Mad Macedonian

Carnival of the Cats #246: The AFTER T-Day Edition

Ladies and Gentlecats, and the Humans that love them...

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, just begun, it is with great pleasure that I have the very special honor, and responsibility, to bring to you, today...

Yes, Virginia, some folks, in the rest of the world, consider us a tasty delicacy, fit for a feast, every day, or just on Special Occasions such as Holidays.

While I use a collection of photos, like the above, to poke visual fun at my own expense, the subject IS one of serious concern to our Community, and while I consider my latest edition of Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat to be a story worth your time, I only recommend it to those Cats, and their Humans with STRONG CONSTITUTIONS (And maybe even nothing breakable within reach!), as the subject, and some links about it, IS disturbing.

Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat 19: Healthy Living Thru Cats Edition

Now let's get down to business!

This edition of the Carnival occurs at a special time of the year, and I am glad to see that many Kitties, and their humans, took time out to submit entries! ;-D

Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, are the 2 huge shopping days after Thanksgiving in which our Humans begin the ritual of Christmas Shopping that will last for almost 2 months.

On Black Friday, and even into the weekend itself, our Humans flock in a frenzy to Petco, Petsmart (In conjunction with Matt and The Pet Haven Blog and Website.), and similar establishments nationwide, looking for bargains on the MUST HAVE items (Hat Tip to Co-Creator, Arik Nordby!) for us, their Best Buds/ Buddettes, and Boon Companions!

They also dash off to other establishments, that just happen to be nearby, to find items for their spouses, children, and other family members, as well.

All this exercise has the added benefit of working off all the pounds gained while stuffing themselves with food on Thanksgiving Day (Thanks to the Turkey Cats, Reggie, Riley, Abby and Batman!)

On Cyber Monday many Humans, having shopped until they dropped, plop themselves down in front of their computers...AND SHOP SOME MORE!!

Meanwhile...we Cats, just sit, and watch the comings and goings, all weekend, with a combination of curiosity, and amusement, or even just studied DIS-INTEREST in some cases, over all the stuff clogging all available space in the house, and garage. ;-D

As regular readers know Nikita's Place is not a blog in the traditional sense since it is actually just the name of an Archive Category of Posts where all my contributions can be read at your leisure, and my name is listed as the proud author of each entry.

I call it a Blog within the Blog ;-D

I have not been blogging much the second half of the year, as I've been busy keeping an eye on Daddy as he deals with life in the struggling economy that our Humans are all dealing with these days, but an exploration of my "Blog" will entertain you, I'm sure, especially with my very busy, and sometimes stressful, Spring, when Daddy went on a lengthy vacation leaving me in charge (Lots of pictures!). ;-D

Most Feline Bloggers either contribute to their Humans blog, or have their own blogs entirely, and the Meowsing of Cats, or the Humans who blog about them, is the reason for the Carnival...so let's get this show on the road, and see what's going on with Cats, and their Humans, this week!

This Edition of the Carnival is dedicated to the memory of 15 year old Casey, who went to Rainbow Bridge, on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 26th, after a long, hard fought, battle with cancer.

Casey never felt sorry for herself, no matter what challenges the cancer threw at her, and neither should we.

As her Human, Maureen Harmonay, of  the Animal Translations Blog, writes:

This is a tribute I wrote to honor my cat, Casey, who just lost her
battle with cancer, after a 9-month struggle....

Casey and I shared an unconditional love, and a bond that death may bend, but will not break. She had beautiful, intelligent, wide green eyes, but when they lost their lustre, I knew that I could not ask her to linger any longer in her physical body.

There are good links, in A Sad Farewell to a Beloved Feline Friend, to excellent veterinary clinics and a homeopathic veterinarian who specializes in cancer, and a very touching photo of Casey.

Have A Very Georging Christmas!

As readers know I am a Currency Tracking Research Scientist at Where's George, um, hee, hee! ;-D

Bills of mine have been tracked across SoCal, and the United States, to Florida, in the year since I've joined.

418 bills = $2927

6 of those bills have been Hit, and I've Hit 2 bills sent traveling by others.

There is a cool tradition that has been popular for several years among the Georging Community, and this year I decided to join in the fun.

