Halloween at our front door

See the other pictures of our pumpkin carving night at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28574817@N02/sets/72157622623505458/

Yes Men hit the Chamber of Commerce

Yes Men strike again, and this time it's against the Chamber of Commerce. Of all their hoaxes this one has to be the sweetest. The CofC is one of the worst organizations in the country, opposing every possible progressive reform imaginable.

What is this plant?

My Heartland Community College class, on how to design an ecologically sustainable yard with native plants, begins tonight! Getting into the spirit, I can't wait to learn what this amazing flowering plant in our yard is called. I know that it is native to our area, since it is planted at our neighborhood elementary school's native plant garden, and I see it all over Founder's Grove. During most of the summer, the flower part of the plant is a light green, barely looking like a flower. But then in late August and September, the green turns to a beautiful red, then dark red, attracting all the bees in its vicinity.

All out for Oct. 17th!

Anti-war actions are scheduled in cities across the country this Saturday the 17th, organized by the National Assembly to End War and Occupation. Here in Bloomington-Normal, we're supporting the action in Peoria, leaving at 11 AM from the Center for the Performing Arts on East Street.

Three anti-war events tomorrow in Bloomington-Normal

At our last Bloomington-Normal Citizens for Peace and Justice meeting, we noticed that there are 3 conflicting anti-war event happening in town this Wednesday (10/7/09), marking the 8th anniversary of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. Wow, that's a lot of activity for a town this size! Check out the three events at the BNCPJ website. I still haven't made up my mind if I'll attend the student vigil at Wesleyan or the ACLU talk on Guantanamo.

Another good source for news

I've watched The Global Report a few times on Free Speech TV and was impressed by the breadth of news covered. By the way, Free Speech TV, and Link TV as well, are simply awesome.

One more reason to keep our cats indoors

Lately I've been feeling a little guilty keeping our cats indoors all the time. Our cats, Lefty and Gigi, frequently try to sneak out the back door, curious to explore more terrain and nooks and crannies, but we (as good cat owners) always frustrate their plans. I think what really spurred my guilt over this was having heard Bill Maher in one of his standup routines , ridiculing the indoor cat as one that lives longer but with no fun and adventure in life. Thinking of Maher's comments, I have reconsidered getting Lefty and Gigi used to the cat leash and taking them for a walk (they can't stand the lease harness), but it would be a controlled walk, with our presence, which couldn't be the cat's idea of freedom.

Well, the other day, Lefty successfully sneaked out the door in the late evening, into a lit area near the garage, and it took us a few seconds to realize that he was outside sniffing around. After grabbing him and hurrying him inside, just a few minutes later, we heard an owl hooting very close by in one of the trees surrounding our house. Strange, mysterious noise, the owl hoot. It hooted for a good half hour. Was it hooting because it got a glimpse of Lefty near the garage? The next day I did a search on the Internet and learned that Great Horned Owls do eat small-to-medium cats and dogs! Of course we dont' know if the owl was a Great Horned. But I have to say that I disagree with Bill Maher; for the cat, a little bit of outdoor freedom is definitely outweighed by a concern for safety. The cat just doesn't know what is in its interest, and would agree with me if it did. After all, they are instinctively cautious animals.