7 Things Every Cat (And Their Owners) Should Have

Living in Chicago I meet a lot of pet owners. Due to the small spaces and lack of back-yards, a good number of these people choose to room with cats. Many conversations I've had about pets usually conclude with similar deductions: We all love having a cat, but hate the chores that go along with it.

So, do you want to reap the rewards for pet ownership without [all] the responsibility? Well, with these clever inventions you can have all the fun without the fuss.

First off, you have to make sure that the little guy (or girl) eats. That's where an automatic pet feeder comes in. Just fill it up every few weeks or so and your good to go. (Unless you have an exhibitionist cat like mine who prefers to be watched while he eats. But that's an whole other article.)

Now that your cat's eaten, they'll probably be thirsty. Sure you can leave the seat up on that giant porcelain 'fountain' in the bathroom.... but if you're too lazy to put out a fresh water bowl, chances are that your toilet's not exactly gleaming clean. No problem, all you need is a "Pet Fountain". This cool contraption percolates plenty of fresh water for whenever your furry friend wants it. Most even include a carbon filter that keeps the water fresh, clean, and healthy!

If you're in the city, or just over-cautious, your cat might not be able to get outside too often (if at all.) That's okay, just bring the outside in for them. Now that you've got your Pet Fountain, for a few bucks more you can add the "Aqua Garden". Purely organic, hydroponic wheat grass easily grows simply by clipping a little "seed pod" to the side of your pet fountain. Within a few days you'll start seeing growth of what will become your pets favorite little patch of healthy grass to play with, and eat! It will usually last a few weeks. Then you can just pop in a new "pod" and grow more. Or, if you're feeling down, you can always cut the grass; throw it in a blender; and make your own wheat grass shot?

Food? Check. 

Water? Check. 

Grass? Check. 

Uh-oh. What goes in must inevitably come out as well. That's often enough to make most people not adopt a cat at all. Taking care of that 'business' is definitely not a pleasant proposition. I am personally not a fan at all of 'poop-scooping.' So, I go "ScoopFree".

The ScoopFree litter box is worth it's weight in....gold. [nope, didn't go there] This litter box does all the dirty work for you! All you have to do is replace the pre-filled litter tray about once a month and throw the old one away. (This might have to take place slightly more often if you're a crazy "cat-lady" with lots and lots of cats.) Indeed, this is a high-tech toilet for your kitty. Complete with motion sensors, timers, and built-in motorized 'rake' for scooping. It even stores the 'dirty stuff' out of sight and thus, out of mind! Some models even have their own ionic air filters now so you don't have people walk in your door and question, "Do you have cats?" This is indeed the best 'waste management' solution since indoor plumbing!

What? You don't always have enough time or energy to play with the little fur-ball when you get home? Feel bad that he's not getting enough exercise? 'Miss Pretty Precious' turning into a holy terror? "Loco!Motion" may be just what you both need. Just add 3 AA cells, [plus maybe tie a shoestring on the end] and this automated arm will keep your kitty's attention for sure. It's extremely quiet as far as electronic cat toys go. It's by far the most hushed that I've [barely] heard. Moreover, it's random, jerky motions capably mimic your own play-skills. My cat really goes crazy with the thing. Therefore, "Loco!Motion" just may be the most appropriate name for it.  *(It may be sold under the name, "Pure Commotion" at some pet stores.)

Hit Below to See

"Pure Commotion" In Action!!

I know, I know... All that playing [among other cat activities] tends to spread quite a bit of unsightly fur EVERYWHERE! How it got on top of my surround sound speakers I may never know!?! But not to worry, I've found how to handle that too.

First, you NEED a Roomba. Really, just go get one; The BEST 'practical' gift I've ever received. Roomba does a better job at getting fur off of carpet, tile, and hardwood than anything else I've used. And the best part? It does it all-by-it-self! Almost completely hands-off. You can set it to run while you're at work. Roomba will automatically get itself back to it's charging dock when it's done. And it even gets into corners, under most furniture, and won't fall down stairs! All you need to do is empty it out when you get home, (Extremely easy!) and your floors will always be fur-free.

Cats LOVE sleeping on the bed, the couch, maybe even your pool table. Unquestionably, cats adore anything that their fur will stick to. Well, just a few swipes of the "Mini Sweepa" and you can comfortably bring guests over again. No fear of her nice black dress turning into a furry, gray embarrassment. No more worries of waking up with a mouthful of cat hair. The little rubber bristles of this handy brush get that fur up quicker than any lint brush, roller, or tape you might be using now. The "Mini Sweepa" is re-usable, and it works great on lots of surfaces. You'll find yourself giving almost everything in your place a swipe or two when you're getting ready to have company over.

Well, I'm sure there are more items that I could add to this list. But I've covered the essentials pretty well, I think. If you know of a must have that I don't have listed here, or you already own some of these items... I'd love to hear about it. So, leave a comment and share it with us!

