Really. I dare you not to smile.

From the L.A.Times (Dec. 21, 2007):

Beverly Allen, a longtime professional dancer who joined the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies late in life and at 87 was the oldest showgirl regularly performing in a chorus, according to the 2005 Guinness World Records, has died. She was 90.

"Beverly Allen was . . . a bright and sparkling gem of a dancer," Riff Markowitz, producer of the Palm Springs Follies, said in a statement Wednesday.

The [Follies] dancers are 55 or older. Allen joined the company at 80 and retired at 87. During that time, "she reigned supremely over nine three-hour performances a week," Markowitz said.

"At 82 she was cartwheeling across the stage and being tossed from the arms of a 60-year-old male dancer to another who was 70," [her daughter Lora] Le Maire recalled of her mother. "I said, 'Mom, are you sure these guys are going to catch you?' She said, 'Sure, honey. They're kids.' "

... is currently playing: Don't Stop The Dance from the album Boys and Girls by Bryan Ferry.

... for NewsMax.com in which he refutes Bill and Hillary's claims that she was "deeply involved" in the Irish peace process, something that Bill and Hill site as evidence of her qualifications to be president. Morris points out that while both of the Clintons discuss this issue at length in their memoirs, neither book even suggests that Hillary had anything to do with resolving the situation in Ireland. If she had played a significant role in bringing about peace in that country, you would certainly expect her book to say so, wouldn't you.

Morris makes a strong case that her claimed experience in foreign affairs is much ado about nothing. His essay reminds us that the Clintons wouldn't recognize the truth if it jumped up and hit them in the nose AND that she has no experience that qualifies her to be President. (If she did, they wouldn't have to make stuff up, would they?)

But the passage that really stands out in my mind is this:

Hillary does recall that in her meetings with women in Ireland, she'd spoken with them about the troubles [ongoing violence in the region] and how to find a way to "achieve peace and reconciliation." But she turns that into a discussion of her own personal problems with Bill and Monica, "Now that's what I had to try to do in the midst of my own heartbreaking troubles."

So Hillary Clinton compares her "heartbreaking" situation (which is to say, her choosing to stay with her womanizing husband after he publicly humiliated her and Chelsea) to what these Irish women experienced while living in a war zone? Holy moly.

I know that Hillary is very popular with Democratic women. I'm sorry, but I just DO NOT GET IT.

... is currently playing: The Grand Illusion from the album The Grand Illusion by Styx.

The site needs a bit of tweaking, but overall it was much easier than I expected. If you find a broken link or something, please let me know.


... is currently playing: That's The Easy Part from the album Beth Nielsen Chapman by Beth Nielsen Chapman.

... for less than $20.00. It is quite popular among toy camera buffs.





This guy (Camera Hacker) tells you how to take it apart and improve its ability to focus to infinity, which is interesting.

But another guy has set up a web site where he shows us how he rigged this camera to take a series of timed photos and then sent his cat, Mr. Lee, out into the world with the rigged camera attached to his collar. When the cat returned home, the owner had a series of images showing him where his cat had been hanging out (and with whom), something the guy had always wondered about.

Here is a picture of the now world-famous Mr. Lee wearing his Cat Cam:



Mr. Lee's owner also sells these modified cameras, in case you want to know where your pet goes when you let him outside. (Of course we all know that pets should not be allowed to roam outside, but many people do anyway.)

And if you go here, you can view a photo gallery of cats, dogs, and robots wearing the Cat Cam. (No, you will not find any of my cats in the gallery. My cats are not allowed to roam outside.)

Another example of why I LOVE THE INTERNET!!!


... is currently playing: Are You Going With Me? from the album Offramp by Pat Metheny Group.

I haven't posted an ALP selection in a while. I hope you like this one. Enjoy.

American Life in Poetry: Column 138

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

You've surely heard it said that the old ought to move over to make room for the young. But in the best of all possible worlds, people who love their work should be able to do it as long as they wish. Those forced to retire, well, they're a sorry lot. Here the Chicago poet, Deborah Cummins, shows a man trying to adjust to life after work.

At a Certain Age

He sits beside his wife who takes the wheel.
Clutching coupons, he wanders the aisles
of Stop & Save. There's no place he must be,
no clock to punch. Sure,
there are bass in the lake, a balsa model
in the garage, the par-three back nine.
But it's not the same.
Time the enemy then, the enemy now.

As he points the remote at the screen
or pauses at the window, staring
into the neighbor's fence but not really seeing it,
he listens to his wife in the kitchen, more amazed
than ever--how women seem to know
what to do. How, with their cycles and timers,
their rolling boils and three-minute eggs,
they wait for something to start. Or stop.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright (c) 2007 by Deborah Cummins, and reprinted by permission of the author. Deborah Cummins' most recent book of poetry is "Counting the Waves," WordTech Communications, 2007. Introduction copyright (c) 2007 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.


... is currently playing: Time On My Hands from the album Billie Holiday: Portrait.

... is laugh to keep from crying.




... is currently playing: All Cried Out from the album Alf by Alison Moyet.

... where he buys Laura the "Empress Carlotta Necklace" ??

I think this can safely be filed under "What the %#& was she thinking?"




... is currently playing: I Feel Pretty from the album West Side Story- Original Broadway Cast with Carol Lawrence and Marilyn Cooper.

A small sample but it still speaks volumes ...





iTunes is currently playing: Are You Going With Me? from the album Offramp by Pat Metheny Group.

What about the idiot homeowner who went to sleep with a kerosene lantern burning with pets in the house??

Dog Saves Family From Fire Blamed on Cat

GREENVILLE, Maine - Thumper, a black Labrador retriever, is getting credit for saving a Greenville man when a fire swept through his home. Roland Cote said his wife and their 7-year-old grandson were away when the blaze started early Sunday in a converted two-story garage. He said Thumper grabbed him by the arm to wake him, leaving just enough time for him to dial 911 before fleeing the fast-moving fire.

While the dog is the hero, a cat is the bad guy in this story.

Cote said the fire marshal investigator believes the blaze was started when Princess, the family cat, tipped over a kerosene lantern. Cote says he and his pets escaped safely, but he says Princess did get her tail singed by the flames.



iTunes is currently playing: Burning Down The House from the album Stop Making Sense: Special New Edition (1984 Film) by Talking Heads.

iTunes is currently playing: Dixie Flyer from the album Land of Dreams by Randy Newman.