This diary is posted with many thanks to Ninepatch and GN1927, who took time out of their day to post diaries asking for folks to help feed WV Obama volunteers.  

I didn't wake up this morning thinking I would help feed about 30 people.  :)

There are twelve Obama offices in West Virginia and at least one that isn't on the official list--they meet at a McDonalds.  A list of people who contributed to those West Virginia offices is below the fold:

Kentucky's Secretary of State, Trey Grayson, has issued a warning to Kentucky residents that thousands of mailers sent by Women's Voices. Women Vote. include misleading and/or confusing information, asking residents to register to vote.

The deadline to register for the KY May primary passed on April 21st.

Note this portion of the press release, dated April 30 and posted May 5, referencing a previous press release dated March 27th--

At the time, Grayson stated that WVWV had been sending voter registration cards and letters to citizens stating that they are not registered to vote, when in fact, many of those citizens are registered.  

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 made cuts to federal funding for child support enforcement that significantly reduced child support collections.  This budget bill eliminated the child support federal incentive match. The federal government has matched the incentive payments that states reinvest in their child support enforcement programs since the early days of the child support program. These incentives have given states the resources needed to improve their child support program and helped states double their child support collection rates in the last decade.  That change will result in a net reduction of $1.6 billion over five years and by $4.9 billion over ten years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cut in federal funding from the elimination of the child support federal incentive match will cost families $8.4 billion in child support in the form of payments owed to children by their non-custodial parents that will go uncollected-leaving children without the support they need. An already stressed system will be broken.

I've searched the internet today to compile a list of safe brands of pet foods.  The following is a list of brands that claim to have absolutely NO affiliation with Menu Foods, Inc and do not contain the contaminated wheat gluten.  There is one exception, noted below.

This list is intended to be a starting point in your own research.  This is not an endorsement of any brand of pet food, and it is not meant to be a complete list.  New brands are being recalled every day, and it is of the utmost importance that you check the recall list at Menu Foods every day and check news listings for further updates.

I've tried to compile this list with as many brands that have no gluten at all as possible but it was not easy to find this information solely on the internet.  If you would like to avoid wheat gluten altogether, please check the labels of the brands.

If you find an item here that is incorrect, give a shout and I'll remove it.  If you know of another brand, be sure to post and I'll add it.

This is an update of a diary I wrote about 36 hours ago.  I want to thank you all for your emails and all your very helpful suggestions.  You've all helped immensely.  Oh, and of course many thanks to those who didn't get upset that this isn't a political diary.  ;)

At 8AM yesterday I showed up unannounced at my vet's office.  Unfortunately the vet was performing an emergency surgery and the waiting room was full.  One of the vet's assistants checked my little hurt pootie over quickly and said to bring him back at 2:30.  So I brought him home and sat on the sofa with him until it was time to go back.

Well, I'm at the end of my resources so I'm asking you animal lovers for advice.  I hope no one will be angry that this isn't a political diary.

My son found a pootie in our alley this evening.  I suspect someone has dumped him off.  He's injured, and I don't know what to do.  I can't call the shelter because they don't really want deal with cats at all. I've tried to call my vet but he doesn't have an emergency number.  There is a 24 hour emergency vet within 10 miles but the up-front cost to get the vet to come to her office after hours is astronomical.  So that is economically out of the question.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s national security panel will hold a hearing today on the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  The hearing begins at approximately 10:00 AM ET and will be chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Tierney.

UPDATE:

Please unrecommend this diary and slide over to a fresh new thread here

CSPAN took a short break to show us some random stuff from the House but the hearing continues live. WTF??

Like many of you, I've spent quite of bit of time reading nyceve's remarkable health care diaries.  I've been wanting for quite some time to write about this issue that has been affecting my own family so terribly, but I could never find the time or the energy.  And I never could really decide whether it was an appropriate subject for a dKos diary. And it's much more than just a health care issue.  So, today I decided to take the time and just do it. You all can determine whether it's appropriate or not.  It's probably going to be a long diary and I hope you will forgive that.

My Grandmother's name is Helen.  She's 85 years old.  We (her family) think she has Alzheimer's disease or an Alzheimer's related condition but the truth is we just don't know.  And it's been damned difficult finding answers.

More below the jump....

This diary is a follow-up to my diary of November 16.

For those just hearing of this incident--

Emily Gillette, a 31-year-old woman from New Mexico, was kicked off a Freedom Air (oh, the irony!) commuter flight operating under Delta Airlines.  She refused to cover up with a blanket while nursing her 22-month-old daughter River.

