Does he bite?

A lion named Laith, yawns in its enclosure at Ghamadan zoo near Amman, Jordan

They’ll to anything to sell a diet book

While sifting through e-mails destined for the recycle bin, one caught my eye. The subject line said, Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads.

I think it was from Amazon. I’ve purchased books from them in the past and now they are trying to turn me into their best customer so I get a lot of e-mails from them.

That catchy phrase turned out to be the title of a diet book. Although it may be a great diet book, the title turned me off completely. It told me the book needed a gimmick to get it sold.

My personal (and unprofessional) opinion is: skinny chicks may not need to eat salads. It's fat chicks that need to eat salads if they ever expect to become skinny chicks.

Humor from the 2008 presidential primary election

This picture came out of the 2008 Democratic primary campaign.


Someone had fun ‘Photoshopping’ this illlustration turning it into a spoof of the 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy with Hillary Clinton as the old Jewish woman played by Jessica Tandy and Barack Obama as her African-American chauffeur played by Morgan Freeman.

About that mega-skyscraper in Dubai...

Feeding the homeless in India

Indian Muslim women walk past free food being cooked on the side of the street for the poor as part of the Ashura observation in Allahabad, India.

Hair pulling affair

Manjit Singh, 59, from Leicester, England pulls a London bus with his hair.

Singh pulled the iconic Routemaster bus a record 21.2 meters by attaching a clamp on his hair and pulling the vehicle with straps setting a new Guinness World Record.

CNN rips Obama for lying about openness pledge

In the short video below, CNN’s Jack Cafferty, long an ardent cheerleader of the Democratic Party, rips Barack Obama on his failed openness pledge saying it was just another lie told to get elected.

(click on picture to see video)
The last sentence of Mr. Cafferty’s rebuke of Obama’s openness lie is, “Here's hoping the voters remember some of this crap when the midterm elections roll around later this year.”

When leftist crank Jack Cafferty turns on Barack Obama it is worth taking note. Others in the leftist media have already become critical of ObamaCare and the way congressional liberals have tried to ram it through by any means possible.

Lori Byrd wrote in a recent Wizbang report, “If Obama and the Democrats in Congress have lost Jack Cafferty they are in worse shape than I thought."

Lack of transparency and broken promises on health care are the reason for this comment from Cafferty.

How many other leftists in the media will turn on the Democrats in Congress between now and the November elections?

Top political gaffes of 2009 #3

Number 3 is the Joe Biden stimulus stumble.

Vice President Joe Biden (pictured), speaking to members of the House Democratic caucus who were gathered in Williamsburg, Virginia on February 6, said, "If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there's still a 30% chance we're going to get it wrong."

This was one of may times others had to jump in to say, “what Mr. Biden meant to say was...”

Biden’s gaffe-prone ways did not end when he became Vice President!

Link

The White House orders a new book...

Skinny dipping in icy waters

A swimmer wades into the icy waters of the Songhua River in Jilin, China.

Frozen Gore returns to Fairbanks

For the second winter a huge ice sculpture of Al Gore has returned to Fairbanks, Alaska.

The two-ton “Frozen Gore” sculpture (pictured) isn’t exactly a tribute. It’s a tongue-in-cheek critique of Gore’s vocal belief in man-made climate change, complete with hot air pouring out of his mouth.

The hot air coming from the mouth of ‘Frozen Gore’ is provided by the exhaust from a pickup truck.

Local businessmen Craig Compeau and Rudy Gavora contracted the piece from award-winning sculptor Steve Dean and say they’ll keep erecting one each winter until Gore accepts an invitation to discuss the global warming issue in Fairbanks.

They may well be doing the “Frozen Gore” for many years because Mr. Gore refuses to debate his global warming views, called “globalony” by many.

Whenever Al Gore shows his movie presentation, questions are not permitted and in most cases the media is not allowed inside.

