Drumroll, please… I went and got myself a dog! Please meet and introduce yourself to Ms Izzy Louise:

Her story: She was rescued by the super awesome folks over at Rat Terrier ResQ from a backyard breeder in Texas. Which means, pretty much, that she spent the first three years of her life in a cage outdoors, and has had to overcome incredible obstacles. Thanks to the love and patience of her foster mom, Jacki, she's done just that, and is slowly adjusting to life with me in Brooklyn. As I type this, she's snoozing on the window shelf I built for her next to my desk. It's a dog's life!

There are a bunch of ways you can keep up with her progress online, if you're into that sort of thing– I'll be posting more periodic updates in my own accounts, but here are her locations online:

• Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/izzylouise/
• Updates: http://twitter.com/izzylouise
• Dogbook, on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/dogbook/profile/view/5218571
• Dogster: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/902462

Check me out on GRITtv discussing the pros and cons (well, mostly the cons) of electronic voting. Along with me in the segment are Steven Rosenfeld, senior fellow at AlterNet and the author of Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting, Bo Lipari, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting, and of course, host with the most, Laura Flanders.