"All aboard!" The "MUNI Diaries" logo Muni Diaries – whether you live in San Francisco and ride its slow and human-stained MUNI buses and trains or not, you can still be amused, shocked, and/or disgusted by these fascinating tales of the publicly-transported in all their tired, smelly, and crammed-together glory. Populated largely by user-submitted content, the "Muni Diaries" blog shows public transportation for what it is: a strange social experiment, a fecund human Petri dish where the rich and poor, the young and old, and the healthy and sick cram together with all the nudity, violence, vomit, and sexual indiscretion that keeps the riding citizens endlessly entertained -- and always coming back for more. SticK – because quitting smoking, saving money, or exercising regularly is hard, StickK.com has devised a web-based method to help you keep the achievement of your goals on track. If you set a goal and do not achieve it, StickK.com will charge your credit card accordingly and send the money to a designated recipient. I Do Now I Don’t – these pre-owned wedding and engagement ring auction sites are becoming quite a burgeoning little industry. Every time I see a new one, I think, “Oh, that’s kinda funny,” until I start looking at the pictures of the rings and thinking about the stories of heartbreak that many of them hold, and then it just starts to seem sad. "I Do Now I Don't" also sells wedding dresses, which makes sense because teardrops can usually be washed right out of most fabrics. Airfare Watchdog – a new take on the airfare-deal-finding website, "Airfare Watchdog" provides you a list of surprisingly-inexpensive flights to and from various destinations with limitations on travel dates and times. If you’re just looking to get out of town and you’re flexible on your dates (or even your destination), a quick browse through their daily list of fares might be of interest. Cat Workout – sites like this really make me want to lose my job and hang around my house all day coming up with funny things to blog. "Cat Workout" helps users see the real value in having a cat: you can save money on exercise equipment! Having a cute little kitty in my arms while I’m doing “European squats” would not only provide me with soft and fuzzy joy, but would also provide the resistance that I need to maximize the effectiveness of my workouts. Suggested Sites... Muni Diaries - SF Muni adventure blog with stories, news, videos, and commentary about the bus-tastic San Francisco Municipal Railway. Get Muni news and submit your own Muni adventures, photos, videos, and stories. SticK - enables users to form commitment contracts to help them achieve their personal goals. These goals may be to lose weight, run a marathon, exercise regularly, quit smoking, or a personalized goal. Cat Workout - work out with these cat workout videos. Exercises include leg lifts, European squats, biceps training, and more. Airfare Watchdog - alerts consumers to fare reductions, airline discounts, and other unusually low airfares from a wide variety of sources. I Do Now I Don't - buy and sell pre-owned wedding rings, engagement rings, jewelry, and wedding dresses.

Directory categories: San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), Personal Growth, Airfare Consolidators, Cats, Online Jewelry Auctions

Archived under: Air Travel, Animals, Auctions, Blogs, California, Cats, Cities, Commuting, Diets, Exercise, In Character, Internet, Motivation, Recycling, San Francisco, Shopping, Smoking, Trains, Transportation, Travel, Weddings, Yahoo! Directory

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Statue of FDR and his best friend Fala (Photo by Tony) With all the other important presidential and governmental issues Barack Obama has to tackle after Inauguration Day, it seems the country has the greatest vested interest in a decision of the heart that the whole Obama family will have to make: what kind of puppy will they get after they move into the White House? Heck, even the Vice President-Elect has heard the call of the canine and acquired a new German Shepherd puppy. First Pets are something of a national institution in the United States. There's even a Presidential Pets Museum, dedicated to the preservation of historical information and artifacts of all the animals (from alligators to wallabies) that have belonged to our Commanders-in-Chief -- nearly all of whom had a pet during some part of their term(s). A White House pet's actions can be worthy of a news watch, which is the case with the current Top Dog, Barney, who is a celebrity in his own right. Some pets were so popular that they are eternally depicted in memorial, as is the case with Fala, Franklin D. Roosevelt's beloved Scottish terrier. And Richard Nixon's Checkers has a grave located in a public pet cemetery on Long Island. The President-Elect's promise to his daughters, Sasha and Malia, spiked curiosity in what type of breed the new First Dog will be. Dutiful citizens have offered suggestions on how to combat Malia's pet dander allergies, and which types of dogs offer hypoallergenic or hairless qualities. But the Obamas are striving to set an example, do the responsible thing, and find their new family member in a shelter. After all, choosing what type of dog and personality it has is just as important to a happy family dynamic as its health and development. So we wait, with bated puppy breath, to hear word of the new furry addition to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And as Bob Barker always reminded us, "Be sure to have your cat or dog spayed or neutered." Suggested Sites... The Daily Puppy - your daily fix for puppy pictures. ASPCA: Adopt - find your next pet through your local ASPCA. Wikipedia: List of United States Presidential Pets - a quick-reference guide to all the First Animals. National Geographic Channel: In the Womb: Dogs - using state-of-the-art visual effects and real-time 4-D ultrasound imagery, follow the fetal development of one wolf and three different dog breeds. FDR's "Fala Speech" - President Franklin Roosevelt defends his Scottie against GOP attacks.

