Pet Owners Willing to Go Mouth-to-MuzzleBy SUE MANNING • DelawareOnline.comLOS ANGELES -- Most pet owners would leap into action for an injured pet, even if it meant risking dog breath by going mouth-to-snout.Fifty-eight percent of pet owners -- 63 percent of dog owners and 53 percent of cat owners -- would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in the event of a medical emergency, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.Tammy Parks, 52, of Amherst, Mass., has taken... Read Full Story

Failure by Design - The "Public" OptionBy Michael Collins - OpEdNews.comTriumph of the Money PartyDo you know what the "public option" does or who it covers? If you've had trouble finding out, it's not your fault. Reading the corporate media coverage provides little or no clue. It's hardly ever defined. There's a very good reason for the lack of clarity and definition.But first, a brief summary or a public debate that characterizes just about every public debate we have on critical issues.If ... Read Full Story

"I will make a bargain with the Republicans. If they will stop telling lies about Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them." -Adlai StevensonThe Health Care Reform Republicans WantFor OpEdNews: Rob Kall - WriterRepublican claims that they want health reform their way are bogus. They want more gifts to the health insurance industry.When accused of opposing health care reform, Republicans defend theirselves by claiming they do want reform. They want tort reform, part of their longst... Read Full Story

Big Bad Government Is Coming to Get Youby David Michael Green - Common DreamsLiars, delusional, petrified, hypocritical, idiotic.I often can't decide which of these most accurately describes regressives when I'm listening to their insane rants. Maybe it's all of the above, in some combination or another.The right in America loves its canned tropes, but perhaps none so much as the ‘government is evil' one. Ooooooohh! Look out. Big bad government is coming to get you.Here's a recent example fro... Read Full Story

Pet Q&A: Dogs Can Have Meaningful Jobs, TooBy Roger Smith • For The Star PressQ: I'm interested in helping train a puppy to be used as a service dog. What requirements would the dog have to meet?A: The requirements for a service dog would depend on the specific function that the dog would fulfill. There are many different jobs that dogs take on to assist their human masters. Some of the most common include:• Guide dogs: Provide assistance to the visually impaired, these animals help provi... Read Full Story

Demon ChocolateAbby Zimet - Common DreamsHalloween, time for heathens to give the devil his or her due. But not to worry: The wingnuts are on the job. There are contests for pro-life jack-o-lanterns to "tell the world about the personhood of preborn babies." There are warnings about candy "dedicated and prayed over by witches," though we hope they skipped Whoppers. And there are book burnings of "perversions of God's word" at North Carolina's Amazing Grace Baptist Church, which doesn't much l... Read Full Story

Oldest Dog Otto, Nearly 21, Still Jumps on SofaJanice Lloyd - USA TodayOtto gets to sleep with his head on the pillow and under a blanket next to his owner, according to this story from the Associated Press.The Guinness World Records made it official: Otto is currently the oldest living dog. The former oldest was Chanel, who passed away in August. The average age for dogs is 12.8 years, according to this chart. The oldest dog on record was an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 years and... Read Full Story

Not-So-Robust Public Optionby John Nichols - The Nation/Common DreamsThe public option was always a compromise for serious supporters of health-care reform, who -- like Barack Obama when he was running for the Senate in 2003 -- knew that a single-payer "Medicare for All" system was what America needed to provide health care to everyone while controlling costs.But, in the reform legislation that was debuted Thursday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the compromise will be even more compromised.Ac... Read Full Story

Heloise: Checklist of Hintsfor ‘Preferred Pet’ ShippingBy Heloise - King Features SyndicateDear Readers: Are you relocating and need to get Fido, Fluffy or Tweetie Pie to where you are going and don’t want to drive? Did you know that many airlines these days have “preferred pet” shipping, where you can ship your dogs, cats and birds in climate-controlled and pressurized comfort?Here is a checklist of hints to help you get ready to ship an animal:--Call (or check the Web site of) individual ai... Read Full Story

Healthcare Hypocritesby Jim Hightower - Creators Syndicate/Common DreamsHow do you spell "hypocrisy"?Try this: "H-Y-P-O-C-O-N-G-R-E-S-S." The hypocongress consists of those Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats who have risen up on their hind legs in recent weeks to snarl and howl at any mention of a government role in meeting America's health care needs. "Socialism," they bark — we won't allow Barack Obama and the liberals to create a Washington-run, big-government intrusion into the hallowed p... Read Full Story