateside return. He was beginning to worry that he would never get a chance to settle down and enjoy a long-term relationship. One of the people he called on the night before his death was his friend Tami Sadowski, who works as a real-estate broker in Maryland. They had made arrangements to go house hunting in the D.C. area during his two-week leave.

“He followed every rule he believed in,” a close friend and colleague who got to know Rogers well while they were both living in Atlanta, near the headquarters of the Third U.S. Army, in 2003, told me. “He believed in the Army. It was so important to him. This is probably the perfect case study of somebody who was gay and accepted the Army’s values—and how it doesn’t work at the end of the day. If he hadn’t died in Iraq, the Army would have lost him.”

Wikipedia article here.

Tuesday evening

Lucky and Bootsy were out on the terrace together earlier. It was overcast and not so hot. I shot this through the sliding glass door. Bootsy still gives Lucky a little grief but nothing like it was when Lucky just arrived. I've continued to leave the cats alone together while I'm at work, but Lucky still has his own feeding station and cat box in my wing of the house. Lucky prefers to eat Bootsy's food when Bootsy's not around, however -- and I feed them exactly the same thing. (Bootsy also goes to check out what's on Lucky's plate in the closet.)

Lucky is fascinated with the tub and toilet. He sits on the ledge behind the clear curtain liner and watches while I'm taking a shower.

'Zogby poll shows it's time for Obama to attack'

From Salon's War Room.

Still, I think there are two lessons to take away from the post-Democratic primary, pre-convention summer interregnum. One, Obama's intent to play high-road politics may be insufficient for the moment. We can all get high and mighty and decry negative politics and rough ads, but dirty politics often works. (About 75 percent of ads in 2004 by George W. Bush, a weak incumbent, were negative against John Kerry, who was afraid to criticize Bush at the Boston convention; Bush won.) And two, the more time Obama spends on defense the worse things will get for him.

Somebody needs to wake up David Axelrod. It is time for him to prove he is far closer to the Democrats' new Karl Rove than their next Bob Shrum. Because remember this, too, about 2004: Though by August of that year there were debates and conventions and such still to come, the agreed-upon, fatal turning point for Kerry happened that month. It's early, sure, but never too early for an Obama turnaround. So herewith a heavily signposted opinion derived from the foregoing obersvations: It is time for Obama to attack.

Something completely different

Kitchen situation

Since I've been without a kitchen for over a month now, on the advice of a (lawyer) friend I sent a letter to Home Depot today asking for an "allowance" for living under these conditions for so long due to Home Depot's dropping the ball. We'll see what happens with that. (I don't see anything happening in the kitchen this week either.)

On May 4, I signed a document at Home Depot titled "What to Expect: Kitchen Installation." It reads, in part: "Permits may be necessary to obtain and will be the responsibility of The Home Depot Authorized Representative." Home Depot's general contractor had almost two months to obtain necessary permits before they demolished my kitchen on July 2 (the date they chose). Now the general contractor is just getting around to obtaining its permit. On Friday I signed and had notarized the application for the permit and also the necessary Notice of Commencement and FedExed them to the GC. They got the documents this morning. Now the GC has to fill them out and present them to the City. I have no idea how long it will take for the city to issue the permit. No one from Home Depot called me today.

Meanwhile the permit for the electrical work has been obtained (also just recently). But the electrical contractor can't proceed with its work until the GC has its permit in place. And the new cabinets and counters can't be installed by the GC until the electrical work is done.

What a f---ing mess.

Yesterday I talked to my kitchen designer at Home Depot, who is not really involved in the expediting process (they have a kitchen expediter). She said that only recently the City of North Miami has changed its policies regarding permitting (to increase revenue?), that in the past a job like mine would not have gotten so tangled up in the process. She said that Home Depot hasn't yet put procedures in place to deal with the new policies. (It's about time.)

She said that my difficult situation is probably the first they've encountered since the policies changed. She was very apologetic. I told her I was writing the letter and she gave me the name of the person in the store to address it to. (I also sent a copy to Home Depot headquarters in Atlanta.) (I should have mentioned in the letter that I was writing a blog on this remodel, for all to see.)

'"Major discovery" from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution'

"Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system." (Found this at The Left Coaster.)

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity — whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source — runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced. . . .

Obama slipping

See here.

Statistically it's a tie. But at least nominally Zogby's new phone poll has McCain ahead of Obama 42%-41%. And that's the second poll today to show McCain with, again, a nominal lead.

See here also ("SUSA FL Poll: McCain By 6").

Here is why Obama is losing and likely will lose Florida: McCain leads among women 51-44 and voters 65+ (30% of the electorate) 54-41. Obama has one chance to win in Florida, pick Hillary Clinton as his VP. If he does not, then there is no point to wasting resources in Florida.

Things looking up today

Got my "economic stimulus" payment from the U.S. Treasury deposited into my checking account ($600).

Paid off a crappy home improvement loan with a good one. A couple of weeks ago I applied for this loan over the phone. I'd been pre-approved for a HELOC with them, but that fell through since my condo wasn't on their "approved list." (I may still pursue that, however, since the condo has been doing well since they changed management at the beginning of the year [and kicked out somebody's corrupt boyfriend].) Meanwhile, they told me they'd check to make sure I was still eligible and that I'd be getting something in the mail soon.

I was expecting something in the mail last week, but nothing came. That was getting me down--I feared I was no longer eligible for some reason and that I'd be stuck with the crappy loan. Well, I got the card for the new loan in the mail today and immediately paid off the other one (for free--that was one of the nice features of this loan). That made me very happy. A little while later their fraud department called to make sure I'd made the transaction.

