Senate Race Update: ND, MT, NE, MO

Submitted by Spectator on 10/09/12 10:56am
Heitkamp in ND keeps it close ... Akin hangs on

U.S. Senate races combine local issues and candidates with national trends, so, sometimes, a candidate can buck the tide.

Maybe that's what's happening in North Dakota, where, despite the national trend toward the Republicans this week, Democratic nominee Heidi Heitkamp is running even with Repubulican congressman Rick Berg in the latest poll.

Berg was expected to be a strong favorite after a series of GOP victories in the state, including Berg's unseating of longtime Democratic congressman Earl Pomeroy in 2010.   But Berg's effort to leapfrog to the open Senate seat after one term has not gone so smoothly.

Without a GOP wind to his back, Berg's campaign has proven to be less than a juggernaut, and opponent Heidi Heitkamp has taken advantage.

Heitkamp is a cancer survivor and former state attorney general.  She lost a race for governor in 2000, but remained a popular figure, and, perhaps, despite Berg's recent statewide win, better known and liked than Berg.  National commentators didn't take those facts into account when first handicapping the race.

But, maybe more importantly, Heitkamp has been out of office, giving her a chance to distance herself from national Democrats.  In neighboring Montana, Sen. Jon Tester, also a popular, more "down-home" kind of Democrat, is saddled with his support for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and appears to be slipping behind challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg.

And a bit south in Nebraska, former Sen. Bob Kerrey has been furiously painting himself as a nonpartisan independent thinker, but, although he has been out of office, some of his past statements about health care and other issues have haunted him (that, plus the awkward way he declined to run, and then abruptly changed his mind and rushed to register to vote on the last possible day).

Heitkamp is free to cherry pick from the parts of Obamacare that have appeal, and it seems to be giving her a boost.

***

Another state that handicappers had listed as a likely D-to-R flip was Missouri, and it still might, but it will have been an adventure.

First, Sen. Claire McCaskill was considered such an underdog that three major Republicans launched campaigns for the GOP nomination.  Akin won the primary, perhaps with some surreptitious help from Democrats who viewed him as the easiest challenger to defeat.

Then, Akin's fortunes sank after controversial comments about conception and rape.  But instead of dropping out, Akin decided to "go rogue" and forge ahead.

Finally, Akin is (at least somewhat) "respectable" again (at least to the point at which some national Republicans are willing to help him raise money), and he has (surprisingly to many) kept the race from devolving into a McCaskill blowout (see, e.g., O'Donnell, Christine; as in, "I am not a witch").

Polls continue to show Akin competitive, although most have McCaskill holding the lead.  A late national trend could affect the outcome, since voters do not appear to be enamoured with either candidate.

Pulling At My Heartstrings: Cat Brushes Self and more cute dumps

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 10/09/12 10:28am

This cat truly loves to be brushed. So much so that she doesn't even need a human anymore, except as a kind of brush stand. I wish my dog was like this, but with cleaning his ears. Wishful thinking, Dumpers.

 
More cute bombs after the bump.
 
 
Military Dad video. Do you really need any more lead-in? I don't think you do. (God the audio breaks my cold, black heart in twain.)
 

Surprise Homecoming

 
 
Fat cat in a little box, fat cat in a liiiiitttllllle box. Makes me think of "Tommy Boy."
 

Cats Epic Fail

 
 
Gibbon in a diaper! Gibbon in a diaper! Okay, now that I got that out of my system, let's talk about this Gibbon in a diaper! Squeee!
 

APEril and Chuck the cat MidwestTongs.Com

 
 
Poor Maggie just wants to try out the lake, but first she needs to get used to her life jacket. A life jacket, I might add, which probably weighs more than she does. Either way, adorable.
 

Maggie - Miniature Schnauzer in Life Jacket

 
 
What is slightly better but less common than a cat able to hold a brush and brush itself on its own? A cat that uses a LIVE HEDGEHOG as its brush. Guh. I can't. I just can't!
 