(there's more...)

Freedom Airlines, a subsidiary of The Mesa Air Group and operating a commuter flight for Delta Airlines, booted a nursing mother from an October 13 flight after she refused to cover up with a blanket.

Emily Gillette boarded the Freedom Air flight in South Burlington, VT's International Airport with her husband and 22-month-old child.  There was a three-hour delay but eventually the plane readied for takeoff.  Ms. Gillette began breastfeeding her daughter.  A flight attendant approached and directed her to cover up with a blanket.  Emily thought she was being discreet enough and declined the use of the blanket.  The flight attendent allegedly declared that she was offended and the family was then asked to leave the plane.

(there's more...)

When considering a diary for the Katrina Blog Project, I thought at first I'd just do a video blog, filled with snippets and blurbs from the days and weeks after hurricane Katrina struck. There was one video in particular I remembered and wanted to add. I found it. And then I decided it should stand on its own.

(more after the jump...)

This is the last installment of the diary I began Thursday and continued on Friday.  When I began writing I had no idea it was going to be so long and involved. I hope you all don't mind.

I had meant to finish my three part series on Saturday.  A full blown 3-alarm family crisis took place on Friday night, so I've been otherwise occupied.  Are you curious?  Good, because I'll get to that near the end of the diary.  

(more below the fold...)

This is the continuation of the diary I started yesterday.

The early 80's are sort of a blur to me.  I worked hard not to remember much of it because it was painful.  I'm going to get into the bad choices I made as an adult and how it affected me and my children.  This isn't easy, but it's necessary.

We had been poor for the better part of the 70's.  In the late 70's my mom met a guy and married him.  She doesn't talk about it and I don't ask, but I think at least part of the reason she married was for financial security.  That, and to give us a father figure.  It didn't last long.  My Mom got divorced in the early 80's and I believe she fell into depression and despair.  I don't know for certain because she was never professionally treated.  I know for certain that she never dated again, and to this day she is very happily sans partner. We were even more poor than before, because my former stepfather had run up a mountain of debt and left my Mom holding the bag.

(more below the fold...)

I want to thank TXSharon and her amazing diary that gave me the courage to write about my life.  I would like to say first and foremost that I don't write this out of resentment or any need to have people feel sorry for me and mine.  I would like people to develop an understanding beyond the narrower view of inner-city and rural poverty. This will probably be in two parts because I doubt I'll fit it all in one diary.

Most people, when they think of the Appalachians, have visions of rural Kentucky and West Virginia.  We think of people who live in the mountains with no running water, live off the land, and struggle every day to survive.  You might be surprised to find that 29 of Ohio's 88 counties are considered part of the Appalachian region.  I live in one of those counties, one that was heavily industrialized and is now in a state of desperate decline.

(more below the flip).....

Tericka Dye, a science teacher and volleyball coach for Reidland High School in Paducah, KY for the past two years, has been suspended for appearing in a 1995 porn film.  The McCracken County school district has announced that she has been suspended with pay, and her contract will not be renewed.

Ms. Dye, who did not use her own name in the film, was apparently suffering from an untreated bipolar disorder at the time the film was made.  She was also homeless and without employment.

read on....

In a perfect world, the behavior of a spouse wouldn't matter in a polical race.  Unfortunately, this is gonna hurt Mike Coleman in his campaign for Ohio Governor.

Mayor's Wife Accused of Drunk Driving

Mayor Michael Coleman's wife is facing drunk driving charges after an arrest Thursday night.

Ohio Senator Charles Wilson (D-St. Clairsville) announced today that he will run for the seat now held by Ted Strickland (OH-6)*.  

As noted by the Times Leader:

The announcement give Wilson, a local businessman, an early start on the campaign for Ohio's Sixth Congressional District, which stretches from Mahoning County, down along the Ohio River through Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, Noble, Monroe, Washington, Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties.

Wilson currently is the senator for the 30th state Senate district, which includes about half of the congressional district.

In 1991, the city of Bellaire (OH) was happy to announce that an individual had purchased the historic Bellaire Toll Bridge.  For a little background, the bridge opened in 1926, and was featured in a scene from "The Silence of the Lambs".

The current owner's name is Roger Barack.  He's a Bellaire businessman. At the time, everyone thought it was fantastic that the bridge would stay open and provide a most necessary access to and from Benwood WV.  Now this bridge is just a bloody eyesore.  

Apologies for the crummy pic, but I want to give you an idea of what it looks like today.