Medary.com

Yep, that's what Zogby says their poll shows:

Just 24% give the president favorable ratings of his performance in handling the war in Iraq, but confidence in Congress is significantly worse – only 3% give Congress positive marks for how it has handled the war.

Democrats on the street hate Congress because they (Congress) haven't had the guts to actually de-fund the war and force a defeat. Rank and file Republicans hate Congress because the leadership keeps acting (and, when their guard is down, coming out and saying) that progress in Iraq is bad for their partisan politics.  (Independents are, as always, somewhere between those two poles.)

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war.

That's jaw-dropping stuff, there.  Here's the oath of office that Mr. Clyburn took when he assumed the duties of U.S. Representative:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

I'm hard-pressed to understand how placing the domestic policy and organizational issues of a political party over defending "the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"  conforms with the letter and the spirit of the Congressman's oath of office.

Via Townhall.com's Mary Katherine Ham:

Click image (or here) to view the YouTube video.

My favorite, I'm afraid, is the cat.

I'm writing fiction, about an alien who comes to earth and . . . well . . . you'll just have to read the stories once I get them done.  Anyway, this story is apropos my stories, if you get my drift:

Beyond Mesopotamia:  A New View of the Dawn of Civilization:

Archaeologists shared findings from dozens of urban centers of approximately the same age that existed between Mesopotamia and the Indus River valley in modern day India and Pakistan. The "most dramatic evidence," Lawler reports, comes from area in southeastern Iran, near the Halil River and south of the modern city of Jiroft, where a team led by Yousef Madjidzadeh has uncovered the remains of a large and wealthy city.

"The ancient city in the mid- to late 3rd millennium B.C.E. covered more than 2 square kilometers, dominated by a large citadel flanked by a massive stepped platform to the north," the story says. "A room excavated last year in the citadel includes a 2-meter-high brick human torso, ochre paint still clinging to the surface. The sculpture, says Madjidzadeh, is the largest of its kind from that era."

Cemeteries in the area have been looted, but still, Lawler said, they demonstrate the affluence of the ancient residents. "Madjidzadeh found one large tomb cut into limestone that appeared untouched since it was robbed in antiquity," he wrote. "A stairway leads down to a chamber containing eight burial areas; scattered throughout were 600 carnelian beads and other precious materials." At a nearby dump left by looters, researchers "found 1200 small lapis and turquoise beads, pieces of 40 or more chlorite vessels, and 40 to 50 copper vessels—at least one with ornate embossing."

One word, sounds like . . . Photo credit: University of St. Andrews

Science Daily:

When using gestures to get their points across, orangutans rely on the same basic strategy that humans follow when playing the popular game and intentionally modify or repeat hand (or other) signals based on the success or failure of their first attempt.

Professor Richard Byrne of the (University of St. Andrews) School of Psychology said, "We were surprised that the orangutans' responses so clearly signaled their assessment of the audience's comprehension. Looking at the tapes of the animal's responses, you can easily work out whether the orangutan thinks it has been fully, partially, or not understood, without seeing what went before."

"This means that, in effect, they are passing information back to the audience about how well they are doing in understanding them, hence our 'charades' analogy. In playing the game, you want primarily to convey your meaning non-verbally - as does the orangutan - but secondarily to help the team get your meaning by giving them hints as to how well they are doing."

No, I'm not ignoring it.  I just don't have much to say, except my prayers go out to all of the victims and their families.  We do need to do a better job of maintaining our infrastructure.  That means more money.  Materials science and physics don't work on the cheap.

Yahoo News/Reuters:

"His skull was completely crushed and he was left for dead," his mother told reporters in a telephone briefing.

He spent the next five years in a nursing home with no hope of recovery. He would occasionally mouth the word yes or no, but could not communicate reliably or eat on his own.

His parents agreed to try the experimental treatment in August 2005, and doctors saw immediate results.

He was alert and could move his head to follow voices.

He can now drink from a cup, recall and speak 16 words, and watch a movie.

Rezai said he is engaged with his family, playing cards with his mother and taking short trips outside the facility.

They implanted a device in the brain and provide small electric pulses for 12 hours a day, something called "deep brain stimulation.  Truly remarkable and amazing.

Usually, the dog days of summer are a lazy lull in the overall news cycle.  It is so this year, notwithstanding the prodigious efforts of the newsie industry.  So, I ain't postin' much, 'cause I ain't thinkin' that much is of great import at the moment.

The Kansas City Royals, that is.  They've had their second consecutive winning month.  If this keeps up, they might just finally escape 'laughing-stock' status around baseball.

UPDATE:  And then, of course, they go to Minneapolis.

One week ago tonight, I posted the sad news of the demise of the Weekly World News.  Ed Anger, where will you go now?

The Weekly World News will cease publication.

Who will now report on the frequent meetings of our Presidents with various space aliens?

I weep for Bat Boy.  I weep for our Press.  I weep for America.

(hat tip:  Wizbang.)