Sarah tipped me off to this video. The lyrics may not be so great, but the concept is a hoot. Especially for Meat Loaf and Rocky Horror fans.

Kitten pictures, for your viewing pleasure:

First, try as I might, I can’t stop Tig3 from going on the APC:

Next, one of Tig3’s favorite toys: My foot.

Last, Tig3, King of the Hill:

I told you there’d be cat pictures.

I am struck by the very close resemblance between Tig 2.0 and Tig 3.0. Tigger the first was bright orange and had a white belly and four white paws, as well as other areas of white. But my second two could be brothers. Eleven years apart, of course.

I’m very happy with Tig 3.0.

Seven years ago today—months before Instapundit existed—I launched Yourish.com. Here’s what I wrote in that first post:

Blogging. The new media term taking the Net by storm. Short for Weblog, to Blog is to put up a web site that chronicles your thoughts, your activities, your life, either in the hopes of enlightening yourself and others, or because your ego is the size of Montana.

I’m hoping it’s the former.

I’ve had this domain for several years and done nothing with it. Now Blogging is going to get a chance.

This site will undergo many style changes in the upcoming months, as I have no real idea what I’d like the end product to look like. What I do know is that I’ve spent several years in the industry and know the difference between a point, a pica, and a pixel. I know that the Internet is a wealth of information and misinformation, and anyone can discover just about anything online if s/he looks long enough. I know that my mindset has undergone many changes in the last few years, and will doubtless undergo more as I get older. Growth is change. Stagnation, to me, is worse than death. If I cannot change, just dig me a hole, throw me in and cover me with dirt.

Okay, I’m shuddering at the seven-year-old prose, but that’s because as a writer, I can’t stand most of what I wrote years ago. The style changes aren’t just visual.

We’ve had style changes, and will have another one soon. I was trying to get it done by today, but life got in the way. I’m not as married to anniversaries and deadlines as I was years ago.

In the last seven years, this blog went from being a fairly personal, diary-type blog with bits of current events thrown in to what you see today: A blog that devotes itself to Israel and Jewish issues, with bits of personal events thrown in. A blog with some superb co-bloggers (Snoopy and Soccerdad), with room for more in the future, I’m sure.

I’ve added podcasting to my online repertoire, and gained hundreds of new friends, and thousands and thousands of readers. This blog went over 2 million hits on Sitemeter earlier this year, which lowballs my stats, and which I started a year or two after I started this blog. I’d venture to guess my readers my hit count is about a third higher than sitemeter says. One thing that hasn’t changed is my pages-to-hits ratio. It’s always at least 1.5, and often close to 2. When you read, you really read around here—Sitemeter says I have nearly 3 million pageviews.

I gave up trying to figure out my wordcount. But I’m thinking that’s in the millions as well—a long essay post is often about 800-1000 words, not counting quotes. It’s pretty easy to hit seven figures when you post pretty much every day for six years. (I didn’t post every day the first year.)

I don’t know if I’ve got anyone from the early, early days. I had a few dozen readers at first, then about two hundred per day, then a steady climb up until about a year ago. I’ve stayed pretty static. I get about 1,800-4,500 hits per day, depending on which stat counter you use. I think I’ll split the difference and call it 3,000 readers per day. It’s not that big, and not that small, and I appreciate you all coming back day in and day out. My biggest challenge is trying to read your minds. I’m thinking I must have succeeded somewhat, because I’m still here, and you’re still here.

If you senior Yourish.com readers want to shout out your handles and how long you’ve been reading in the comments thread, go ahead. I don’t require real information, or even an email address. Just give yourself a name of some kind, and tell all the young whippersnappers when you started reading. I know one of my most faithful readers found me on my first blogiversary. Can anyone call pre-April 2002?

Anyway, here’s to seven more years. At least. And yes, there will be cat pictures. Some of you will complain, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. And even if you would, well, my blog. My cats. My rules. I may be a benevolent dictator, but I am a dictator, nonetheless. Seven years and counting.

It truly is reprehensible. I can barely find the words to express the outrage as I read the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel spin given to Jimmy Carter’s talks with Hamas.

Here are the plain facts: Hamas offered nothing new. Hamas did not agree to recognize Israel in any way, shape or form. Hamas did not give any proof that Gilad Shalit is still alive. Hamas did not say they would agree to visitation for Shalit—which would be within keeping of international law, something that Carter never seems to notice—nor did Hamas make any concessions, changes, or teeny, tiny moves towards a middle ground with Israel. Hamas did not even bother to stop firing rockets while Carter was there, except during the time he was physically in Sderot. Doubtless they went by the schedule the Carter center reps sent ahead of time. Can’t be dropping rockets and having sniper fire hit the most visible tool Hamas has ever had the fortune to come across. And Hamas tried three times in the last week to invade Israel and murder and kidnap Israelis, the last time the day after Carter spoke with Hamas leaders.

So who is the obstacle to peace, according to Carter?

Israel and the United States. And he says this even as Hamas launches more rockets, and threatens more attacks. Way to go, Jimmy. I think you need a new title. I think we’re going to call you America’s No. 1 Schmuck. Hell, even the AP is telling the world that Hamas lied to Carter, and that Carter is basically full of crap when he says Hamas wants peace.

Former President Carter said Monday that the Islamic group Hamas was willing to accept the Jewish state as a “neighbor next door,” but the militants did not match their upbeat words with concrete steps to halt violence.

Hamas, which advocates Israel’s destruction, instead recycled previous offers, including a 10-year truce if Israel takes the unlikely step of withdrawing from the West Bank and Jerusalem first.

Hamas has repeatedly confounded observers with its conflicting messages. Actions on the ground - seven rockets were fired on Israel from Hamas-ruled Gaza Monday, including one that wounded a 4-year-old boy - contradicted the Islamic militant group’s positive words about coexistence and a truce.

And a leader of the Hamas military wing, which carried out a twin suicide bombing on the Gaza border Saturday, said his group would step up attacks against Israel in coming days.

The world is laughing at you, Jimmy. They know you’re around the bend. And I think it’s only a matter of time before the average person puts two and two together and figures out that Jimmy Carter’s real problem with Israel is—Jews.

The salvo of rockets came despite a last-minute phone call from Carter, urging a one-month halt to attacks on Israel, to gain some international goodwill and defuse tensions.

“I did the best I could,” Carter said of his conversation with Hamas supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, pressing him to declare a one-month truce. “They turned me down, and I think they’re wrong.”

Useless tool. No, not useless. Useful for legitimizing terrorists. And they’re claiming that legitimacy.

“This meeting is a message to those who don’t recognize Hamas’s legitimacy as a movement,” the former Palestinian foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, was quoted as saying on the Hamas Web site.

I think I’m going to have to declare this site a Carter-free zone as of tomorrow. I can’t take this fool for much longer.