Ёжик-щетка (The hedgehog like а brush)

 

New Bill Clinton Blog

Submitted by Justine Flaherty on 10/09/12 9:58am
Plus Clinton schedule updates

By now, the world is well aware of former President Bill Clinton’s extraordinary communications abilities, and although speaking is topmost on the list, Clinton is also a prolific writer.

To further his efforts to bring together the global community of “private citizens doing public good,” Bill Clinton launched a blog on the Clinton Foundation website. The blog is simply titled: Up Close, and features relevant content regarding Foundation work written by staff, volunteers and of course, Bill Clinton himself.

Also no surprise is the blog’s largest tag category: Africa. While the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) works to solve problems in countries that span the globe, including CGI America, Bill Clinton has made African countries a priority, and the nation of Haiti a personal focus.

A visit to Clinton’s Up Close blog provides detailed stories containing interviews, photos and videos in many cases that reveal the most recent work the Clinton Foundation is doing in this region.

It is interesting to read about how the Foundation operates on its principles, and many of the posts educate readers about the concept of sustainable initiatives at work quite well by using accessible language that reads easy.

Programs like the Haiti Development Fund that withhold profits in order to advance sustainability and grow jobs in communities are quite inspiring. Reading Up Close features like these instill confidence alongside hope that countries hardest hit by today’s global challenges will not just persevere, but triumph in time.

Bill Clinton Schedule Updates

As a world-wind ambassador and statesman, humanitarian and surrogate to the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton finds little rest these days.

Noteworthy Item   The Clinton Foundation Millennium Network held its annual fundraising event on Oct. 8th at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Clinton hosted A Night Out with the Millennium Network that featured performances by The Ruse and Robin Thicke, and honored guests Chelsea Clinton and LL Cool J.

Oct. 10 –Tempe, AZ – Bill Clinton will stump at a rally for Arizona Senate candidate Rich Carmona held at Arizona State University, 9 p.m. Register for this public event here.

Oct. 16 –Baltimore, MD – President Clinton will engage the audience as a featured headline of the Baltimore Speaker Series. The sold-out event begins at 8 p.m.

Oct. 19 –Fayettville, AR, - Bill Clinton lends his voice to narrate a new documentary film about Fayettville, Arkansas where the Clintons once called home. The Fayettville Library will host a gala premier event for the film.

Dog pretends to be burglar; terrifies owner

Submitted by erika on 10/09/12 8:06am
A successful prank by Maya, the yellow lab

Imagine you are sitting around the house by yourself, when your cell phone rings. You pick it up, check the display, and discover that the call is coming from your home's land line. Unnerved, you answer the call. On the other end of the line you hear banging and scratching noises.

How scared would you be? Personally, I would be terrified. But this is the very scenario which dog owner Bruce Gardner of Orem, UT faced. Gardner assumed that a mentally disturbed burglar was in his home playing a prank, so he did the sensible thing: he dialed 911. 
 
When police arrived, they investigated the situation thoroughly but were unable to find any signs of a break-in or any other untoward events. Puzzled, the police finally left. It wasn't until several hours later that Gardner was able to identify the culprit: his dog Maya.

After police left, Gardner went searching for his land line's cordless phone handset. Unable to locate it, he finally had to resort to calling himself. He was finally able to locate the handset outside in the garden, where it had been dropped by the prankster - but it still bore signs of the event, in the form of "tooth marks on the back of the phone."
 
Apparently Maya swiped the handset and stealthily slipped outside to play with her new treasure. In chewing on the phone, she managed to hit "Redial," which called Gardner's cell phone. The handset was in pretty good shape, which leads Gardner to believe that the swift arrival of the Orem police department distracted Maya from her task.
 