Blagojevich To Appoint Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as Obama's Replacement

In a bold [yet not too surprising] move, our fearless Governor will hold a press conference this afternoon (at 2 p.m.) to name Obama's successor in the Senate. Blagojevich is said to name 71 year-old former Illinois State Attorney General Roland Burris as his choice to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. 

This, only a matter of weeks after his well publicized arrest for attempting to "sell" said Senate seat for personal gain. This arrest also sparked action within the Illinois Congress to move toward impeachment of the self-serving Governor. 

It has been well stated by the Democratic National Party that they would not recognize ANY appointments by the tainted Illinois Governor. I can't believe that anyone would even consider accepting an appointment from Rod Blagojevich. This would have to be considered career suicide by anyone with half a brain. I know jobs a hard to came by these days, but come on now! 

If Roland Burris does take the Senate seat, he can't reasonably imagine that he could keep it in an open election. Or that he will be able to actually accomplish anything while in office. I just don't foresee any self-respecting politician wanting to have anything to do with him. 

Really, for the sake of government, democracy, and the good of this country, Rod Blagojevich needs to give up. He needs to retire, resign, give up the Governor's position. He needs to get out of politics, fight his court battle, but do it as a private citizen. By maintaining his position as Illinois Governor and continuing to [try to] do business, all he's accomplishing is tainting others with the same suspicion of corruption that he brought upon himself. The only real thing I think Blagojevich will ever accomplish from now on as governor, is to further ruin the reputation of Illinois politics and make this state known as having the most corrupt and dishonest political system in the nation.

Perhaps this move is meant to reinforce Rod's assertion of innocence? But I can't see this as anything other than a last ditch attempt to gain favor with someone who has ties to the Illinois Attorney General's office. Just more scheming, plotting, and dealing to save his own arse. 

This is just one more shiny example of how Rod Blagojevich has no class. He works with entirely no consideration for his political party, the State of Illinois, or it's many fine citizens who [unfortunately] put him in office. This guy is only out to help himself with absolutely no regard for anything else. 

Well, maybe something good is to come from this fiasco. Perhaps Illinois voters will take a little more time in choosing who to vote for in the future. The citizens of Illinois (especially Chicago) have for much too long voted for officials based on the wrong criteria. They don't take the time to actually think about what they're doing and who they're giving power to. It's time to wake up Illinois! Take those blinders off, and start making some better decisions!

How Barack Obama Controls The Media

This recent "situation" with Rod Blagojevich and Barack Obama's, shall we say, somewhat detached involvement with it has shown me something. Honestly, it reminded me of my Wednesday nights watching "The West Wing". There was a recurring theme that spread across many different episodes. It was always stressed to be very important and necessary to move forward with the administrations agenda. It all came down to four little words, "control the news cycle."

This was something that came to mind briefly when the Hillary Clinton Secretary of State appointment was imminent. Obama spread that story out over 2 or 3 news days. He held a press conference on Friday supposedly to answer questions about it, briefly commented on it, and said there would be more information on Monday. He then proceeded to give, essentially, a speech about his economic plans. He took a lot of public discussion and debate about Hillary Clinton, capitalized on it, and artfully changed the subject to what he wanted us to talk about. That Monday he did approximately the same thing. He kept the conversation on the economic crisis and how he's going to fix it. Honestly, brilliant.

And now, with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest and corruption charges, he did it again! As soon as talk started that he might be 'involved' or some how entangled in this mess, he held a press conference. All of the media showed up; everyone wanted to hear him deny, or lay out facts about who talked to whom. He gave essentially two well thought out, intentionally worded sentences stating that he personally knew nothing about it. He then, again, gave a little speech... this time about health care. Obama then introduced Tom Daschle as his nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary and passed the mic over to Tom.  Unfortunately for Barack the "change the subject" technique didn't work too well this time as the news focused only the first few minutes of the conference. He did however set up his next press conference by telling us that it would "take a few days" to get that list of contacts between his and Blago's personnel. So we are all now waiting with anticipation for that next time he'll step in front of the camera. 

It's like Groundhog day. A bunch of idiots standing around waiting for a rodent to come out of a hole and tell us if it will be warm and nice soon, or if it'll be cold a bit longer. We (especially the media) are all waiting around for Obama to come out of his office and tell us if everything's okay and safe, or if we're going to see more trouble for a while. 

I'm not going to make a decision whether it's good or bad that our president elect, or "PEBO" as the kids are saying, is taking his policy cues from a canceled TV show. I'm just going to say that I'm on to you Mr. Obama, and I'm a little impressed. So let's all pay close attention over the next 4 years. If you're reading this, chances are you own at least one season of "The West Wing" on DVD. Watch it again and let me know if you see any other similarities between Jed and Barack.