The tradition involves the sharing of Christmas Cards among interested Georgers from across America, Canada, and the world.

This year, including me, there are 110 people on the list, with 4 from Canada, and one person serving her country in the US Military, aboard a ship in the Persian Gulf.

The cards start going out this weekend, and Mail Carriers across the land will find themselves swamped, for a few weeks, by an abundance of Holiday Cheer that they will be responsible for ensuring safe delivery of.

Each card I send out will have my Special Georging Stamp, seen on the Hamilton above, and a brief message, and the envelopes will be enhanced by 2 humorous stamps, one identifying the item as "Genuine Snail Mail", and the other with a Cat at its desk for a "From the Dest of" effect, above my address label. ;-D

Dark Knight is Quite the Character Film

WOW!

The other day I shelled out $1.75 to see The Dark Knight at the Discount Theater at the Main Place Mall, in Santa Ana.

Whle the action was impressive, as expected, what impressed me the most was the plot with its character driven story.

You would think that a film with 2 iconic major vilians, giving one the full-blown origin story treatment, and that briefly uses a 3rd as a throw away, warm-up, just to get things started, would be un-manageable to say the least.

There was lots of meaty stuff, here, for everyone to sink their acting chops into, and while I got more than I expected out of Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius, and Christian Bale as Bats/Bruce, thus moving their characters forward, from the 1st film, it was the villians than stole the show.

This was a Harvey Dent/Two-Face that this fan of the comics, After-Miller, could recognize, and it was a stunning transformation, extremely well acted by Aaron Eckhart in a complex, and moving performance.

Heath Ledger, as the Joker?

Jack Nichol-who?

WOW!

As well-played, and fun, as Jack's Joker was....THIS performance by Ledger WAS the Joker.

This was the Joker that anyone who grew up with the Batman line of comics, after Miller, knows, and loves.

Dangerous, psychopathic, unpredictable, funny, oh, and did I say dangerous, psychopathic, unpredictable?

This was the Joker that you could believe could Kill Robin, and DID.

This was Joker that you could believe could try to kill, and ended up only crippling for Life, Commissioner Gordons Daughter, Barbara, leading her to eventually leave Batgirl behind to become Oracle.

I sat there absolutely mesmerized by the performance of Ledger, from the 1st moment he appears on screen.

If there was any justice in the world he would at least get an Oscar Nod, and even win it.

They may get another quality performer to play the part, but his perfomance, no matter how masterful, will only suffer by endless comparisons to that of Ledger.

Can they even risk having another person play the part again?

The death of Ledger was tragic, depriving his fans, and the fans of quality acting in general, of seeing his continued growth, and maturity as an actor, as he tried to top this Master Class in acting that was The Joker.

The machinations of this complex plot, delving into the workings of the minds, and morals, of its major characters, especially where Gordon, Lucius, Alfred, and Bruce/Bats were concerned, could not have worked so brilliantly without the Origin Story movie that came before it, and I love how the way the film ends easily lends itself as a set up for a sequel...a film where the people of Gotham realize that as much as they may fear Batman (The crooks certainly do, and that more than anything was why Bruce/Bats made Gordon do what he did.), they will soon realize that they NEED him if they are going to survive the breed of super-criminal mind that is attracted to their city.

Bats is on THEIR side, they will see, and this will lead to his "Return" into their good graces.

At least that's where I see the story moving from here.

I have only 2 quibbles.

In these 2 new films Gordon has a son, daughter, and wife, not a daughter only, and on top of that the daughter is far too young for a comics purists taste.

A different Barbara Gordon appears in Batman Begins and this film.

She is Gordons wife, and DK establishes that the Gordon's DO have a younger daughter, simply credited as Gordon's Daughter (played by Hannah Gunn) in a non-speaking role.

Is this child meant to be the Barbara Gordon who grows up to become Batgirl and/or Oracle, as in the comics?

Like I said...just a couple of quibbles in an otherwise spectacular film. ;-D

So THAT'S what happened to the Old Family Wheels!

Archaeologists have unearthed an elaborately decorated 1,800-year-old chariot sheathed in bronze at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the head of the excavation said Friday.