Directory categories: Humane and Rescue Societies, Choosing a Dog, Pet Health

Archived under: Allergies, American History, Animals, Bob Barker, Cats, Dogs, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pets

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(Photo by Amber MacPherson) Spring has sprung, and kitten-and-puppy season is on the horizon, so we interrupt our regular programming for this public service announcement: Don't forget to take your pets to the veterinarian. We won't advocate one method or convention over another, just the importance of considering Snowball and Rex when you think of your family's health. Make the necessary appointments and be sure your cat or dog is up to date on its vaccinations and booster shots. And unless you're a breeder, please consider having Fido or Prissy spayed or neutered. Especially in urban settings, feral pet populations are out of control, forcing rescue organizations and shelters to make unfortunate decisions. If you feel you should be more considerate of your pet's feelings, be sure to ask your vet about alternatives to declawing and products to ease the indignity of neutering. And don't be shy with questions about those vaccinations or your pet's dietary needs. After all, obesity in pets can be incredibly unhealthy and lead to much shorter life spans. We may not have the star power of some pet health advocates, but we support their efforts to help our furry loved ones live long, happy lives. So please be a responsible pet owner and remember those yearly veterinary exams and boosters. Skipping them would be a terrible faux paw. Suggested Sites... The Humane Society of the United States - official site for the animal protection organization. ASPCA - the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. SPAY-USA - a nationwide network and referral service for affordable spay/neuter services.

Directory categories: Pets, Spaying and Neutering, Veterinary Medicine, Pet Health, Humane and Rescue Societies

Archived under: Animal Rights, Animals, Biology, Cats, Dogs, Health, Pets

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(Image from I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?) Funny cat pictures + anthropomorphic captions + chatspeak = genius. We wish we had some deep social insight or clever analysis of the Lolcat phenomenon, but we really don't. This is just a shameless excuse to spend a morning looking at amusing pictures of monorail cats, invisible bicycles, feline tech support, and tiny, fluffy kittens. Why is all this funny? We're not completely sure. Something about cats (and other animals) with bad grammar and spelling, or maybe cute pictures that are a small step away from being motivational posters. How did it start? Does it matter? Like many Internet memes it kind of builds on a variety of influences -- gamers' taunts, image macro messageboards, Cute Overload -- and continues to evolve. If it's all a little too highbrow for you, you can always go back to old school favorites like All Your Base Are Belong to Us or singing kittens. Suggested Sites... I Can Has Cheezburger? - the ultimate lolcat site. You can even learn Lol Kitteh to converse fluently with Internet kitties Pictures Like "I'm in ur Base Killing ur Doodz" - watch out for these kittehs. Kattalogen - huge collection of funny cat pictures, with and without captions. Meme Cats - so... many... cats.... How to Create LOLCats aka MemeCat aka Kittah aka Cat Macros - a step-by-step guide.

Directory categories: Lolcats, Cat Humor, Internet Humor, Cats

Archived under: Cats, Humor, Internet, Jokes, Photography, Weird Stuff

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Eye of the housecat Snarling rottweilers. Powerful pit bulls. Fluffy housecats? Scoff away at the idea of tabbies as fearsome home defenders... until you read the news. There's been a spate of surprisingly heroic (and occasionally villainous) cat feats this summer. A black bear was treed -- twice -- by a hissing 15-pound Felis domesticus protecting his yard. A tomcat saved his family by alerting them to a roaring fire, and another furry hero called the paramedics when his elderly owner was injured. A German uberkatzen even rescued an abandoned baby on a doorstep, saving it from certain death by hypothermia. But perhaps the fiercest of these famous felines is Lewis, the terror of Fairfield, Connecticut. He's the Lex Luthor to these superkitties, delighting in assaults on unsuspecting neighbors and their pets. His crime spree may have finally come to an end, though -- he's been sentenced to house arrest for his dastardly deeds. But the next time you see an adorable, sleepy kitten, remember -- it might be tougher than you think. Suggested Sites... Stuff on My Cat - watch silly humans do tricks while cats entertain themselves. Cat Maims Postman - why are postmen so terrified of sweet little cat? My Cat Hates You - roaawwwwwrrrr! Cats That Look Like Hitler - has whiskers been acting strange lately?

Directory categories: Cats, Heroic Cats, Cat Training

Archived under: Animals, Cats, Science, Society and Culture

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