Click here and vote for my cousin Carey in Maixm’s Hottest Cheerleader contest. 

By the edge of the wood, at the foot of the hill, is a lush,
green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
when their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,
until one day they start, and sniff the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just that instant their eyes have met,
together again both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from the past,
the time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
and then side-by-side

They cross over……..together.

Washington
Atlanta
Buffalo
Chicago
Minnesota
Tennessee
NY Giants
New England
Seattle
San Francisco
Denver
Indianapolis
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Dallas
San Diego

Chris Cooley was in the news week.  On DC101’s Elliot in the Morning, Cooley said he could not “confirm or deny” if little Cooley was in the picture he posted on his blog.  He later put up this post under the heading “We’re Dumb”:

We are very sorry that we showed a penis on our website all day yesterday.  That was by no means our intention and we did not want to offend anyone.   The picture wouldn’t have been up for so long, but we were in the middle of winning a big game.  Once again, this was a complete accident and we regret not reviewing the post more closely.  Thanks.

Here’s big Cooley fully-clothed, of course.

Jacksonville
Carolina
Tennessee
New Orleans
Green Bay
NY Giants
Kansas City
Indianapolis
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Arizona
NY Jets
Baltimore
Denver
Pittsburgh
Dallas

LOTUS is so happy that the NFL season is finally here.   And what a great start we got off to today — Tom Brady goes down in the first quarter of the first game!  Ah, Schadenfreude.

Here are my picks for this week:

NY Giants
Buffalo
Atlanta
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Jacksonville
New Orleans
New England
NY Jets
Arizona
San Diego
Dallas
Indianapolis
Minnesota
Denver

Also, this just looks weird.  Still love him though.

I’ve had this music running in my head for the past week and just had to share it.  Yes, you may recognize it from a recent commercial.  Some idiot commented that it’s the “theme song for United.” 

Click here for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Leonard Bernstein at piano.  (Note: There are two parts.)

Yes, it’s a pretty loose interpretation of “week” since it’s been a couple months since I’ve posted a recipe.  It’s Trevor’s fault, but he makes up for it by offering a good one this time around.  Click here for his Chicken Parmigiana.  As noted above, the recipe can feed an Army, so plan or do the math accordingly!

Barack Obama says we have “an obligation” to fix the current health care system. In his plan, “No American will be turned away.” Michelle Obama disagrees. While an executive at the University of Chicago Medical Center, she developed the hospital’s Urban Health Initiative, a program to refer patients without private insurance to other health care facilities in their neighborhood. Those shown the door tend to be poor minorities, mostly blacks.

In order to sell the program to the community, the hospital hired ASK Public Strategies, co-owned by David Axelrod, a top aide to the Obama campaign. The recommendation to hire Axelrod’s firm was made by Obama’s wife and by his advisor Valerie Jarrett, who sits on the hospital’s board. Syrian national and Obama fundraiser “Tony” Rezko also had a hand in seeing the program move forward by recommending another Obama friend to take over the program in October 2007. Rezko seems to be the go-to-guy for the Obamas.

Click here to read the rest of my column this week.

Women (and men) face many hard choices in life.  Sure, we should celebrate the expanding opportunities for women, but we also have to accept that there will be criticism of those choices.  I think Governor Palin was a great choice for Vice President.  She’s a great choice for the Republican Party and a great choice for the country.  But, is it a great choice for her family?  Dr. Laura wrote on her blog:

I’m stunned - couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain?   I realize his advisors probably didn’t want a “mature” woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age.  But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

I am haunted by the family pictures of the Palins during political photo-ops, showing the eldest daughter, now pregnant with her own child, cuddling the family’s newborn.  When Mom and Dad both work full-time (no matter how many folks get involved with the children), it becomes a somewhat chaotic situation.  Certainly, if a child becomes ill and is rushed to the hospital, and you’re on the hotline with both Israel and Iran as nuclear tempers are flaring, where’s your attention going to be?  Where should your attention be?  Well, once you put your hand on the Bible and make that oath, your attention has to be with the government of the United States of America.