Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a new year filled with blessings and joy.

2016 Heroes

There are many heroes who will be missed in 2016. Here's one excerpt by Leif Reigstad from the Texas Monthly People We’ll Miss 2016 :

Bretagne the Dog
1999 — June 6, 2016


"We tend to define our lives by moments of achievement or emotional highs. Once we’ve reached these zeniths, there is an inevitable drop-off, a loss of identity that can make our lives seem like nothing but a struggle in search of another big moment. Think of a parent sending its youngest child off to college, or a novelist who has just finished his or her pièce de résistance. It can be unbearably distressing to finish something. This dilemma is particularly poignant for people who were part of something a little bigger than the rest of us: an ex-world leader spends his post-presidency painting sub-par portraits; a former star quarterback whittles away the rest of his days in a vacuous mansion, occasionally doing spots for local TV commercials peddling used cars or above-ground pools.

It makes perfect sense, though, that Bretagne is the rare exception to the post-heroism struggle. Bretagne was always good at finding things when others couldn’t. During her long career as a FEMA-certified disaster search dog, Bretagne and her handler, Denise Corliss, responded to a number of the nation’s worst disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But her defining moment came in September 2001, when she traveled to New York City with Texas Task Force 1 in the days following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

For ten days after the 9/11 attack, then two-year-old Bretagne sniffed through the wreckage working twelve-hour shifts. She and the other rescuers found only human remains. But Bretagne became a sort of therapy dog at the scene, as responders would often pet the golden retriever and share their personal stories with Corliss. They spoke of loved ones, friends, and family they were searching for. For a few moments there amid the mass destruction, they found some comfort and strength in Bretagne.

Bretagne retired six years ago, but she remained a fixture at the Cy-Fair volunteer firehouse and continued to be an important member of her community, making public appearances and regularly visiting an elementary school in Waller County. “Each week, she would visit a first grade classroom and listen to young readers, providing a non-judgmental ear, and soft paw,” the department said in a press release after Bretagne passed away in June. “Her calm demeanor and warm heart helped the young and old through their own difficult moments.”

Bretagne was widely recognized for her service. In 2014, she accompanied Corliss to the “Hero Dog Awards” in Beverly Hills, California. In 2015, she was honored by a dog charity and invited back to New York City for her sixteenth birthday, where she enjoyed a ritzy hotel room, a gourmet burger, toys, treats, and a personalized welcome message on a billboard in Times Square. She was believed to be the last living rescue dog who responded to 9/11.

Once back in Texas after her New York trip, Bretagne’s age began to catch up with her. She slowed, stopped eating, and became anxious. On the night of Sunday, June 5, Corliss slept alongside the dog, a touching role reversal that undoubtedly provided Bretagne herself some comfort and solace. The next day, Corliss took Bretagne to the vet to be euthanized.

When Corliss arrived at the vet with Bretagne in the back seat of her car, the pair was greeted by a line of firefighters gathered to honor their beloved Bretagne. The dog trotted slowly, stoically, past the firefighters as they raised their arms in salute. When Bretagne, this time in a casket draped in a Texas flag, exited the vet’s office later that afternoon, the firefighters again lined up wearing black armbands. Members of the rescue unit served as pallbearers and walked with Bretagne for one last time, a fitting send-off for a hero."

*sniff* it sure is dusty in here *sniff*

We Won, Not You!

Obama's Ulgy Bid To Snub Voters And Tie Trump's Hands

Under obama, democrats have lost :
13 Senate seats
69 House seats in Congress

and on a local level, dems have lost:
12 governorships
30 state legislative chambers
900+ state legislative seats

That’s the worst showing for an incumbent president’s party since the Richard Nixon years, due to the taint of Watergate.

Yet the king of denial still doesn't get it.

Debbie Reynolds 1932 - 2016

'I Want To Be With Carrie': Last Words Of Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds, 84, Who Died Of A Suspected Stroke, Just One Day After Her Daughter Carrie Fisher Died Of A Heart Attack

Unbelievable, isn't it? To quote Yogi Berra, "This is too coincidental to be a coincidence."

I hope they're together now, doing their witty, razor-sharp schticks, and enjoying eachother's company. My best wishes go out to their surviving family members and friends for their loss.