Chad Lopez at HGTV

He's the carpenter on "Designed to Sell" (Chicago show). Cute, huh?

Born in Wyoming, Chad Lopez grew up on a ranch and has been doing construction most of his life. From an early age, he was building everything from fences to garages with his dad. He started working in home construction to help pay for school and has been in the industry for seven years. Lopez studied industrial design for furniture and products and tries to incorporate those techniques into his projects whenever possible. [HGTV]

Saturday afternoon

Bootsy watching (not attacking) Lucky as he plays with a feather I picked up on my walk back home from the gym last night. I knew he would go for it. Bootsy has almost totally accepted Lucky into the household. But if Lucky detects the least bit of aggression, he'll skedaddle.

Crappy week turned out OK

I'd really been hoping to see some progress here in the kitchen, but it was not to be. At the beginning of the week, I learned that another permit--in addition to the electrical--would have to be obtained from the city before the electrical work could be done, which is holding everything up. To make a long story short, that set me back another $425, and today I had the application faxed to me to sign and have notarized and send back to them.

If I hadn't called the contractor today to follow up, this wouldn't have gotten accomplished and the process would have stalled further. The person I spoke with at the contractor's office said I hadn't yet paid for the permit (I had--on Wednesday). She then looked it up on the computer and, sure enough, she saw that I had. Then she was going to mail the application to me and I asked her to fax it instead (which she did). Then she said to mail it back to her (I FedExed it so they'll get it on Monday). This project has got to get back on track ASAP.

Work was also kind of crazy, on top of everything else. Yesterday I called in sick and slept all day long. I was kind of depressed but felt better after talking to my friend in Canada last night. Today went well, however, although I was on pins and needles all day long since I'd decided to leave the cats together rather than shut Lucky up in the bedroom. I felt it was time they could be together--there hadn't been any confrontations lately, largely because Lucky has learned to steer clear of Bootsy and knows his escape routes. Also, I'd noticed Bootsy has become more accepting of Lucky.

When I got home, Lucky was lying high up on top of a kitchen cabinet in the living room. But he immediately hopped down and stood near Bootsy, both of them waiting for their supper.

I took a nap before going to the gym. Bootsy jumped up on the bed before I went into the bedroom (as he often does). He knows I'm going to take a nap when I close all the blinds. Lucky wanted to play or say hello to him and Bootsy sat there unfazed, just looking down at him (vs. attacking). I was happy to see that.

When I woke up from my nap, Lucky was lying beside me on the bed, a couple of feet from Bootsy. This arrangement would not have worked out two weeks ago. You see Bootsy just yawning.

Fortunately, this picture doesn't show all the bags of kitchen stuff sitting against the walls, all around the room.

I was also disappointed this week that I hadn't gotten a call from someone who said he'd call, someone I've known for years. Oh well. That kind of heightened my loneliness. And then I had a nice dream about B. How things have changed since February 2nd. Also I got a short story rejected by The New Yorker. I have to stop sending stuff there. They only accept submissions from already famous people. I'll have to find other outlets. Meanwhile, maybe I'll go back to writing poetry again (that was my major in college).

Also this past week, I'd been anxious about a monthly prescription delivery, but that turned out to be hassle-free (not always the case, to put it mildly).

Latest polls in swing states (including FL)

See this post from Big Tent Democrat.

The new Quinnipiac polls for Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania are mostly encouraging for John McCain. How can that be? you might ask. McCain trails in all 3 states according to Q. Here's why - Barack Obama has lost ground in these 3 states.

First of all, I do not believe Obama is leading in Florida. In fact, since he is not going to pick Hillary Clinton, I do not think he has a chance in Florida. The crosstabs tell the tale in my opinion. Two key numbers - Obama leads with women NOW 47-42 (not enough, McCain will win men by more than the 47-45 the Q poll is showing.) He will lose women, especially in South Florida, when he does not pick Hillary. McCain leads with white voters 53-39. He will lead by more than that come November, especially if he does not pick Hillary. Obama will not win Florida. . . .

Pennsylvania looks solid for Obama. McCain can not overcome what George Bush has wrought.

Obama still wins the election because he will flip Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado for sure. But there is no reason why it should be this close. His stubborn refusal to pick Hillary Clinton, his insistence in causing political trouble for himself with the VP pick, will make this a closer election than it should be. The political obtuseness on this critical decision is amazing to me.

Also see this post by Steve Soto.

44 lb. cat ends up in New Jersey shelter

Video here.

Obama rebuts

McCain attacks

See here.

Earthquake story from NBC Nightly News

'Slow News Day' (like yesterday)

Here's Digby:

I guess there aren't any white women missing or something because this ongoing coverage of the earthquake in LA is just mindboggling.

I was sitting at my desk and said to myself "Oh, we're having an earthquake." No car alarms went off, the dogs didn't bark and nothing happened. My husband and my cat were both napping and neither one of them even woke up, so it's not exactly The Big One. It's worth a mention and maybe a little follow-up but that's it. It wasn't LA 94 or SF 89 or Alaska 64. I went through two of those. It was just a mild shaker.

What George Bush hath wrought: 'Strained by war, U.S. Army promotes unqualified soldiers'

"A Salon investigation reveals that a shortage of skilled sergeants has led to dubious promotions for inexperienced soldiers -- even jeopardizing some operations in Iraq." Story here.