"The lavishly ornamented four-wheel chariot dates back to the end of the second century A.D"

No doubt that "Limousine" once belonged to an ancestor of mine. ;-D

My roots on my Fathers side go back into Bulgaria/Macedonia, afterall. ;-D

300 posts!

This blog has been open for just over a year, and I just discovered, by reading my stats, that my last post was the 300th one!

This Oreo Ain't No Cookie!

Very cool! ;-D

Thanks to all those who take the time to read this blog, from both Nikita, and I, your support is deeply appreciated! ;-D

This Oreo Ain't No Cookie!

A couple of years ago I wrote a poem about a love-struck snail: It's a Long Way to the Prairie. ;-D

This evening I discovered someone else with a vivid imagination when it comes to snails. ;-D

On a whim I Googled "SMART SNAILS", and discovered the web home of a snail named Oreo, and his Pen-Pal Odessa. ;-D

Oreo has been the star, and main atttraction, of the Man and Mollusc/Mollusk Website, since 2004.

The site has been an educational resource for kids, and adults, produced by Avril Bourquin, since 1999.

Oreo was still alive in October 2007, and the photos detailing his life, and growth, are absolutely beautiful, and fascinating.

Oreo and Odessa live in North America, and are an unusual pair.

They are responsible snails and with responsible care givers.

They feel a need to tell others the truth about owning snails like themselves as pets.

They believe that share what they know will help people all over the world who might suffer if they or other molluscs like them were accidentally or purposefully introduced into our habitats.

Anyway, the series of correspondences are an entertaining, fascinating, and educational, picture-filled collection sure to delight all who read them. ;-D

If you enjoyed meeting Oreo and Odessa, then check out The Pet Zone where you can meet Clarence, a whole different breed of Snail, and thrill to the adventures of Art, Tom, and Mark in "Cone Wars" as photographed, and reported on, by Don Barclay. ;-D

Those stories, and more, are here.

So remember...the next time you encounter a Snail somewhere...don't just automatically squash the little darling...spend a few minutes observing it in action, then wish it a good day, and go on about your business. ;-D

BTW...This is the 300th post on this blog! ;-D

History is Made: Amazing, Yet Sad, and Troubling, History

Don't blame me, I voted McCain/Palin!

As I wrote in the Update in my Election Watch post:

Over the past year I've not covered politics, and issues, on this blog, choosing instead to do so as a part of the Stumble Upon Community where I Thumb Up, Thumb Down, and comment on anything, and everything, and The Choice to Read is Yours...

I've  read, heard, and viewed enough material, since 2005, from sources that I believe, respect, and trust, that I am seriously concerned about the future of America, the land of Freedom, Capitalism, and Democracy, that my Father fled to from Communist Yugoslavia, after WW2, in order to build a new life, and raise a family.

It appears that America will have a Center/Left, possibly Socialist, Government in DC, while the people of the country may still basically actually be mostly Center/Right.

The Mainstream Media won this election for Obama, and the gullable public fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

As I sit here watching FOX NEWS there is a sort of Andrew Jackson Moment occuring on the streets outside the White House as hundreds of ordinary citizens are celebrating in the streets with joy, and abandon.

The Secret Service will keep them from trampling all over the White House grounds, and jumping on the furniture in the People's House, unlike in the day of Jackson, so there's some comfort in that. ;-D

Congratulations Barack Hussein Obama, and Joe Biden.

Make no mistake about it, tonite IS an historic moment in the history of this county.

Yet, yet, I truly believe it is a very sad one for its future.

Nothing about his past, or his plans for this nation, such as they are, or the behavior of many of his worshippers, give me any confidence in the ability of The Messiah, The Chosen One (As some of the more unhinged Kool-Aid Drinkers call him, and concerned Conservatives have derisively echoed.) to lead this nation into the future.

Flowery speeches do not a President make.

Mr Obama...I will be watching you, Americans will be watching you.

Mr. Obama...I don't trust you, and many others feel the same way.

Mr. Obama...You will have to EARN our trust, and our respect, by your deeds in office.

As for the Republican Party...

The Party of Lincoln, and of Reagan, is in shambles.

In the years since The Contract With America the Party has lost its way.

Bush 2 was a disaster, despite the successes of The War Against Terror.