Pets frequently manage to get themselves in trouble with the Redial and pre-programmed phone buttons. A few years ago, a "hero cat" dialed 911 when his owner fell out of his wheelchair and was unable to reach his medical alert call button. In 2008 an assistance dog named Buddy validated his training by dialing 911 when his owner had a seizure. 
 
And earlier this year, a choking Bassett hound in the UK managed to save his own life when he dialed their emergency services number (999, unlike our 911) while choking. The emergency dispatcher heard "nothing but heavy breathing and gasping," and dispatched police to the residence. Police found that George had managed to get wrapped up in the phone's cord, and would certainly have died if they hadn't been sent to the scene.

Be a better blogger by analyzing someone else's success

Submitted by erika on 10/09/12 6:37am
Figure out exactly what they're doing right - and do it!

A friend recently asked me to help him figure out why his blog wasn't doing as well as he thought it should. The first thing I asked him was to send me some links to blogs that were similar to his, which he thought were doing well. The competition, in other words, except that blogging isn't a competitive sport. But you know what I mean.

As bloggers, there is always (or should always be) another blogger that we compare ourselves to. Someone whose success you envy, someone whose audience you covet, someone whose blog design and layout you are inclined to pilfer. These are the goals that you strive for, and just as in other forms of racing, sometimes it's easiest to give it your all when you keep the leader in sight.
 
Your natural inclination will be to grump jealously. "I could do it better," you think. But resist the urge to tear the other blogger down. Instead, take a clear eyed look at what they are doing right. Then resolve to do it yourself.

Most of the time, the other blogger will have the advantage of having been blogging for longer than you have. But this doesn't have as great a benefit as you might think - I can give you fistfuls of blogs that have been limping along for years without developing a following. And in the case of this particular blogger, his blog had only been active for about six months.
 
Look at their blog with the fresh eyes of a new visitor. What do you see? What elements does the blogger emphasize? And what things are they ignoring which you are working to emphasize? (This can be a clue that they tried the thing you're trying, but they found it not worth the time.)
 
How often do they post? How many photos do they include, and how good are they? If they keep to a regular schedule, what time of day do they usually publish their posts? What kind of writing style do they use - academic, folksy, poetic, technical?
 
Make a list of everything that they do, which you do not. You don't want to copy another blogger slavishly, but I bet you will find a few things you can try out. 
 
In this particular case, I found two things: the other blogger spent a lot of time reading and commenting on other blogs, and his blog posts had more photos, better photos, and a more vivid writing style. It stings to say "you need to take better photos and write better," but all too often it is the truth. No matter how good you are at photography and writing, there is always room for improvement.
 

Politics! So complicated!

Submitted by Maverick on 10/09/12 6:10am
Frankly I just tune a lot of that nonsense out.

It's like I told FOX News, when I was running for vice president I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes or in headquarters. I was basically just the football that they were carrying around the field. 

I mean, does the football know that it is the football? Does it know why Dude A just threw it to Dude B? No. The football probably has no idea what's going on either. But it is the most important part of the game. It just has to, you know, let go and trust its handlers. I was the same way. The McCain staff pretty much took care of everything. I didn't bother paying attention. They had people to do that for me.
 
I'll tell you what is not complicated, though: declaring Barack Obama the loser in the debates. I didn't really watch, but I know he lost. I mean, I sort of watched. It was on TV. I was just busy catching up with some texting, you know how it is. Those guys just drone on and on about all kinds of policy stuff and whatever. I get bored.

But I get paid to say things like "Barack Obama is the clear loser in this presidential debate," and so that is what I say. I know when to trust in my handlers. Mostly it's when I can't be bothered to pay attention and figure it out myself, which is most of the time. I don't know if you've noticed, but this stuff is really dull! AND complicated. And who really cares?
 
I don't understand why we even bother to have presidential debates. Everyone already knows who they are going to vote for. Why not just hold the election today and call it done? Why keep dragging it out? I have stuff to do, you know.
 