Not a good day vis-a-vis the kitchen project

See here if this interests you (it's a diary on the progress--or lack thereof--of the kitchen remodel).

Tuesday pix

So much for "Lucky-proofing" the terrace. Here he is negotiating the 4" wide strip of floor that lies outside the glass railing. Glad we're only one floor up from the pool deck. (I shot this pic through the sliding glass door.) The cats like to lie on the throw rugs. (Sorry they don't match.)

I heard a minor skirmish after I got home from work. To evade Bootsy, Lucky jumped up on the tallest cabinet. I'm still going to keep him shut up in my bedroom while I'm at work, at least for a while longer.

Something completely different

Design Star

I don't think I'm not going to vote in this competition. For me, it's pretty much a draw. I tend to favor Jennifer, however, since she's more artistic, and I didn't care for Matt's last design. I found it kind of clunky. But I think he would be a good TV host (maybe a bit better than Jennifer). (I think he's slightly more articulate.) But they're both good.

Kitchen project update, etc.

Update here. I hope the project will resume this week. I've been living with a gutted-out kitchen for over three weeks now. It's getting old.

I shouldn't really complain, however. Tonight I was watching Design Star (the last competition, between the two finalists). Their design project was to redo the kitchen and living area for two New Orleans families (with each finalist redoing one family's space). Since Hurricane Katrina happened, a lot of people in New Orleans still don't have their homes back to normal, and it's been almost three years now. The families in tonight's show had eight or so feet of flood water standing in their homes, which destroyed everything on the main floor.

Things went pretty well this weekend vis-a-vis the cats, but I'm still going to shut Lucky up in my bedroom while I'm at work. Otherwise I'd worry too much about him, not that anything would happen. But Bootsy still catches him off-guard and scares him. He's still just a big kitten (with a high-pitched kitten meow). This weekend I left them alone together when I went out to eat or ran errands, but I'm not comfortable yet with leaving them alone together for hours on end.

Lucky photographs well. What do you think?

Tabby chic

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

McCain all over the place on Iraq withdrawal

(If video "no longer available," link here.)

Good night!

Bootsy's on the bed. Lucky's on the couch. It's getting late. I should never have had that coffee at Starbucks. But that's OK. It's Saturday night. The thrill of it. Hopefully the cats will let me sleep late. I've already closed the bathroom door, so Bootsy can't corner Lucky in there and attack him (and wake me up). We'll see how it goes.

I did a lot of work in Photoshop on this photo, by the way. Originally it looked like this:

'Analysis: US now winning Iraq war that seemed lost'

This is good news. (No mention of the "surge.") Too bad Bush went there in the first place and killed so many people for no reason (including 4100 U.S. soldiers). Story here.

The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost. Limited, sometimes sharp fighting and periodic terrorist bombings in Iraq are likely to continue, possibly for years. But the Iraqi government and the U.S. now are able to shift focus from mainly combat to mainly building the fragile beginnings of peace — a transition that many found almost unthinkable as recently as one year ago.

Despite the occasional bursts of violence, Iraq has reached the point where the insurgents, who once controlled whole cities, no longer have the clout to threaten the viability of the central government.

That does not mean the war has ended or that U.S. troops have no role in Iraq. It means the combat phase finally is ending, years past the time when President Bush optimistically declared it had. The new phase focuses on training the Iraqi army and police, restraining the flow of illicit weaponry from Iran, supporting closer links between Baghdad and local governments, pushing the integration of former insurgents into legitimate government jobs and assisting in rebuilding the economy.

Scattered battles go on, especially against al-Qaida holdouts north of Baghdad. But organized resistance, with the steady drumbeat of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and ambushes that once rocked the capital daily, has all but ceased.

This amounts to more than a lull in the violence. It reflects a fundamental shift in the outlook for the Sunni minority, which held power under Saddam Hussein. They launched the insurgency five years ago. They now are either sidelined or have switched sides to cooperate with the Americans in return for money and political support.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told The Associated Press this past week there are early indications that senior leaders of al-Qaida may be considering shifting their main focus from Iraq to the war in Afghanistan. . . .

Systematic sectarian killings have all but ended in the capital, in large part because of tight security and a strategy of walling off neighborhoods purged of minorities in 2006. . . .

'What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?'

NYT story here. (Emphasis added.)

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.

“He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.

“My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”

As the popularity of granite countertops has grown in the last decade — demand for them has increased tenfold, according to the Marble Institute of America, a trade group representing granite fabricators — so have the types of granite available. For example, one source, Graniteland (graniteland.com) offers more than 900 kinds of granite from 63 countries. And with increased sales volume and variety, there have been more reports of “hot” or potentially hazardous countertops, particularly among the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia.

“It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman’s house. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.” . . .

The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. In Dr. Sugarman’s kitchen, the readings were 100 picocuries per liter. In her basement, where radon readings are expected to be higher because the gas usually seeps into homes from decaying uranium underground, the readings were 6 picocuries per liter. . . .

Wow. Glad I didn't choose granite for the kitchen. (It's bad enough that I smoke.)

Cat report

Another altercation in my bathroom. This time, early on Saturday morning, while I was sound asleep. Got up and dumped a glass of water on Bootsy. Then he tried to "make nice" with me and I totally ignored him. I'm not amused. He gets no positive reinforcement from me (and will get none for a while).