John McCain, despite the great pick of Sarah Palin, did not run a winning campaign, at least not until it was much too late.

The Republican Party MUST get its house in order, starting tomorrow, and toss out on their Ass anyone who is unable, or unwilling to return to its successfull ideological roots.

We may not agree on everything, but we must strive to agree on the important things.

Once that is done then, and only then, can the campaign to recapture the White House, and both Houses of Congress, begin.

Glen Reynolds, the Instapundit, has, and will have over the rest of the week and beyond, plenty of links to Conservative discussion about the debacle, the future under Obama, and how Conservatives can pick up the pieces, and I heartily recommend checking him out from time to time.

The Dems won more seats in the House, and more in the Senate, but not the number needed to get to 60, not even close, so there is hope for the future, slim though it is.

We live in interesting times, someone once said...

We do indeed...dangerous ones, too.

***UPDATE - 11/5/08 - 130pm: OF MALKINLANCHES, LOIN GIRDING, AND READER EMAIL***

Last night, after posting the above essay with it's link to the call by Michelle Malkin for conservatives to engage in some, um, LOIN GIRDING, her readers have followed my Trackback to here, non-stop.

Welcome, welcome, one and all!

(Also welcome to those brave and hearty few who are coming from a couple of other places I linked to. ;-D )

You may be surprised not to find this place to be wall to wall politics, and issues, so let me just say that that stuff is here but, for the most part, I've left the choice to explore all that up to the reader, who will have to put in the effort to find it. ;-D

That may not change, much, if at all, in the future, because the reason I started this blog was to get away from 5+ years of blogging that stuff, and start fresh. ;-D

A wise decision, so far. ;-D

Anyway...I have received 2 very interesting e-mails, responding to this post, this morning, that I wish to bring out of the comments, and into more exposure, so as to really stir the pot for any future comments to come, here, or by bloggers elsewhere.

No sooner was the election called than all the usual suspects in the media, politics, and Blogosphere, began to weigh in with their feelings, on what this all means for the country, and the 2 major parties.

That's fine, important, and interesting but, lest we, and they, forget, ordinary folks, with no internet access, with no blogs, or blogs with low to miniscule traffic, are engaging in the same discussions in all sorts of venues.

My post above is just one example.

The 2 comments present the 2 sides of the political divide in our country in starkly clear, and heartfelt words, and the second one cuts very close to home as its from a family member who, after years of reading my blogging, and rarely telling me what she thinks, finally felt so strongly enough about something I wrote that she felt compelled to toss in her 2 cents.

I'm not too surprised by her words, despite our rarely, if ever, discussing politics, and issues, but I'm not one to let politics come between family, because family is the most important thing in the world to me.

So, without further ado, here are the comments (If you decide to reply, be aware that my Cat, Nikita, as Bouncer, is in charge of approving, and declining, all submissions.)...

Watching the 2008 Election

In a few minutes the results start coming in.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

The House of Representatives currently has 235 Dems, and 199 Republicans.

The Senate has 51 Dems including 2 Independents who caucus with them, and 49 Republicans.

How will this be changed by the end of the night is anybody's guess, polls be damned.

I, for one, hope McCain/Palin pull it out.

I voted last week, and have today, and tomorrow off, so will be watching the news with interest.

Al Martinez, of the Los Angeles Times, wrote a great column, yesterday, in which he said, among other things:

I will have all of my decisions with me in my voting guide. Each choice is clearly marked. I could be out of the booth in less than a minute.

But I don't rush. I pause to take pride in the achievement of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and the others who gave me this right.

Tomorrow.

It will be a day of glory. I will tell the future what I expect beyond the voting booth, beyond the cheers and the tears, beyond the divisive rhetoric of yesterday's demagogues, and into the new mornings of tomorrow's decision makers.

And even when I'm no longer in a position to chronicle America's progress, others will. And they'll be watching far beyond the day after tomorrow.

An excellent essay worth reading as you watch the results pile up...

Election day and a host of tomorrows

***UPDATE - 640PM***

Over the past year I've not covered politics, and issues, on this blog, choosing instead to do so as a part of the Stumble Upon Community where I Thumb Up, Thumb Down, and comment on anything, and everything, and The Choice to Read is Yours...