RIP Carrie and Debbie.

WOO

Deepak Chopra Doesn't Understand Quantum Physics, So Brian Cox Wants $1,000,000 From Him

You can't make money if nobody buys your BS. As such, "woo" that has zero paying customers is more like just ordinary batshit crazy.

Carrie Fisher 1956 - 2016

Iconic Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Dead At 60

Gone too soon.

RIP Princess.

Whoo Hoo!

One Christmas present came in November this year...

Yep, I had to get political, but I can't help feeling an extra bounce in my step this year. I think it's relief that soon we'll be free of the dark spectre of obama and his ilk running the country into the ground.

Good riddance.

Blessed Christmas Greetings

Cat Blog Friday

For this Cat Blog Friday...

... definitely not a Florida cat.

Happy Friday everybody!

Real Bitter Clingers

Remember when obama said, "...it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Yeah, look who's bitterly clinging now :)

White Winter

Winter In Miami Feeling A Lot Like Summer In Miami

Not just Miami, it was 86° here in Tampa yesterday and we're further north.

I guess Florida has decided not to participate in winter this year.

Santa's Elves

This video was hilarious.

Parenting 101

Good meme.

New Holiday

The Perfect Summation Of The Obama Presidency Doesn’t Even Need Words

Click HERE to see what Thomas Lifson means by the above.

Christmas Humor

Poor reinkitty.

Cat Blog Friday

For this Cat Blog Friday...

... a cat most people have never heard of... Pavlov's cat.

Happy Friday everybody!

Soothing Salve

Why The Media Can't Tell The Truth About Trump

The above product might help ;)


[The BLOG note: Hat tip to Miketaag Roganson on Facebook ]

Science Humor

Why? Just because...











And my favorite...



:)

Winter Heat

Feels like 85°

Update: By 3 p.m, it's 83° but feels like 87°.

Bookworms Only

16 Gifts For The Bookworm In Your Life

Some nice stocking stuffers for the book lovers in your life.

The Lyin' King

The King Of Fake News

Obama may be the king, but the number of loyal libby subjects that do his bidding are legion.

Fake Or True?

Misunderstanding Russia

According to Chris Stirewalt, destablizing is what Russians do.

Chill!

Bitterly Cold Air To Come In Waves Across US Into Next Week

Yeah, it's cold in December, what else is new, right?

Ran across the above pic on a Facebook post by Lauren Otradovec of Glenburn, North Dakota from earlier in the week.

Yikes! I can't imagine winter getting worse than that.

Disparate Impact

I haven't made up my mind about Pudzer yet, but Sundance's eye-opening article is a very good first step in understanding why our immigration system is broken.

Why Donald Trump, And American Workers, Need Andrew Pudzer As Secretary Of Labor

Sundance writes, "What most people don’t know is what you just read; that (Federal) EEOC hiring rules are in direct conflict with (Federal) Dept of Labor hiring Laws when it comes to DHS employment eligibility, immigration laws, and EEOC “disparate impact”.

This doesn't address H1B and H2B visas or anchor babies, but it does explain many government machinations that I didn't know. Certainly well worth reading.

The Good Fight

This is coming...

The Left's Coming Counter-Attack

Gird your loins, people.

Culture War

A perfect read for a lazy Sunday. Clarice Feldman of The American Thinker rarely disappoints with this eyeful beneath the veil of leftist irrationality:

I’m Fighting the Left’s Culture War One Bagel At A Time

The election of 2016 was an example of how effective pushing back against progressivism's totalitarian need to "re-educate" us can be. Their side is still reeling from the loss and we've only just begun to fight the good fight.

2016 SEC Championship

Alabama's Crimson Tide v. Florida's Gators.

Youngest daughter spent her freshman year at the University of Alabama and then grad work at the University of Florida.

Guess which team she's rooting for?

Proggy Mental Cases

If you ever doubted that liberalism is a mental disorder, a Hillary supporter gave this account in HuffPo:

A Hillary Supporter Admitted Himself To The Psych Ward On Election Night When He Realized She Was Losing

Best comment I read came from dmcaward:

When he finds out he has to pay a $5,000 deductible for his hospital visit, thanks to Obamacare, he will probably jump off a building.

:)