Link

Underwear bomber indicted on several counts

Umar Farouq Abdulmuttalab, the terrorist who tried to blow up Northwest flight 253 on Christmas Day with explosives hidden in his underwear, has been indicted on several counts:

1 Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

2. Attempted murder within an aircraft in the jurisdiction of the US.

3. Willful attempt to destroy an aircraft within the jurisdiction of the US.

4. Willfully placing a destructive device on an aircraft, which was likely to endanger safety of such aircraft.

5. Possession of a firearm/destructive in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Link

Oz Wicked Witch display at Harrods

A pair of giant red shoes protrude from the store front as Harrods opens their Wicked Witch Of The East display on the first of December in London, England.

Chicago may scrap police entrance exam

A report at the link below says the Chicago Police Department is seriously considering doing away with the police entrance exam!

Dropping the exam would bolster minority hiring and avert legal battles, according to one source, while others confirm that the exam could be scrapped to open the process to as many people as possible.

However, the lack of an exam would make Chicago the lone major city without one, and experts contend that the exam is integral to eliminating unqualified applicants.

And as of last year, one in four patrol officers were African-American, but just one in 12 Lieutenants were of color.

Without an entrance exam, there would eventually be a much larger number of black patrol officers and almost no black Lieutenants as well as a less qualified police force in general.

This is a result of the failing public schools in Chicago that push kids through who often don’t have the basic skills.

It is disconcerting to realize that Mr. Obama chose Arne Duncan (pictured), the former Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, to be the Secretary of Education.

Link

Will healthcare come to this?

A serious case of pneumonia in the making

A bundled up family looks at a bare-chested man jogging in a snow-covered park in Minsk on Tuesday, Dec. 29.

Report: Democrats are dropping like flies

An ABC blogs report is titled: Democrats are dropping like flies.

Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, who was in for a tough reelection fight this year, canceled a scheduled fundraiser this evening and has decided not to seek reelection.

The all-but-assured Democratic nominee for governor in Michigan, Lt. Gov. John Cherry, ended his bid today.

Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota announced he will not seek reelection this year.

And then there is Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd who is possibly the most vulnerable statewide Democratic incumbent. Dodd will likely be asked by the party to step aside.

UPDATE - Dodd has already been asked to retire as reported here.

Back to the report on ABC:

You will certainly hear a lot of talk from Republicans that Democrats are beginning to face the reality of just how tough the current political landscape looks for them and they are running for the hills.

Link

Nexus One superphone unveiled by Google

Google calls it their superphone. Unlike the iPhone, Google will sell it with a contract or they will sell it unlocked allowing the phone to be used with other carriers.

T-Mobile is the initial service provider. Verizon in the United States and Vodafone in Europe will be coming on board later, and more operators are expected.

Nexus One runs the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 2.1, which is also made by Google but runs on other phones as well.

The phone will sell for $180 with a contract or $530 unlocked.

More here.

Airline pilot admits to drunk flying charge

American Airlines pilot Erwin Vermont Washington (pictured) of Lakewood, Colorado (Denver) was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flight to Chicago shortly before takeoff on suspicion of being drunk.

Mr. Washington has admitted being above the alcohol limit for flying a plane.

Washington was removed from UA Flight 949. He was due to fly from London's Heathrow Airport to Chicago on November 9 but the flight was stopped after a co-worker suspected him of being drunk.

The flight was canceled and the plane's 124 passengers were put on other flights

The 51-year-old pilot pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court near London on Tuesday. He was released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced on Feb. 5.

Link

ND Senator Dorgan will not seek re-election

North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan (pictured) says he will not seek re-election to the Senate in 2010, an announcement that could give Republicans an opportunity to pick up a seat from the Republican-leaning state.

Dorgan, a moderate Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving a dozen years in the U.S. House.

Republican Gov. John Hoeven has been mulling a possible challenge to Dorgan and the veteran lawmaker's retirement could clear the path for the popular governor.

There will be other Democrats from conservative states who will retire or face an uphill re-election battle as a result of voting for ObamaCare against the wishes of their constituents.

Link

Woman smashes drive-through window when chicken nuggets ran out

A 24-year-old Toledo, Ohio woman really likes McDonald’s McNuggets.

After being told her order couldn't be filled, she put her fist through the drive-through window.

After treatment at a hospital for her injuries the woman was booked into the Lucas County jail.

Link

Dainty creature in North Yorkshire Moors

This photo from Time Magazine is titled, What Are You Looking At?

A Highland bovine feeds in North Yorkshire Moors, a national park in North Yorkshire, England.