Now I'm thinking--this is the only place in the apartment where Bootsy can really corner Lucky. So this morning I got up and removed all stored kitchen items from the floor, closed the lid on the toilet (I'd left it open for Lucky's amusement), and cleared off the top of the tank. Now Lucky has two more surfaces on which to jump up. (I'd already cleared the top of the vanity where the sink is.)

(Maybe I'll close off the bathroom entirely and put Lucky's cat box somewhere else. Just a thought.)

From now on, Lucky will go to bed with me at night and the door will be closed to keep Bootsy out. Update (Sunday): Rather than do that, I'll try closing the bathroom door at night before I go to bed. If Lucky needs to use the cat box, he knows where the other ones are (and uses them, too). And he won't be cornered by Bootsy.

These altercations are mostly a lot of noise--neither cat has front claws. Nasty as these spats sound, Lucky recovers quickly. I'm a little less resilient and forgiving. (I'm the adult in the house.)

In sum, Lucky's been here a week now and appears to be happy, despite Bootsy's hostility (which was to be expected). He and I have bonded nicely. I don't expect (and never really expected) any great friendship to develop between Bootsy and Lucky. But maybe Bootsy's heart will soften a little. Bootsy's had a complicated life. I don't even know all the ins and outs of it. B. ultimately abandoned him here to shack up with the security guard, and then Lucy died. So I do have a lot of compassion, and Bootsy is essentially a loving cat. At least he loves me and shows it. And I do love him too, and he knows it. We've been together for five years.

'McCain's embarrassing assertions on the Iraq surge'

This is important, considering today McCain smeared Obama for not voting for the surge (and thus being unpatriotic, defeatist, and unsupportive of the troops). I'm sure Obama will set the record straight when he gets back to the States, if he deems it necessary. (Maliki has already backed Obama's timetable for withdrawal, so maybe it's not even worth addressing.) Salon article by Joe Conason here.

"The surge worked."

So insistently do the media's mainstream and conservative commentators repeat the Iraq success meme -- echoing the mantra of George W. Bush and John McCain -- that to probe its premises and assumptions is not permitted. To question the success of last year's troop escalation supposedly implies a negative assessment of the performance of American soldiers and Marines and may even imperil their morale, creating a frame that stifles dissent. But now McCain himself has inadvertently reopened real debate on the subject by claiming that strategies and tactics used to quell the Sunni insurgency long before the surge troops arrived in Iraq should nevertheless be attributed to the surge. Indeed, the surge is so brilliant and so powerful, according to McCain, that it makes things happen in the past as well as in the present and the future.

That must be what passes for "maverick" thinking, although there are certainly other names for it. For those of us who remain tethered to reality, however, the success of the surge must be measured in a context that accounts for many other factors -- as must the simple assertion that we are winning the war in Iraq as a result of the escalation.

The rebuttals of McCain's embarrassing assertion that the Sunni insurgency's turn toward the U.S. and away from al-Qaida came because of the surge have been ample and devastating. His badly skewed sense of time and events has raised fresh doubts about his fitness for the presidency, since he was either incapable of comprehending contemporary facts or intentionally misleading the public when he told CBS anchor Katie Couric that the Anbar awakening "began" during the surge (and that troop escalation enabled the U.S. to protect a Sunni sheik who was actually assassinated during that period).

But aside from that moment of untruth, there are deeper problems in all the airy assertions about the triumph of the surge.

First there is the matter of that shift by the Sunni insurgents, which had nothing to do with the escalation. What changed the minds of the Sunni rebels in Anbar province and elsewhere was a revamped counterinsurgency doctrine that emphasized careful bribery over indiscriminate reprisals -- and that seized upon the growing alienation of the Sunnis from the bullying, murderous leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq. The American military officers who oversaw and implemented that strategy, including Gen. David Petraeus, deserve full credit. Even Petraeus, a strong supporter of the surge, makes very limited claims about its role in bolstering the Sunni turn, however.

In fact, it was the prospect of an early U.S. withdrawal, not the surge, that prompted the Sunni insurgents to change sides, according to the American officers who worked with their leaders. A fascinating article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs by Georgetown professor Colin Kahl and retired Gen. William Odom quotes Marine Maj. Gen. John Allen, who ran the tribal engagement operations in Anbar during 2007, saying that the Democratic sweep in the 2006 midterm elections and the increasing demand for withdrawal by the American public "did not go unnoticed" among the province's Sunni sheiks. "They talked about it all the time." Allen also told Kahl that the Marines exploited those concerns by telling the sheiks: "We are leaving ... We don't know when we are leaving, but we don't have much time, so you [the Anbaris] better get after this." Kahl and Odom write that "the risk that U.S. forces would leave pushed the Sunnis to cut a deal to protect their interests while they still could." They also quote Maj. Niel Smith, the operations officer at the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center, and Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of U.S. forces in Ramadi during that crucial period, who wrote a long article on the Anbar awakening in the journal Military Review. "A growing concern that the U.S. would leave Iraq and leave the Sunnis defenseless against Al-Qaeda and Iranian-supported militias," they recalled, "made these younger [tribal] leaders [who led the awakening] open to our overtures."

There is no doubt that the surge has coincided with diminishing violence in Iraq, although kidnappings and bombings continue daily. As many critics have pointed out, surge proponents always compare the present period with the worst months of 2006 and 2007 -- and the arrival of 30,000 troops is not necessarily why the killing has ebbed.