Damn I miss that show....

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Barack Obama Denies Involvement With Blagojevich in Press Conference - News Reports Controversy.

Barack Obama held a press conference today to respond to the myriad of media requests I'm sure he has gotten about the Blagojevich fiasco. His answers were obviously very carefully worded and "less than forthcoming", as 'the news' would say. It's also been reported on that he will not immediately release a list of 'liaisons' or members of his staff that had contact with the Governors office [until it is thoroughly compiled and detailed]. 

This has gotten the media in a frenzy. The fervor at which reporters are suggesting that this means he has something to hide is hilarious to me.

Here are MY thoughts on Obama's reaction to the situation in Illinois:

Barack Obama is evidently (as proven November 4th) quite a skilled politician and public speaker. He ALWAYS chooses his words carefully and is rather good at choosing just the right words. (e.g. "Yes We Can" and "Change") Also, this Rod Blagojevich thing is political poison. Anyone who is only reasonably associated with it will have one hell of a hard time loosing this from their public-opinion resume. And any redeclaration of facts about personal involvement will be questioned, re-questioned, and questioned yet again resulting in a very fast and very strong drop in public support. These details alone are reason enough to understand Obama's reaction to his press conference questions today. 

I'm not jumping to Barack Obama's defense so much as I am rationally thinking this through. (Something today's news media is not very experienced at.) I'm trying to think how I would react if I were in his position. And I'd like to think that it would be pretty much as we're seeing.

You might want to consider as well that Obama has moved forward with his transition planning and Cabinet appointments faster than any President-elect in history. He obviously has a very tightly scheduled plan he intends to follow before Inauguration Day. I'm quite sure that his plans and schedule had absolutely nothing 'penciled-in' for avoiding having his career tainted by an idiotic, selfish, criminal Governor from Illinois. And I'm also pretty confident that Obama's not willing to let this idiot affect his presidential plans in any drastic manner. 

In other words, he has better things to do. (He might as well just say, "I'm busy. The end.") Unlike the media, whose number one interest and agenda is to jump on whatever juicy story that pops up. To take that story and talk about it 24/7, exploit it for ratings, and sensationalize the hell out of it. 

The media just makes me laugh...

....and disappoints me again and again.

A Little Comic Relief

In these days of economic uncertainty and rampant political corruption, I offer a brief moment of comic relief to lighten your day and [hopefully] bring a little smile to your face.

"Skitch" 

A new comic, expertly drawn by: Tom Burns

Enjoy, comment, and please feel free to SHARE it with the world!

(Click on "ADD THIS" button below to share, email, bookmark, etc...)

Illinois' Governor "Hot Rod" Blagojevich Arrested By FBI Minutes Ago!

Uhhhh....

In what was surprising move to some, FBI swooped in this morning and arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff.  FBI allegations against the Governor include trying to sell Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat and using the appointment for his own personal gain!  He is also accused of threatening to withhold government funds from the Chicago Tribune unless they fire certain staff that have been critical of the governor. 

Blagojevich was caught on tape saying, "If they're not going to offer anything of value, I'm just going to take it." This said in obvious reference to Illinois' open U.S. Senate seat. He was also heard on the recordings saying to the Deputy Governor, "This is a f#%^ing valuable thing, you don't just give it away for nothing!"

Governor Blagojevich, officials said, was even considering taking the Senate seat himself and using that to "rebuild" his name. He had also mentioned this positioning himself well for a run at the Presidency.

The governor has been showing public arrogance recently and even joking in the news about having his conversations recorded. I don't think he's laughing anymore. 

Check back for more information as I'm able to gather it and share it with you as this unfolds. I'm beyond excited that we are finally rid of this guy, not very surprised at how it happened, and am looking forward to getting more facts about this situation. 

Read the official USDOJ Press release here:

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2008/pr1209_01.pdf

The officially filed complaint and affidavit can be read here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789434.pdf

(It's about 78 pages long and details the investigation that has been ongoing since 2003!)

Happy Birthday Rod!

"Olympic Village Progress Made for Chicago 2016" - OR - "Daley Loves It When A Plan Comes Together"

It seems that Mayor Daley's vision for Chicago 2016 is slowly and steadily taking shape. It was reported today that agreements have that will help ensure the building of an Olympic Village on the site that was formerly Michael Reese Hospital.

The $1.1 Billion project (about the same dollar value as the recently passed parking meter lease deal) will build 5000 condo units for Olympians to use as dormitories during the Chicago 2016 Olympics. This construction project will also bring a much needed infusing of money and development to the Chicago lakefront south of McCormick Place.

Investors are rightfully a little concerned about the destiny of the new housing after the Olympics are over. Especially considering the current economy and the fact that only about 5000 condos are sold in all of Chicago in GOOD year! But we should keep in mind that this is almost 8 years down the road. That's enough time for two full Presidential terms. And we all know how much our economy can swing in just two Presidential terms. 