I'll tell you what is not complicated, though: voting for Bristol to win Dancing With The Stars! You may never have heard me urge people to get out there and vote in their local political elections, but that is because none of those elections involve one of my family members. This one does, which is why I am flogging it endlessly.
 
Vote for Bristol! Oh, and go see my dad's reading when he comes to visit your town, and buy his book. A lot of people have made a lot of money by writing books about me. I decided it was high time the Palin family caught that gravy train to stardom, too. 
 

Reading Pile: 10/8/12

Submitted by wrathamon on 10/09/12 12:20am
Uncanny X-Men, AVX VS & Legends of the Dark Knight

Uncanny X-Men #19- This issue did a far better job of being the climax of the event than the actual climax of the event did. First of all, Gillen does a great job of condensing the events in such a non-linear way that actually does capture the experience Cyclops has of being possessed by the Phoenix force. Unfortunately, it also captures the anticlimactic ending of the main series and shoves the stupidity of it in your face. On the plus side, it also captures the inane fact that most of Cyclops' printed life since about 1975 has been about putting up with an idiot who has claws in his hands and I applaud Gillen for pointing that out. Gillen also does something in the end that takes into account that apparently Cyclops did some pretty horrible things, but that he was right all along so yay for Team Scott. This issue also has some nice Eaglesham artwork that managed to make this supplemental piece look more epic than the actual epic main event. A-

AVX VS #6- This might be the single best issue of the entire crossover for the single page story by Dan Slott that does more to explain the inconsistencies of the entire damn thing than any other writer could ever hope to do properly. The other thing this issue reveals is that Kieron Gillen is possibly the best person they have working on these stupid crossovers, and that Kathyrn and Stuart Immonen are probably the only people in the Marvel offices that remembered that Leonardo Da Vinci was part of this event. The other benefit of this issue is you do get some (brief) artwork from Ramon K Perez, Arthur Adams, and Jim Cheung. B-

Legends of the Dark Knight #1- So in case you didn’t know, this is a reprint of the digital series so there isn’t actually anything new here if you do read DC books online. It is nice to get a reprint though for those of uswho are less tempted by digital comics, plus hey, THIS IS PRE-52 CONTINUITY!!! YAAAAY! ZOMG, TIM DRAKE AS ROBIN!! AMAZO!!! NO USELESS LINES ON BATMAN’S COSTUME!!!! But I digress. The plus side is that you get some nice JG Jones and Nikola Scott artwork, and those stories are fun quickies. I didn’t really care for the Lindelof/Lemire opening story as it starred a fairly douchy Bruce Wayne, but whatever. Thirty pages for $3.99 isn’t great, but you could do worse I suppose. B+

Refresh your resume for hiring season

Submitted by Justine Flaherty on 10/08/12 11:21pm
Believe it or not, the hiring season is upon us.

With a dreary economy still in front of us, and dismal job gains fresh in our minds, it may be hard to grasp the notion of a “hiring season” here in Las Vegas, Nevada, or anywhere. But the reality is that any employer hoping their growth projections will make good and continue through next year is actually on the hunt for fresh talent now. If you want to be in that pool of considered talent, now’s the time to ramp up your job-seeking efforts.

September, October and November (through Thanksgiving) are widely accepted as the hiring months for most growing companies, and you’d be wise to start getting your over-hauled resume out there. Resume revamping can be an arduous task if you don’t have a game plan, feel uninspired, or just don’t know where to begin. To address these issues, Las Vegas Job Market offers specific, real-world and practical solutions.

Reader Tip: Don’t assume your bookmarks, Internet connection and hard drive will always be there. Write the following information important to your job search down for future reference.

RESUME GAME PLAN

As posted last week, the first order of business is to update your resume. Consider any/all professional activities you have undertaken or completed since the last rendition of your resume. Note: Keep it industry-related. Your attendance at a Job Connect/DET workshop is not resume-worthy. An enterprise hosted online webinar on leadership skills in your industry is.