Perhaps the most plausible reason is that there are many fewer Iraqis to kill in the places where the worst violence occurred, because so many of them have abandoned their homes or left the country altogether. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that roughly 5 million Iraqis have fled, with nearly half of them now living in Syria, Jordan or other neighboring states. Others belong to the cohort known as the "internally displaced," who have sought refuge from the militias "cleansing" Baghdad in either the northern or southern provinces. When there isn't anybody left to kill, the murder statistics tend to improve.

Another fortunate coincidence was the decision of Muqtada al-Sadr, the rebel Shiite leader, to order his militia leaders to stand down in August 2007, just as the surge troops were arriving. That cease-fire broke down last spring in southern Iraq but was then reinstated, in part at the instigation of Iran and in part because of Sadr's own political ambitions.

Why conditions became better in Iraq is a crucial issue not only because it may affect the outcome of the U.S. presidential election but, more important, because it indicates the best way out. For McCain and Bush, proving the success of the surge is important because that means the occupation must continue. For the overwhelming majority of Americans, including Barack Obama, that is an unsustainable option.

What we should learn from the history of the surge is that only the prod of withdrawal, rather than indefinite escalation, can persuade the Iraqis to defend themselves as a sovereign state.

TGIF

Devious cats make liar out of me

I reported that Bootsy was accepting Lucky and that I had Lucky-proofed the terrace. I wasn't all wrong. Last night I let Lucky out onto the terrace (it was raining). Then Bootsy went out and Lucky jumped up onto the then slippery 4 1/4 " ledge behind the A/C in the corner. I got Lucky back inside immediately. I hadn't thought Lucky would jump up onto the roaring air conditioner, but apparently it wasn't roaring at the time (or maybe it was). At any rate, if Lucky would have fallen off the ledge, he would have landed in the top of an oleander tree.

Then this morning, shortly after I'd gotten up, Bootsy attacked Lucky in my bathroom (mostly a vocal confrontation, as far as I can tell). I think Bootsy did it for my consumption (not appreciated, but he didn't seem to care). (I leave the bedroom door open all night long and have yet to be awakened by a confrontation.)

The rest of today went well, however. I even left the cats alone together while I went to pick up my Chinese food down the street. Lucky does have the advantage of being able to jump up onto surfaces that Bootsy can't jump up onto. I just want Lucky to be totally familiar with the apartment and know all the escape routes before I leave him and Bootsy alone together.

UPDATE (7/25): My bathroom has been kind of a "flash point" of confrontation, and now I think I know why. Originally, I had two litter boxes in a hall closet. When Lucky came, I put one of those in my bathroom for when I shut Lucky up while I was gone. Bootsy had used both of them, however--basically, one for #1 and other for #2. But when I took one of them away and gave it to Lucky (figuring Bootsy would adjust and use the one box), Bootsy got stressed. So tonight I bought a third litter box and put it in the closet, so Bootsy has his two again.

More about Barack

If you're wondering what "makes him tick," read this article in the July 21 New Yorker (the issue with the infamous cover).

Barack abroad

NBC Nightly News video.

Barack abroad

Guardian video here.

'The Bush Administration's Rush To Poison You'

See Turkana's post here.

With time running out, the Bush Administration's war on working Americans takes on a new urgency. The Washington Post reported, yesterday:

Political appointees at the Department of Labor are moving with unusual speed to push through in the final months of the Bush administration a rule making it tougher to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.

As always, it is the political appointees. Not the career professionals. Not the scientists. Because Republican political appointees don't care about being professional or scientific. And they clearly don't care about working Americans. . . .

'Teen gets 8 years for coaxing nephews to smoke pot'

Story here.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A teenager shown on a video coaxing his 2- and 4-year-old nephews into smoking marijuana was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison. . . .

What George Bush hath wrought: 'Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder'

"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the situation for gays and lesbians in Iraq has deteriorated. Ridiculed under Hussein, many now find themselves the targets of violence, according to humanitarian officials." CNN story here. Includes video.

"Militias are reportedly threatening families of men believed to be homosexual, stating that they will begin killing family members unless the men are handed over or killed by the family," [a U.N. report] said. . . .

"The 'normal' people cannot live in Iraq. Imagine how the life is for gays."

Rami added, "I do not know why people hate gays even though so many have this tendency. But still they hate it." . . .

Both men hope to escape Iraq. They say their ideal destination would be San Francisco, California. For now, both of them keep their feelings secret. . . .

'He's A Lying Old Man'

See Steve Soto's post here.

He's worse than a doddering imbecile. He's revealing himself to be a lying old man who knows exactly what he is doing and is unfit for the office. It's about time the media got off the bus, avoided the BBQs, and noticed.

Bootsy starting to accept Lucky

No attacks on Lucky today. Bootsy knows better (I attack him). Tonight Bootsy was content to watch Lucky from a distance, and Lucky knew he was being watched but didn't seem to care much. I think Lucky just wants to get along and not be attacked--who wouldn't--but he's still wary of Bootsy, especially when I get home from work and open the bedroom door. I'll continue to sequester Lucky in the bedroom over the next two days while I'm at work. Then we'll see how the weekend goes.

Tonight I inadvertently locked Lucky out on the terrace for about 10 minutes. I'd gone out to empty Bootsy's water bowl onto the plants and didn't see Lucky slip out (he's very quiet and stealthy). Then after a while I couldn't find him, and sure enough he was outside. I'm kind of glad that happened, since Lucky remained on the terrace rather than try to jump off it. (That had been a fear of mine.) And he ran back inside when I opened the door. He knows where home is now (i.e., under air conditioning). He acts almost grateful. I can now trust him (to a point) to be out on the terrace without my direct supervision. (It's already Lucky-proofed, as I mentioned.)