I've  read, heard, and viewed enough material, since 2005, from sources that I believe, respect, and trust, that I am seriously concerned about the future of America, the land of Freedom, Capitalism, and Democracy, that my Father fled to from Communist Yugoslavia, after WW2, in order to build a new life, and raise a family.

Michelle Malkin, Stop the ACLU, and Red County/OC Blog are Live Blogging the election as, tragically, it appears that America will have a Center/Left, possibly Socialist, Government in DC, while the people of the country may still basically actually be mostly Center/Right.

***END UPDATE***

Pulitzer Winning Columnist Discovers Blogging!

One fans opinion: It's about damn time! ;-D

I've been addicted to the writing of Los Angeles Times Columnist Al Martinez since forever!

Mr. Martinez is, as he describes himself, the "author of a dozen books, an Emmy-nominated creator of prime time television shows, a travel writer, humorist and general hell-raiser."

His writing will amuse, anger, annoy, edumicate, entertain, inform, move, please, touch, wow you and more, sometimes in the same piece, and agree, or disagree with what he has to say you will find the time reading him well spent.

I wrote him an e-mail, on a lark, about my  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for McCain/Palin! post over the weekend, and he wrote back mentioning his brand spanking new blog.

Begun in September there are 8 posts so far, the 1st 6 being reprints of old columns.

Based on these pieces I am adding him to my FOOD FOR THOUGHT BLOGROLL today.

There are 2 posts that I particularly wish to recommend, both, in their own way, about our culture.

Is the world obsessed with Nudity?

Is it true that anyone looking at this picture will be at first curious about a certain aspect of it, then intensly interested in whether their suspicions about it are true, or not, lusting after that which this suspicion makes them imagine is hidden in plain sight?

According to Mr. Martinez the Puritans would not be pleased with this simple, ambiguous, bit of whimsy. ;-D

This 1st essay is an entertaining trip through time, and the History of Nudity.

Morality took a hit in the 20's when the female of the species went mad, but sanity was returned in the Depression, have no fear!

Then came war, and the start of the Cold war, followed by everyone loving Ike, just not in the nude.

When the 60's arrived all bets were off, as well as the clothing of quite a few people, especially the young, long haired, experimenting, and Liberal. ;-D

For the first time in history, the sex microbe was isolated in a Berkeley laboratory to considerable fanfare, reviving interest in its potential when combined with nudity as a catalyst. The government immediately banned any use of an extract refined from the microbe, but it was too late.
Free love and free will were upon us.
During riots that accompanied sit-ins and protests on the U.C. campus, students broke into the endocrine lab, stole the sex formula and sold it to Timothy Leary. That was once more the end of a morality cycle in America.
Bras flew off, panties came down and bare nakedness in public soon became, for reasons obscured by the revolution itself, the new morality, created in the name of peace and freedom. Exactly why it was established as a logo for social change remains unclear, but it worked. The Vietnam War ended and we elected Nixon to lead us into the future.

The obsession continued despite, or inspite of, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and the rise of the Moral Majority, and the Evangelical Christian Right.

As interesting as the above is the ultimate direction of this essay may surpirse you.

Read A Brief History of Nudity.

The 2nd piece touches in a way on my own career past, as it reminds me of the fate of the company I worked for in my longest career (Working in an independant bookstore chain for 18 years, 11 as a Manger, as the company eventually was unable to adapt to the changing times, technology, and shopping habits, of the 90's.)

This piece is from last June:

They’re shutting down DeLauer’s, the 24-hour news stand in Oakland at 13th and Broadway. It’s just around the corner from the Tribune Tower, which not too long ago was abandoned by the newspaper and now sits like a haunted castle, its clock ticking away the fading hours of an era.
      DeLauer’s has been in that same spot for 101 years, selling newspapers and magazines from all over the world. I used to hang out there when I worked the night shift at the Trib. It’s where cops sometimes gathered before the sun rose when their shifts were done and there was no place else to go.
      Old man DeLauer, who is 91, inherited the stand from his father. He left it to his accountant to say that no one was reading newspapers anymore; they were getting their news online. At least all the news they cared about.

Mr Martinez used this piece to comment on the changing times for Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, and the folks, like him, who write for them, in the age of the Internet, and blogging.

