Day Laborers in 2009

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

The Crowd at Obama's Inauguration

The crowd at Obama's Inauguration
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Here is a satellite view of the crowd at Obama's inauguration. This was taken from GeoEye's website.

This little guy has grown up big and strong

My new neighbor
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I came home today to a house filled with the faint aroma of skunk. Apple smelled ever so slightly skunky, was acting very guilty, but clearly hadn't been tagged. As I was investigating the smell our neighbor Mike came over to tell me that Apple had spent the day frantically digging under the shed to get at a skunk. He sat in the safety of his home watching her dig, bark, and successfully avoid getting sprayed. Based on the strength of the smell I can only assume that the little guy is still under or inside the shed.

The coal ash spill in Kingston TN

Heaps of coal ash sludge
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I was visiting my parents last week for Christmas in Knoxville, TN when I first heard about the coal ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant. My dad and I drove 35 miles from his home in Knoxville to the site of the devastation in Kingston. My dad knows all of the backroads around Harriman and Kingston so we were able to get close to the spill despite the police roadblocks. The roads were filled with large trucks carrying gravel to the site and hauling away god knows what! I was completely horrified as we drove through several nice neighborhoods that were directly across the river from the plant. Large waves of ash filled water washed up behind these homes destroying boat docks and spreading the toxic sludge. According to the New York Times the plant produced 45000 pounds of arsenic, 49000 pounds of lead, and 713 ounds of mercury in 2007 alone. Now decades worth of this arsenic and lead have been dumped into the Clinch and Emory rivers polluting the drinking water for over a half a million residents downstream.

United Mountain Defense has published a copy of the initial TVA water test results and the results are awful.

Kingston Fossil Plant
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Wave of sludge washed ashore
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Boat dock with sludge in background
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

The Bush doctrine and locating the US on a map

There is a striking similarity between these two videos (other than the fact that Sarah Palin is also a former beauty contestant):

What is the difference between a pit bull and Sarah Palin?

What is the difference between a pit bull and Sarah Palin?
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

One is a sweet dog and the other is an ignorant bitch.

The other answer to this is that pit bulls are more selective with whom and how often they procreate. I hate to involve the children in this, but how dare she compare herself to a wonderful dog like my Apple?

When Beagles Fly

When Beagles Fly
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Holly took Rufus and Apple to the Dirty Dog Pet Wash and Boutique to get a bath and have their nails done. Rufus HATES getting his nails trimmed and is such an absolute freak about it that I try to take him to a different groomer every time. The owner of the Dirty Dog apparently specializes in high maintenance hounds and had a very effective trick up her sleeve: the floating harness! Rufus dog-paddled in mid-air and chuffed while the trimming was going on, but seemed rather calm when he was allowed to just float unmolested. Holly theorizes that the compression of the harness has a calming effect, but I prefer to think that he was overcome with dreams of ear-powered flight. I can't wait for his next visit.

Obama Branded Air Filling Station

Who better than Barack Obama to remind you to inflate your tires to the proper pressure? Every gas station air pump should have one of these stickers!

Rufus and his den

Rufus and his den
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Rufus and Apple are still really freaked out by the construction in the condo. Rufus has decided that the closet is now his lair and has spent the better part of the weekend in here with his herd of cows. He has dragged most of his toys into this closet and is extremely reluctant to leave. I had to bribe him with back scratches and ground beef to get him out.