Organizers also stated that $50 Million of developers' "rights fees" will go toward helping to finance a proposed Olympic Stadium in Chicago's Washington Park.

Chicago's New Parking Meter Rules to Help Solve City Budget..... And Perhaps Obesity

I foresee a lot of walking in Chicago's future....

The Chicago City Council seemingly and admittedly rushed to a passing vote to privatize the city's 36,000 parking meters. As a result of this decision, Chicago's parking meters will leased by a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley for the next 75 years.

This deal will infuse the city with over $1 Billion that Daley says will be used to balance Chicago's budget. This new parking meter deal will also drastically increase the cost for parking on the streets of Chicago over the next few years. Top meter rates are said to rise up to $6.50 per hour within 5 years. That's $2 more than the minimum hourly wage for waitstaff in Illinois! This will actually make it cheaper to park at some parking lots than at the meters in Chicago!

"Chicago Parking Meter LLC" (the fund that will now run city meters) will also do away with parking meter "holidays" and charge you to park at meters 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (366 in 'leap-years')

This is going to radically affect the way of life in this city. For one, I'm sure it will be a lot easier to find parking spots on the streets of Chicago. That is, if you're willing to pay for them. But finding overnight parking will definitely become more difficult as meters will be running 24 hours a day.

I think a large percentage of drivers (myself included) will rather park a little further away and walk the extra distance instead of paying these ridiculous rates. This could be a good thing; giving people the opportunity to do more walking, take more public transportation, and plan their errands a little more efficiently. On the other hand, a lot of businesses are already concerned that potential customers will just keep driving past their shops instead of dropping 10 quarters to 'run in' for 20 minutes of shopping. (Who keeps that kind of change on them anyway?)

With the recently activated winter parking regulations; economic downturn; and existing frustration with Chicago's ticketing and towing policies, I believe this is bad timing for this kind of change. This could also prove to be a rather poor political decision for Chicago politicians looking to get re-elected.

If you're worried about this transition affecting you, there are some good options to consider that could save you money, fines, and undue stress:

• Plan your day better. Try to park centrally and walk to the businesses and shops you need to visit. You can always walk back to your car and put items in your trunk before moving on to the next stop.  
  
• Stay local.  Many neighborhoods in Chicago have their own, smaller, locally run stores and shops that can offer more convenience. And, quite often, these places may afford you unique products and personal service that you won't find elsewhere.
• Take public transportation. There are buses, trains, and taxis all over Chicago. (This option can also help the environment) There are websites and iPhone 'Apps'("CTA Tracker", "iTrans Chicago CTA", and "CTA Routes")that can help you with this if you're not familiar. They can plan your routes as well as give you exact times and prices of your entire trip.

Last, but not least....

• Take action, speak out! 
  

- Don't park at meters if you don't absolutely have to.

- Write letters and call your representatives.

(Just remain calm and mature with your wording though)

- Find out who voted in favor of this deal don't re-elect them.

This city is getting a little out of control with taxes, fees, fines, and parking 'difficulties'. But we can, and must let them know that it's time slow down. They need to stop rushing into major decisions that affect Chicago citizens and visitors in such extensive and negative ways. They need to take time, think things through, and start working in OUR best interest.

"Where to Street Park in Chicago in the Winter" or "Welcome to Hell....Frozen Over"

Well, the first big snowfall of this winter season commenced at almost exactly midnight, this morning, December 1st. There's no denying it now, folks... It's winter in Chicago! Now we get to look forward to all the wonderful challenges that go along with snow in this city. Not the least of which is trying to park on the street. 

For those of you in the City of Chicago who have garages or own/rent parking spaces, this isn't that big of an issue. For the rest of us however, there can be some very real consequences to parking in the wrong place. 

Chicago has many streets and roads that are designated "Snow Routes". And there are two important parking regulations that come attached to those words.

The first snow route parking regulation is the "Winter Overnight Parking Ban". On approximately 107 miles of arterial city streets from 3am to 7am EVERYDAY - regardless of snow - there is absolutely no parking allowed. You WILL get ticketed, you WILL be towed, and you WILL pay Chicago a lot of money. I recommend that you not test this out. They get quite a bit of revenue from this and will not hesitate to take your car.  You can see a map of these streets here.

The second snow route parking regulation is enforced when there has been a snowfall of two inches or more. And while the City of Chicago claims that this is not activated often, and that they'll usually just 'relocate' your vehicle instead of bringing it to the impound lot, I suggest that you be mindful of these areas too. Here is a map of these 500 miles of roads. 

Because of these parking rules, spaces will be limited. Try to stay calm. Plan to spend extra time looking for parking, digging out your car, and parking farther away. Keep your tempers under control and remember that we are all dealing with the same situation.

Good luck and happy parking!