Read Ticking Away an Era.

There's more to this website than the blog.

There is a link to the Topanga Writer's Group, as well.

It is a new writers workshop set up by Mr. Martinez that will cover essays, journalism, books and magazines, fiction and non fiction, and television scripts.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Mr. Martinez! ;-D

Check out the blog: Al Martinez...on everything else.

***UPDATE - 11/10/08***

I received an e-mail from Columnist Al Martinez, this afternoon, in response to my blogging about him:

Beautiful!---Your legs, your comments and you.

Al Martinez

Very Cool!

I am truly honored by his compliment...especially regarding my writing...um, hee, hee! ;-D

***END UPDATE***

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for McCain/Palin!

In recent days Presidential Candidate Barack Hussein Obama, aka The Chosen One, and The Messiah, tried to use food in his stump speeches attacking  his Republican opponents John McCain, and Sarah Palin.

As you might expect this didn't exactly go over very well in many Refridgerators and Kitchens, or on many Super Market shelves across the Fruited Plains.

How do I know this?

Let me explain...

Earlier today I was shopping at my local Ralphs, in Orange, deep in the heart of Conservative Orange County (For you folks in Rio Linda....that's in Southern, not NORTHERN California.)...

Just prowling up and down the rows looking for deals, and checking off my shopping list, like the good bachelor cook that I am when, passing the Peanut Butter, and Jelly displays, I heard an urgent whisper from among the jars of Skippy, and Smuckers!

"Hey, Mad One, over here!", the voice called to me.

Looking around to make sure no-one else was in the aisle with me, I realized where the voice was coming from and walked toward it with curiosity.

"We have seen you around here before, and having seen you wearing American Flag Shirts, and Pins, and seeing the Conservative nature of some of the books you have with you on your visits, and your shirts plugging your website, my compatriots and I figured you were the best person to help get our message out, " the voice continued.

Feeling a bit silly to be talking to jars of Peanut Butter and Jelly, not to mention afraid someone might actually see me doing so, I asked... "What message is that?"

"We have learned that one of your candidates for President has used food as a verbal prop in some of his most recent stump speeches, and we take strong exception to this, especially since we are among the ones so exploited, without consultation to see if we agreed to such usage."

"And where, exactly do I come in?", I asked.

"We think you are just the person to get word out to the American Voter, before it is too late, that the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches they love so much take exception to being used as propaganda tools by Liberals, and Socialists."

And so, that is how I came to create the above Campaign Ad. ;-D

The 2 Sandwiches above, as required by custom, and possibly law as well, would like to make clear...

THE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES FOR MCCAIN/PALIN COMMITTEE APPROVE, AND ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR, THE CONTENT OF THIS MESSAGE!

NOTE - The Books used in the Ad are as follows:

1. THE FEDERALIST by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay: Conservative Leadership Series Edition.

2. THE FEDERALIST: The Library of American Freedoms Edition.

3. ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE - Democracy in America: Library of America Series #147.

4. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - Writings from the War of Independence: Library of America Series #123

5. THOMAS JEFFERSON - Writings: Library of America Series #15.

6. ABRAHAM LINCOLN - Speeches and Writings 1859-1865: Library of America Series #46.

***UPDATE - 11/2/08 1210AM***

At 1130pm, last night, THIS post, and Blog, were explored for 17min 50sec. by someone in Wasilla, Alaska, and for 4min 55sec by someone in Washington DC...

While my stats don't say WHO those kind, interested, folks were, I don't want to take any chances, and seem rude, and unappreciative of their interest...

So, just in case...

Dear Palin Family Member, and President Bush (or Vice President Cheney???):

Thank you so very much for taking the time to pay my humble establishment a visit at this very busy time in your lives.

It is much appreciated.

***END UPDATE***

*** 11/2 - HEARTFELT THANK U'S TO THOSE GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN DEVELOPEMENT***

1. Emperor Misha, the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller, High Poobah of the Ancient and Powerful Rottweiller Empire (Ally of The Very Right Wing Conspiracy), even though he seems to be laboring under the misconception that this is NOT a Legitimate, and possibly, game changing, news event. ;-D