Play-up the work you have taken while looking for your ideal job. You should study your preferred industry and position(s) for the best ways to spin your recent work activity. This can be tricky when posting your resume to online job sites like Monster, Career Builder and Indeed. It’s hard to know what may resonate with employers that search for you, and how best to present that work on your searchable resume.

RESUME INSPIRATION

That said, it’s a considerable advantage to any job seeker to have the employer come to you. As a Nevadan, you’ll do well by posting to two national sites, plus Nevada’s JobConnect site. Need some inspiration and guiding words to help tie it all together?

Consider these resume buzzwords as compiled by Nevada Job Connect resumes and employer postings from their 2011 database and get amped about your resume revamp:

Strategic planning |  Performance and productivity improvement

Organizational design |  Infrastructure   | New Media                   

Internet    | E-commerce    |   Change Management

Team building  |     Leadership  | Product positioning

Competitive market  | Investor and board relations   

Oral and written communications | Developed

Problem solving and decision-making   

Project management  |    Customer retention

Business development  |  Corporate vision

Long-range planning   |   Cost reduction

Trending words like these found on resumes and job listings are not meant as an end game; rather, they are listed in order to give you motivation and some positive, guiding words of wisdom. Until next time, remember to focus on putting your best foot forward and as always, good luck!

Rangers Don't Win

Submitted by jemanji on 10/08/12 6:15pm
... and to SSI, that's important

.

Look like any GM's you know?  :- )

If you want to see 85 seconds that capture the essence of Dr. D's complaint with the "win 85-90 games with efficient dollars" approach -- as Dr. D sees it, anyway --  this Lombardi video will give you a feel for it.

Dr. D watches this as part of his pre-lifting routine.  Ideas like these make the difference on the 12th rep, as well as in life generally.  ... for the kiddies who just joined us, Vince Lombardi was a legitimate sports genius, a geniunely great leader.  Just for example, he took a 1-10 Packers team to a 7-5 record first year, doing very little other than inspiring his players and teaching them correct playing technique.  He went on to win 5 championships in 7 years.  He didn't win championships by spending money.  He won championships because he was a champion.

Granted, our bloggy sparring amigos could reply that they define "winning" differently:  that winning is wins per $, or making the playoffs, or filling the stands, or whatever.  Fair enough; winning can be defined by each person for themselves.  But Dr. D's response?  Go tell Vince Lombardi that you're redefining "winning" as finishing second?

You can't take the passion out of sports and have anything worthwhile left over.  You can't play "to make the playoffs" and accomplish anything that will last.

.

=== Texas 2013 ===

The Rangers are one and done, and as they say in golf, a putt is a stroke you can't get back.  The 2011-13 Rangers never won.  Three years ago, there was the possibility of a dynasty.  That possibility is slipping through their fingers.

I'm not saying they've done nothing, of course.  But for those of us who pay attention to championships, the 2013 season becomes a wasted one for them.  I love the Wild Card; it devalues second place and thereby weights first place the way it should be weighted.  Sportswriters complain that the divisional races aren't worth much.  Tell that to the 2013 Rangers; if they'd won one or two more games, they'd have won the AL West and been able to bring their pitching to bear on a long series.  They traded a top-100* prospect for Ryan Dempster, trying to win that extra game.  They lost.  They lost despite their best efforts.

There's a sentiment out there that says the 2011-14 Rangers are exactly where they want to be.  Hey, the playoffs are a crapshoot anyway; we don't care about those.  They're one of the contenders, and that's the highest target that an intelligent man can really aim at.

See the video.  Contending?  That's not why the Angels traded for Greinke or the Rangers for Dempster.  There are a lot of GM's who, in Texas' shoes, would feel like they just ... um... what's the word.  Oh:  the Rangers just "Lost."

.

=== Wild Card ===

Texas and Baltimore would have been in the playoffs with 91 victories.  The Mariners don't have to amass more talent than New York and Texas.  They have to put together a 90-win team.

