Odessa

Hillary Clinton pulled out of a rally protesting the appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN. Why? Because Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be there. According to Clinton's camp, Philippe Reines said: "Clearly there was some miscommunication because this was never billed to us as a partisan political event. Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending this event."

I would think that something this important could go beyond petty party power plays, but obviously I'm wrong.

Six foot three Joseph Petcka claims he was simply defending himself against the 7 lb ball of fur named Norman. I don't know whether to laugh, cry or just shake my head.

From the New York Daily News

"You love that cat more than me!" Joseph Petcka, 37, screamed at his girlfriend, Lisa Altobelli, just before he pummeled 7-pound pussy Norman to death, court papers say.

The ruggedly handsome Petcka, who has appeared in Brawny paper towel ads and "Sex and the City," claims he acted in self-defense after the cat tried to bite him inside Altobelli's SoHo apartment.

My friend's cat is a bit vicious and has tried to bite me on several occasions. Have I ever felt that I could not escape and had to beat him to death? Never.

Norman, an orange-and-white long hair, died from injuries that included three broken ribs and torn lungs, officials said.

While some may think the 2 yrs in prison that this sick mother fucker coward is facing is harsh - consider that it may have been Ms. Altobelli in a body bag if the big brawny man didn't have the little kitty to beat on.

Maybe the next cat that bites Mr. Petcka will be rabid - then at least he will have an excuse for acting like a lunatic.

PETA can be a bit out there at times when they worry about people eating honey or wearing silk, but sometimes they get back to their original roots and worry about animal welfare.

PETA has been investigating factory farms and they have found some atrocities. The workers on the investigated farm took great delight in tormenting and torturing the animals in their care and it was caught on video. Only open the following if you have the stomach:

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse

The people at the intestigated Iowa pig farm turn my stomach. I hope I never meet people like these because I may have to, at a minimum, spit in their eye . . . or stick a finger in their eye or a rod up their ass.

Next time you go buy hot dogs, or chili, or any other meat containing product from a mass-market producer, keep in mind how those animals are treated and that you may be helping pay the sick mother fuckers that treated them that way. Although Hormel denies knowing or advocating this type of behavior, how do they really know how the animals that supply their meat is treated? This may be one farm, but how many sick mother fuckers working at how many farms are there?

I'm not telling anyone to go vegetarian - I'm not. I'm asking you to think before you buy. Visit your local farmer's market. Look the farmer in the eye and see if you think he/she is a person that treats their animals with dignity while they are alive. Choose carefully who you want to support.

How many times have you wanted to say that to someone, not because they are talking to anyone, but because they are IMing their little fingers off. Now we may have just had a disaster because someone couldn't wait to IM. The engineer of a California commuter rail, Metrolink, is suspected of texting just before crashing head-on with a freight train. He and a couple of 14 yr old train enthusiasts had become friendly and they were reportedly texting each other just before the crash that killed 25.

This goes for talking on the phone or texting - nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is that damned important that the person on the other side can not wait until you are someplace safe. We really need to get out of that stupid teenaged mentality that we NEED to answer right away 'cause the other person might get mad / sad / nervous / etc. / etc. Just because we can talk/text in more and more places is not reason we should.

So - get your head out of that damned phone and pay attention to what's around you! The life you save could be your own . . . or a couple dozen more.

Well, not court, per se, but rather binding arbitration. While I find Islam's attitude toward women disgusting, the binding arbitration that the Sharia Courts are deciding on are mostly civil issues such as divorce, inheritance and community disagreements (such as a neighbor dispute).

Article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

I get it, freedom of religion and all. Plus, the Brits have let similar Jewish courts operate for some time. But Islamic law is a totally different beast than Jewish law.

I would hope that the women agreeing to go to the Sharia court have been counciled on their rights and/or realize they are going to get the royal shaft. I would also hope that there are some checks and balances to make sure that the women agreeing to these proceedings are not being coerced into them. However, considering the "honor" killings that we hear about and the relative seclusion many of these women face, I am not too optomistic about the Muslim women subjected to these proceedings knowing fully what they are getting into.

The part of this that does make my blood boil is the fact that domestic abuse is lumped in with the above mentioned civil issues. Supporters of these courts applaude that fact that the husbands are sent to anger management, it saves the marrage and the women ultimately drop any criminal charges. No follow-up, no making sure the woman has dropped the charges of her own accord, nothing. I wonder how many Muslim women are going to have trips to the hospital or the morgue before the British authorities rethink this aspect of the Sharia courts. Just a thought.