Tonight he's back up sleeping on the cabinets. (No word this week about the permit for the electrical work in the kitchen, which we need to have done before the cabinets can be installed.)

Good ad from VoteVets.org

Short and to the point.

McCain web ad

"Mock your base, McCain. That always works." See MyDD post here and Firedoglake post here.

Lucky discovers the couch

After Bootsy went to bed, Lucky came out to play. (He plays hard.) Today I finally cleared some Home Depot bags off the couch, and it's become his favorite place (for now). He was scrambling all over it. We also played a lively game of peekaboo.

There's also plenty of room in my bedroom for Lucky to run around while I'm at work.

Vanity Fair Parodies New Yorker Cartoon

See Talk Left post here.

Lucky-proofed the terrace

Tonight I introduced Lucky to the terrace, and he immediately wanted to jump up onto the ledge. Of course he didn't know the ledge is only 4 1/4" wide. He could probably have jumped up there and maneuvered it, but I wasn't about to watch it happen. Mind you, it's only one floor down to the pool deck, but it's solid concrete directly below.

So I pushed a potted plant and some empty pots against the exposed areas of the terrace wall to make it impossible for him to make a clean jump up onto the ledge. (I may plant some Crown of Thorns in those empty pots. I've always wanted some anyway.) (Come to think of it, however, they may be poisonous to cats. I'll have to look that up.)

When I came home from work today, I opened my bedroom door and Lucky didn't even seem interested in (and/or was perhaps fearful about) venturing out, although eventually he did. And then the cats got into a skirmish while I was talking on the phone and not paying attention. (Apparently Bootsy realized he had an opportunity to make a move.) I broke that up right away and dragged Bootsy, growling, here into the computer room and closed the doors so I could continue my conversation in peace (with apologies to the person I was talking to).

Lucky meanwhile is very content hanging out in my bedroom. He has everything he needs there. There's also a floor-to-ceiling window he likes to sit at and look out. (He didn't even know about it till I opened the blind and hurricane shutters this morning.) Tonight I spread out in front of it the blanket the Humane Society had given me. I'd already put down a throw rug.

Just now I tried brushing Lucky with a brush full of Bootsy's fur and he started growling. I'd read last night to brush the new and the present cat with the same brush so they get used to each other's scent. I hadn't realized to what extent scent plays a part in this adjustment. I'd also read to shampoo them both with the same shampoo so they smelled the same (I'm not going to put the cats, or me, through that). Frankly, I don't even really detect much of a scent on cats myself, and certainly nothing like dog musk. To me, cats always smell fresh and clean. (But among cats, it's obviously different.) The friend I was talking to on the phone also mentioned the scent thing--his dad is a veterinarian and they've dealt with lots of animals in their own home.

I know there's been a lot of cat blogging lately and it will continue to some degree. I hope at least some people like it.

P.S. I hadn't spent any time out on the terrace since I had friends over in February after B. left (it was like a wake). It was nice sitting out there tonight, watching the cats, hot and muggy as it was. This past weekend I cleaned it up a bit and threw out a bag of mulch that was housing an ant colony. The whole colony went down the garbage chute. Good riddance.

Was just observing the cats in the bedroom. Bootsy often likes to sleep at the foot of the bed on the rumpled comforter. Tonight he went in there and Lucky was up on the pillows and Bootsy started yowling and went back into the living room. So I scooped him up and laid him down at the foot of the bed, with Lucky still up on the pillows, and sat there in a chair and watched them for a while. No problems, no evil eye, no growling. Lucky eventually got down, however. He's got a million places to be. I love having a young cat back in the household. I hope Bootsy will appreciate it eventually. He's certainly got revved up over it, although in a negative way up till now.

I'll sequester Lucky back in the bedroom suite tomorrow before I go to work. There's still a lot of work to be done here.

'People see in Obama what they want to see - that's a blessing and a curse'

"As the US Democratic candidate heads towards Europe, liberals refer to him as if he represents a second coming." Guardian column here.

'NYTimes Confirms: Maliki Supports Obama's Withdrawal Plan'

From Big Tent Democrat at Talk Left.

This is not surprising:

[T]he interpreter for the interview works for Mr. Maliki’s office, not the magazine. And in an audio recording of Mr. Maliki’s interview that Der Spiegel provided to The New York Times, Mr. Maliki seemed to state a clear affinity for Mr. Obama’s position, bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence.

The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr. Maliki’s comments by The Times: “Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.”He continued: “Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.”

See more at Talking Points Memo.

Arch Creek Confrontational

Tonight I was reading up on introducing a new cat into a household with an existing cat. I came across this (more than once):

Monitor all interactions closely during the first weeks. Do not leave the cats alone unsupervised until you are comfortable that there will not be aggressive behavior displayed by any of the cats. During the first few weeks, the new cat should stay in his “safe room” when no one is home to supervise.

We had another spat tonight, with Bootsy attacking and chasing after Lucky, and me chasing Bootsy with the water gun and whisk broom and yelling like a lunatic. Now I think Lucky's afraid of me too. Maybe I'm doing this all wrong. (It's not that I haven't done this before, but all cats are different.)

Everyone, including me, has since calmed down. Lucky is now sitting on his high perch (see "One more" post below), out of everyone's reach (including mine). (He has since jumped down and let me pet him.) It upsets me to see Bootsy go after this innocent, loving young cat, who I was told likes other cats (maybe not so much anymore). I feel bad for him and don't want to see him traumatized and become fearful. Maybe he was better off in foster care.