Oakland did it with a bunch of rookie pitching.  The 2012 season was an encouraging one for fans in Seattle, Oakland, and places like that.  For years, we've been seeing blog posts about how unpossible it is to catch Texas, talent-wise, so we might as well punt [fill in next three years] and rebuild properly.

I doubt there are many people on SSI who doubt that the Mariners' appropriate 2013 goal is to try to make the playoffs.  Yes, there are situations wherein there's nothing to do but to detonate the roster and start over.  This isn't one of them.  Geoff Baker is pushing hard for a "splash" signing and if the 2013 M's roll Josh Hamilton out there, great.  If they don't, it's not over.  Michael Saunders is still packing those 74 dingers next season....

.

=== Texas 2014-15 ===

The caveat emptor, first.  Nobody is saying that the Rangers are about to complete a series of 90-loss seasons.  That's not what is about to occur.  But they have to wonder whether their best shot at a dynasty has come and gone.  

  • Josh Hamilton is a free agent; WITH his 139 OPS+ this year, their team OPS+ was only 102.
  • Mike Napoli is a free agent.
  • Ryan Dempster and Roy Oswalt are free agents.
  • Colby Lewis is injured and Neftali Feliz just underwent Tommy John.
  • Mike Adams and Mark Lowe are free agents.
  • Michael Young is 35, just had a 78 OPS+, and is owed $16M next year.
  • Mitch Moreland just had a 104 OPS+ at first base, Kinsler and Andrus were below average, Nelson Cruz had a 100 OPS+ and is a free agent next year.
  • David Murphy is their returning offensive star.  Him and Beltre, I guess.  Everybody has those two guys.

Without Josh Hamilton, the Rangers' offense looks extremely ordinary.  Their pitching staff is deep, especially in the bullpen, but that makes them 2013 Tampa Bay or 2013 Oakland, as opposed to making them the 1996-2001 Yankees.

The future's so bright that Texas can ... take off their shades now.

This week's new DVD releases include 'Prometheus' and 'Rock of Ages'

Submitted by LauriePerry on 10/08/12 5:41pm
Plenty of entertainment for fans of horror and sci-fi.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to think that October 2012 is bringing a windfall to movie fans, in the form of awesome DVD and Blu-ray releases! After being so picky about what I wanted to see in the theater this year, I'm so thankful to finally get the chance to catch the films I missed.

Prometheus is one of the movies I'm most excited to finally see. Rarely have I ever seen a movie divide my friends more! Half of them absolutely hated it, while the other half loved it -- so I'm curious to see where I'll fall. If science fiction and/or horror aren't your thing, don't despair: You've got other options DVD-wise this week!Has anyone seen Prometheus? If so, can you offer some insight for the rest of us who haven't? I really am super-interested in seeing this movie, but I'm certain that I don't want to buy it. I never buy until I've seen at least once, and even then, I have to think hard before making a purchase. Even the major movie critics' reviews for Prometheus were sharply divided, so I really don't know what to expect when I finally pop this one in the Blu-ray player!

I mentioned that if science fiction and horror aren't to your liking, that you had other options, and you do: The musical movie Rock of Ages is also new on DVD and Blu-ray this week. I've seen the Broadway play (and loved it), so I'll definitely see the movie version as soon as possible. Reviews weren't that great -- and that's the main reason I waited for the Rock of Ages DVD release. I'd say if musical movies are your "thing," you'll probably enjoy this one!

Finally, another horror film, The Raven, is new on DVD this week. This one stars John Cusack as famed mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe. Reviews weren't great for this movie, but I'll be seeing it on Blu-ray as well. The director, James McTeigue, also directed one of my favorite movies, V for Vendetta, so I can wait to see what he's done with this dark, spooky, suspenseful tale.

Movie fans, what new DVD release are you most excited to see this week?
 

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