Well, at least until after the election. She said she won't have any candidates on her show until after the election, although she supports Obama and had him on her show in the past. Some women's groups are crying foul and boycotting her show, saying she is missing an opportunity to showcase a woman who is breaking barriers.

I think everyone needs to step back for a second and take a deep breath.

I, as a woman, have never understood the cult of Oprah. She may have set a new standard for talk shows, but she is not a goddess. Although, one might say she is the goddess of talk shows. Even being the entertainment mogul she is does not endow her with supernatural powers or epic genius. The only power she has is the power others, primarily women, give her.

So, ladies, get over it. It's her show, she can have who ever she wants on it. I think a boycott is a little over the top. However, if it gets women to start thinking for themselves again, I'm all for it. Maybe women will quit going to book stores glossy eyed asking for the book of the month and waiting like a kid on Christmas morning for the next issue of "O" - In other words, they might get a life.

And as far as in interview with Palin or Obama? I am an patient person - after November 4th works for me.

From the A.P.

Amsterdam woman charged after fatal motorcycle crash

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (AP) - The woman accused of causing a fatal motorcycle accident in Amsterdam has been indicted on reckless endangerment charges.

Police say Georgeanna Crisalli threw a beer can at David Rivera back in April, causing him to lose control of his bike.

Investigators say speed was the main factor that caused Rivera to crash into another vehicle, but the beer can is believed to have distracted him and contributed to the accident.

The woman accused of causing a fatal motorcycle accident in Amsterdam has been indicted on reckless endangerment charges. Police say Georgeanna Crisalli threw a beer can at David Rivera on April 8th, causing him to lose control of his bike.

Witnesses have said Rivera turned his head when Crisalli threw the can and when he turned back, the motorcycle began to wobble.

Crisalli was indicted on the charge in Montgomery County yesterday. Police believe she threw the can because she was angry at motorcyclists who speed down city streets.

People on motorcycles have enough to deal with, they don't need looney women tossing cans at them. At least Amsterdam is going to try to hold her accountable.

From the Canadian Press:

CAMROSE, Alta. — Two 16-year-old Alberta boys who admitted to breaking into a neighbour's house, putting the family cat in a microwave and then watching it cook to death have been sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.

. . .

“The cat was screaming in the microwave for 10 minutes while it was essentially cooked to death,” said Crown prosecutor John Laluk.

“What makes it worse is they not only tortured the cat, but they wanted to torture the family. This was a deliberate attempt to inflict pain on the homeowners.”

. . .

But the most disturbing crime was described in a felt-pen scrawl on the kitchen window and cabinets: “You had a nice cat” and “it's in the microwave.”

Inside was the family's pet, Princess.

And a year PROBATION and 100 hrs of community service are their sentences? What kind of namby pamby punishment is that? Oh wait, they can't have a pet for two years and one family has to give up its dog - boo fucking hoo.

Chris Millsap, the other defence lawyer, described his client as a gifted musician who plays in the church band.

“There's no explanation ... for such a heinous crime,” said Mr. Millsap. “He's a very good kid who did something very wrong.”

Umm, yeah. I don't define a kid that can listen to and participate in a cat being cooked to death "very good".

If it was my cat, I'm not so sure I would be willing to sit by and see light sentences like this. The mastermind behind this will likely kill a human at some point in the future - that will likely get someone's attention.

There were five boys total involved and Mr. Millsap says they all have "life sentence" due to the stigma of the incident. One of the boys family has moved away. Again, boo fucking hoo. I'm sure Princess's family will be stricken for the rest of their life with the memory of what they saw when they came home from vacation.

I posted the following little gem on my Myspace:

"Ever have a day, week, month, hell, fucking lifetime, where you feel like a mushroom? You know, where you are fed a lot of bullshit and kept in the dark?

Will someone, ANYONE, tell me what is going on? No one seems equipped or willing to give me a straight answer. And if I get annoyed or ask questions, I'm a bitch, pain in the ass, ...

Just wish I could find a light switch and blind everyone with all the hypocrisy!"

Pretty straight forward - deliberately non-specific, but straight forward. Am I pissy? Sure, and I think I have plenty of reasons for my grouchiness. But one of the folks on my friend's list assumed that it was about one specific thing. Was that thing a factor? You betcha. Only factor? Nope.

Now repeat after me "When you ASSUME you make an ASS out of U and ME."

By the way, it was refreshing to get an answer and getting a few things "verified". Even though I was told how much I suck it was far better than the silent treatment.