Too Cool Pic O' The Week

Just because it tickles me. Click to enlarge.

Cartoon of the Day

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Snark Attack- Abstinence: 99.99% effective

By GottaLaff

Via Gnomette:

VIDEO: Singing Senators

By GottaLaff

So very human, so awfully off key, and somehow endearing:

POLITICO's latest CLICK Flick features five U.S. senators — Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) — doing their best to ring in the holiday season with a rousing version of "Jingle Bells."

Jingle ballsy:

Christmasy Linkage

Ho ho ho!!!! Nicely snowy and quiet here. We're going to be on holiday posting today, so you guys just go and enjoy all your blessings as much as you can. We wish you all the joy and love your hearts can handle.

Mexico: Safety comes in pink taxis

Illinois police protect atheist sign

Haiti turning its garbage into energy

USA Today: Obamas' affection for Hawaii means better times for state When President Obama and his family arrive at Hickam Air Force Base for a Christmas vacation, it will be the fourth time he has visited the Islands in less than 18 months. The fact the president of the United States was born and largely raised in Hawaii is bearing fruit for the state, says Dan Boylan, political columnist and history professor at the University of Hawaii-West Oçahu.

Last-minute Christmas shopping: is it a guy thing?

Build-a-Bear takes heat for global-warming webisodes

Culture wars over Christmas displays: where the law stands

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio may lose 2 House seats New York and New Jersey would each lose one U.S. House seat while the Texas congressional delegation would increase by four members for the 2012 elections, according to an independent analysis of new Census Bureau data.

Musical Interlude

Cartoon of the Day

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Christmas Eve Links

God I'm slow in the morning. Nothing witty to say yet.

Facebook's Other Top Trend of 2009: Divorce

Alcohol's Neolithic Origins- Brewing Up a Civilization

Census: Texas remains country's fastest growing state

Try the minst pye (containing mutton and veal) from 1624

Wall Street Journal: Recession Alters Migration Patterns in U.S. The recession has had a profound effect on migration patterns in the U.S., reversing the flow of people to former housing-boom states such as Florida and Nevada, the latest data from the Census Bureau show.

Scientists Seek to Clone Perfect Christmas Tree

Woman calls 911 when husband refuses to eat dinner

Video suggests Berlusconi attack staged

Mistletoe: Parasite with pagan roots

Times of London: Army halts soldiers’ training to cut costs The Ministry of Defence has cancelled dozens of army training exercises as it struggles to cut costs. The savings affect the regular Army as well as the Territorial Army and have forced Britain to withdraw from a major Nato exercise alongside the United States, The Times has learnt.

VIDEO- Harkin to Vitter: "I just want people to know who's keeping us here"

By GottaLaff

GOP Obstruction version 34389734789237892:



Delay. Block. Or in the Old White Rushpublic partys' case, constipate:

Republican Senator David Vitter (Louisiana) objects to taking a vote on health reform at 6pm on December 23, forcing Senators to remain in session on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas.

Video- The First Lady reads "The Night Before Christmas"

Video- Making of a White House Christmas

If you're feeling tough, this has to be the stupidest thing written on the intertubes this week.

Cartoon of the Day

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VIDEOS: Michelle, Sasha, and Malia spread holiday cheer

By GottaLaff

Here is a big bucket-o'-cute:





Paddy's and my favorite part was when Bo barked at Santa. He'll get some bone-shaped coal (not clean coal, because that doesn't exist) in his little doggie stocking if he's not careful.

Woof!

Reid, McConnell Reach Deal to Adjourn Early, End Filibuster

By GottaLaff

Roll Call is subscription only, but here are the basics:

Senate Republicans have agreed to end their filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) health care reform bill a few hours early on Christmas Eve, a move that will allow the GOP to technically stick to its promise to force Dec. 24 vote on the measure while still making it possible for Senators to return home for the holiday.

The vote will be at 8 a.m.

Ooo, big concession. How could we possibly call them obstructionists now? *sarcasm*

Mid Day Distraction

Monday Links

Good morning!! Welcome to the countdown week, for some of you a joyous time, others a sad and bitter reminder of pain and sorrow**.

Stolen Auschwitz sign recovered

Men really ARE better at parking... and that's a woman professor talking

Obama to honor government efficiency idea

Protests mark funeral of dissident Iranian cleric

CNN: A dozen Gitmo detainees sent to 3 countries Twelve detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were transferred to Afghanistan, Yemen and Somaliland, the U.S. Justice Department said Sunday. The moves bring the total number of detainees held at Guantanamo to just under 200.

Bat Deaths: Some Species At Risk Of Becoming Endangered

Here's how S.C. Gov. Sanford avoided impeachment

Israel: First Jesus-Era House Found In Nazareth

Inside evangelical athletes and the sports world

New York Times: Civilians Train in ‘Afghan City’ in the Midwest For American civilians serving in Afghanistan, the last stop before they ship out to Kabul or Kandahar is a dilapidated, vaguely foreboding institution that once served as a farm colony for “feeble-minded” boys, and later was a state mental hospital.

**Sorry, just always wanted to just up and say it.

Law firm offers Christmas 'divorce voucher'

Coming soon, funeral gift certificates...

LONDON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A London law firm said it has already sold 54 of this year's "must-have" Christmas gift -- vouchers for couples seeking to discuss divorce with a lawyer.

Lloyd Platt & Company said the vouchers, which start at $201 for a couple's half-hour session with a lawyer, have led hundreds of people to contact the firm in recent days and 54 of the vouchers have been sold in only three weeks, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

"Christmas can be a very stressful time for families as we have always seen by the huge increase of people seeking advice in January," senior partner Vanessa Lloyd Platt said. "The vouchers seem to appeal to an enormously wide spread spectrum of people looking for that 'must-have' gift for Christmas."

VIDEO: Christmas at the Whitehouse 2009

By GottaLaff

Sparkly, shiny, beauteous White House Christmas things!

Mid Day Distraction

Catoon of the Day

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