Tomorrow before I go to work, I'll shut Lucky up in my bedroom suite, with food, water, a cat box, and a big saucer full of growing birdseed sprouts that I germinated out on the terrace (for Lucy, who never ate them). (Lucy used to like them, but she was too sick to eat them by the time they sprouted this time.) Maybe I'll also put some cat nip out. Today Lucky was sleeping on a pillow on my bed for most of the day, so apparently he feels safe in that room. Meanwhile, since he likes to jump up on things, I've removed all breakable items from the surfaces and put them away.

I'll let the cats reunite when I get home from work. Meanwhile Bootsy can further acclimate himself to the presence of the new cat without being in actual contact. (If they want to contact each other, they'll have to do it with their paws under the bedroom door. Fortunately they're declawed.) According to what I've read, this may go on for days or even weeks. But given the confrontations over the weekend, I cannot leave the cats together unattended while I'm at work.

UPDATE: Lucky's all set for tomorrow. All I have to do is feed him and open the window shade and hurricane shutters before I go to work (I keep the room dark).

UPDATE 2: I just went to check on Lucky and he was back in my bathroom, where his cat box and plate of catnip (which he has been savoring) are located. I played with him briefly and he purred for the first time for me. He likes it back there in his space.

What you CAN'T buy in Shanghai

From an article by Linda Marx in the July 21 New Yorker (the one with the infamous cover):

Is there anything you can't get in Shanghai? Here are some things that expatriates told me they crave: antiperspirant; One-A-Day vitamins; non-soupy yogurt; dark chocolate; opaque tights in interesting colors; bras that aren't gaudy, push-up, or padded; Tampax; stylish shoes with a decent high heel; porn magazines; real rye bread; Mexican food; cereal that costs less than $10; clothing and shoes in large sizes; avocados; Clairol Born Blonde All-Over hair color. It's also impossible to find souvenir snow globes, but this doesn't seem to matter to anyone but my nephew in Philadelphia.

So get with it, Shanghaiers!

New Yorker cover wasn't satire

See NYT article here.

[T]he reason The New Yorker’s cover seems to have fallen short is precisely that it brought out into open, respectable space an idea of the Obamas that is still, happily, considered contemptible. The portrait of them as secret Muslims, in cahoots with terrorists and harboring virulent anti-American sentiments, exists for the most part either on the lunatic fringe or in what some might call the lunatic establishment: radically partisan entities like Fox News. If, on the other hand, this newspaper began politely referring to Senator Obama’s radical Islamic sympathies, then a full-blown exaggeration of that insinuation into ridiculous satire would be just what the doctor ordered. . . .

In satire, absurdity achieves its rationality through moral perspective — or it remains simply incoherent or malign absurdity. The New Yorker represented the right-wing caricature of the Obamas while making the fatal error of not also caricaturing the right wing. . . .

But if that very same New Yorker cover had been drawn in a balloon over the head of a deranged citizen — or a ruthless political operative — it would have appeared as plausible only in the mind of that person. The image would have come across as absurd and unjust — a version of reality exaggerated to the point of madness.

By presenting a mad or contemptible partisan sentiment as a mainstream one, by accurately reproducing it and by neglecting to position the target of a slur — the Obamas — in relation to the producers of the slur, The New Yorker seems to have unwittingly reiterated the misconception it meant to lampoon. . . .

Cat art

I love our new cat already. There were some problems yesterday, however. Bootsy attacked him a few times and I intervened. I felt sorry for Lucky--he didn't see it coming. The Humane Society said Lucky likes other cats. He didn't show any animosity toward Bootsy, and I'm sure he didn't provoke the attack. Lucky's wary of him now, however. Fortunately, he can jump up onto surfaces Bootsy can't jump up onto and fit into spaces Bootsy can't fit into.

I trust things will cool down (on Bootsy's part) and the cats will be able to co-exist in relative peace, as Bootsy and Lucy did. Bootsy knows (from my swatting him, whereupon he growled at me) that Lucky has my permission to be here. Today I loaded up the water gun and am keeping it at the ready. I also have the whisk broom as back-up.

'Send Karl Rove to jail'

Maliki on withdrawal of U.S. troops

From Hullabaloo. Maliki has already let it be known that Iraq wants the troops out ASAP (as has been reported here). But this is a twist.

This is pretty enormous news:

In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes" [...]

Asked if he supported Obama's ideas more than those of John McCain, Republican presidential hopeful, Maliki said he did not want to recommend who people should vote for.

"Whoever is thinking about the shorter term is closer to reality. Artificially extending the stay of U.S. troops would cause problems." [...]

"The Americans have found it difficult to agree on a concrete timetable for the exit because it seems like an admission of defeat to them. But it isn't," Maliki told Der Spiegel.

There's just no way to spin this. Regardless of Maliki's motives, this is a total rejection of the McCain conservative position on Iraq. They never wanted to "win," they wanted to stay. And they are being told they have to leave. . . .

One more

A few more pix (and that's it)

Live cat blogging

(I wasn't invited to Netroots Nation.)

I hear skirmish. Run into living room. Bootsy and Lucky at standoff. Lucky under desk. Bootsy standing there, growling.

I clap my hands. Bootsy runs away.

Lucky still under desk, peering out wide-eyed. Bootsy watching him from rug in front of sofa. Falls asleep.

Lucky sneaks away, uses cat box.

Nancy Pelosi: Bush 'a total failure'

"God bless him. Bless his heart."

