Albino Squirrels Cut the Budget!

Via my mom, this unexpectedly funny video about the $1.2 trillion budget cut that Congress is allegedly working on.  I wish this guy was running!

Over an Inch!

We've had just over an inch (26mm) of rain in the past couple of days.  Woo hoo!

Photo of the Day...

From BPotD:

Amazing WWII Find...

Archaeologists have found a fourth tunnel at Stalag Luft III...

I Don't Think...

...that I could pull this off:

Correlation vs. Causation...

A funny set of graphs...

Rain!

This is turning out to be a lovely, wet end-of-year for us – we got almost three-quarters of an inch (19mm) of rain yesterday, and there's more in the forecast today.  I captured a snapshot of the NEXRAD radar a few minutes ago; the big yellow blobs to our south and southwest are moving toward us.  Hoorah!

Our yard is greener than we've seen in over 10 years.  Narcissus are in bloom all over the yard, with hundreds of plants in bud.  Daffodils are coming up strong; the first ones will probably be blooming in a week or so.  One thing that's surprising us: bulbs are growing where we've never seen them grow before.  These “surprise” plants are all smaller and later than the ones we're used to seeing.  This makes me wonder if perhaps these surprise plants are from weaker or deeper bulbs that have been dormant for years, just waiting until there was enough water.  I know they're planted, because they appear in the same line of plants that we see growing every year.  Does anybody know the reason why we'd see these surprise plants?

Sculpting with Horseshoes...

Sculptor Tom Hill of Hertfordshire, England is a 26 year old self-taught sculptor who works with recycled horseshoes to make his art.  Example below, much more on his site...

Fraud in Russian Elections...

I'm sure you've heard the news reports concerning the allegations of election fraud in the recent Russian elections.  Here Finnish blogger “Anton” does some statistical analysis that strongly indicates two things:

1.  The elections were indeed fraudulent.

2.  The party that benefited from the fraud was United Russia (Putin's party).

The Rain is on the Way...

Did a quick weather check this morning: barometric pressure is falling fast, humidity is climbing, it drizzled off-and-on last night, and the radar shows squalls approaching (fast!) from the ocean.  It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours before we're being drenched...

Quote of the Day...

Seen on the Intertubes, attributed to the cartoon Maxine (but I wasn't able to verify that):

Minorities

We need to show more sympathy for these people.

They travel miles in the heat.

They risk their lives crossing a border.

They don't get paid enough wages.

They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.

They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.

They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day – every day..

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans – I'm talking about our troops!

Doesn't it seem strange that so many are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops?

Question of the Day...

Via reader Simi L.:

Q: How do you starve an Obama supporter?

A: Hide their food stamps under their work shoes.

Well, That Was Cool!

Just got back in from watching the total eclipse of the moon, from a beautiful vantage point just a hundred feet or so from my front door.  The moon slipped into totality just as the sky started to significantly lighten from the dawn.  The top part of the moon's disk was into the umbra, and was a nice reddish-orange.  The bottom part was still in the penumbra, and was grayer than the top.  The only eclipse viewing I've ever had that was better than this was decades ago, in the 1970s, when I watched one from the Indian Ocean in the dead of night...

It will be a while before I can watch one of these again...

Mysteries of the Ancients...

No Explanation Required...

Via reader Jim M. (click to enlarge):

West Texas...

Via reader Jim M.:

Northern Nights...

Via reader Rodney R.:

I just got off the phone with a friend living in North Dakota near the Canadian border. He said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is dropping way below zero and the north wind is increasing to near gale force. His wife has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare. He says that if it gets much worse, he may have to let her in.

Six Minutes to Management Excellence...

Via my mom:

Six Minute Management Course Lesson 1: A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?' 'It was Bob the next door neighbor,' she replies. 'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?' Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure. Lesson 2: A priest offered a Nun a lift.. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest removed his hand But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.' Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.' Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity. Lesson 3: A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Puff! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.' Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say. Lesson 4 An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?' The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.' So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it. Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up. Lesson 5 A turkey was chatting with a bull. 'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.' 'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.' The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree. Moral of the story: Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there. Lesson 6 A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and crapped on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow crap, he began to realize how warm he was. The crap was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow crap, and promptly dug him out and ate him. Morals of the story: (1) Not everyone who craps on you is your enemy. (2) Not everyone who gets you out of crap is your friend. (3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

Christmas Poem, Brooklyn Style...

This is quite likely the only time you will ever see this blog linking to Imus in the Morning! Via my mom, this audio clip of a Christmas poem, in the style of Brooklyn...

Animal Camouflage...

Can you spot the animal at right? 

Lots more examples of animal camouflage at work in this slide show...