Lucky Roy

Lucky Roy lying atop the new kitchen cabinets, which are still stacked up in the living room awaiting installation. He jumped up there himself. (He's been scoping out all the new surfaces.) I guess he realizes Bootsy can't bother him up there (not that Bootsy has been bothering him).

"Lucky Roy"

This is Bootsy's (and my) new feline companion. Like Bootsy, he's neutered and de-clawed in the front. I got him at the Humane Society up the road. He'd been in foster care, as I explained below. They said he was a year old or less. He came with a microchip implanted between his shoulder blades, a DVD, an information kit, a free tag with his name and phone number, a months' worth of free health insurance, a blanket, and a bag of food. Before I was allowed to adopt him, I had to show my vehicle registration and my driver's license, and have a property search done on my condo.

After putting on his new tag out in the hall, I released him from the cat carrier (I'd brought my own) onto my bed, where Bootsy was lying on the comforter. Lucky then crawled under the bed but soon started exploring. It wasn't long before he found the rug with the catnip on it from last night (see below) and began rolling around on it and scratching at it.

Bootsy has been following him around and watching him. His life has already become more exciting. Lucky Roy has a bell on his collar I'll have to remove before my bedtime.

(The free bag of food came with a free can of Fancy Feast: "White Meat Chicken Tuscany in a savory sauce with long grain rice and garden greens.")

Now I have to go out and get some lunch. One more lunch at Flanigan's and I'll be entitled to a free one as a member of the Lunch Club.

Excited

We need some excitement around here. Looking forward to the prospect of getting a new companion for Bootsy. It's been so sad around here lately since Lucy died.

'A Convenient Truth'

MyDD post here. (Includes video of Al Gore's speech.)

Today, former Vice President Al Gore laid out his plan to address America's energy crisis. "The United States should be making all of its electricity with renewable and carbon-free energy in 10 years." Stressing the need for America to end its dependence on oil and coal, Gore laid out a plan for the country to "produce all of its electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources", a goal he compared to President Kennedy's challenge for the country to put a man on the moon. Utilizing Sun, wind, and eco-friendly resources, America can contribute to a reduction of the "threat of climate change", relieve itself from the economic impact of "rising oil prices", and reduce the "transfer of wealth to oil producing countries". "I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously....America's security, environmental and economic crises are all related", Al Gore said Thursday.

But see this post also.

***

The Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan group that he chairs, estimates the cost of transforming the nation to so-called clean electricity sources at $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion over 30 years in public and private money.

But he said it would cost about as much to build coal plants to satisfy current demand. "This is an investment that will pay itself back many times over," Gore said. "It's an expensive investment but not compared to the rising cost of continuing to invest in fossil fuels."

He's undoubtedly right. Why dump a ton of money into "clean coal" when we could instead invest it into something that's renewable, from the wind, sun and other earth-friendly energy sources.

But here's the dilemma, the backers of coal are a strong lobbying group, they count Dems such as Barack Obama and Brian Schweitzer among their proponents. Likewise, the backers of drilling for off-shore oil are a strong lobbying group, and have plenty of Democrats advocating for it, as does the expansion of nuclear. And those three things are pretty much all of what Republicans want, while many Democrats want nothing of it anymore asap. . . .

The pathetic thing is that George Bush will have dumped nearly $1 trillion dollars into the desert of the Mideast war before we get him out of the office of the presidency. With that kind of money, imagine if we'd have had a president that took 9/11 as a mission to have gotten off of the addiction to the middle east's oil instead.

George Bush is a total incompetent and always has been.

'Lucky Roy'

Today I was in contact with my vet and the Humane Society, which I didn't know had a large facility right up the street from here (it's been there two years). I really think Bootsy would be better off having a companion, especially during the day when I'm not here. I need a cat that is spayed (or neutered) and de-clawed, since Bootsy is de-clawed. He or she has to be an inside cat and use the cat box at all times.

The Humane Society had one cat, Lucky Roy, who fit that description, but at the moment he's in foster care. When I expressed strong interest and then filled out an application to adopt, the Humane Society called the foster person to let her know. (The foster person did not intend to adopt the cat.) Tomorrow afternoon, the person is bringing the cat back to the Humane Society, and Saturday I plan on going up there to check him out (it's less than 10 minutes away).

I was told Lucky Roy is a year old or even younger, and independent-acting (sounded like a plus for Bootsy's sake). I told the vet about him (the vet's assistant, actually) and she thought that would be a good age, but I don't want him to give Bootsy a hard time (especially the cat being another male). The point of course is to make things better for Bootsy, not worse. I sense that Lucy's leaving the household has affected him negatively, even though he and Lucy weren't the best of buddies.

If I like Lucky Roy (and he likes me) and think his temperament would be positive for Bootsy, I'll adopt him on Saturday.

The problem with funding faith-based initiatives with taxpayer money

I don't want my tax money going toward indoctrinating kids (et al.) against me. Story here. I'm glad the ACLU is going after this outfit.

ACLU Files Suit Against Publicly Funded Anti-Gay Religious Group

A lawsuit was filed Thursday to strip federal funding from Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children (KBHC), a public childcare institution that allegedly indoctrinates children and discriminates against LGBT people in their hiring practices.

“We strongly believe that any group taking public funds should not discriminate in hiring or proselytize,” said Joe Conn, press contact for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “Kentucky Baptist Homes takes buckets of public funds, yet they still try to indoctrinate the children in their care.” . . .