Why Hybrid taxi’s may not help - revisited

We first posted this report on June 6, 2007:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, has ordered that all New York taxi companies switch to hybrid vehicles within five years.

One can understand why after years of enduring hoards of twelve-mile-per gallon Crown Victoria taxicabs guzzle fuel and spew harmful emissions as they prowl the streets of the city.

Converting to hybrids is a noble idea but will it really make a big difference?

The sea of yellow in midtown Manhattan will soon be made up mostly of Ford Escape (upper photo) and Toyota Prius hybrids (lower photo).

It will take lots of adjustment on the part of taxi riders to go from a roomy Crown Victoria to a leg-cramping ride in a Prius.

Forget the small size of the Prius -- it’s the way Toyota makes hybrids that could perpetuate the New York taxi problem. They go into gas mode during acceleration and don’t go into electric mode until cruising.

We all know what that means. Lead footed New York taxi drivers will pollute nearly as much as they do now and save very little gas in the process.

If Toyota-style hybrids are used as cabs there will be little improvement in fuel consumption or exhaust pollution unless cabbies drive like Granny Smith or Aunt Matilda.

Note: the Crown Victoria has traditionally made up about 90 percent of the city’s 13,000 licensed yellow cabs. Hailing a cab in New York just won’t be the same without the roomy Crown Vic.

A ride from Midtown Manhattan to La Guardia could go from a scary ride to a scary uncomfortable ride.

Link

Alphorn blowers convene in Black Forest

105 Alphorn blowers from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France play together on the mountain Feldberg in the Black Forest, southern Germany last September.

Winter swim club forms 2010 in Siberia

Brrrrr... Members of a winter swimming club form a 2010 sign in the snow on the bank of the Yenisei River as they celebrate the coming of the New Year in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

Going it alone on ObamaCare

(click on cartoon to enlarge )

Top political gaffes of 2009 #1

This is the first in a series of political gaffes of 2009.

On March 6, Hillary Clinton handed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a gift-wrapped reset button just before he informed her that the word on the button actually translated to "overcharged."


A little fact checking by the Secretary of State could have prevented an embarrassing gaffe.

Link

Boy with nerves of steel

Tiger Brewer, an eight year-old British boy, attaches himself onto the wings of his grandfather's biplane in Cirencester, England to become the youngest 'wing walker' in the world.

GM to kill off the Saab automobile brand

General Motors has already killed off two popular brands - Pontiac and Saturn.

Now the troubled automaker is killing off another brand - Saab.

GM made the decision after talks with a Dutch would-be buyer collapsed.

GM, Dutch automaker Spyker Cars and the government of Sweden, where Saabs are made, could not reach an agreement.

We wonder how many people will sob for the Saab - described as “a quirky line of cars known for angular roof lines and ignition keyholes between the front seats.”

More of the story here.

Candyland game on Lombard Street

San Francisco's famed Lombard Street, the city's most crooked street, was transformed into the world's largest game of Candyland to honor the 60th birthday of the popular children's board game.

Identical twins born in different decades

Identical twin boys in Florida were born in separate decades.

Margarita Velasco delivered the twins by cesarean section at Tampa General Hospital.

Marcello was delivered just before midnight. His twin, Stephano, was delivered just as the new year began.

The twins will celebrate their birthdays one day apart.

Link

Poll: Americans leaving Democrat party

A Rasmussen Reports poll shows Americans are leaving the Democrat party.

In December, the number of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats fell to the lowest level recorded in more than seven years of monthly tracking by Rasmussen Reports.

Number of Democrats falls to new low, down six points since the 2008 election.

Yet there is no sign that Democrat Congressmen have any intention of slowing down the left-wing agenda that has been unpopular with the American people.

Link

Demo team creates leaning tower of Liuzhou

A Chinese city reportedly was left briefly with a new sightseeing attraction after a demolition unintentionally created a leaning tower.


The blast split the 33-story building into two parts according to plan. However, instead of collapsing into a pile of rubble, one half of the building (shown at left in photo) fell sideways, crashing to the ground, narrowly averting disaster, while the other half (shown on right) remained standing in a dangerous leaning position and was later destroyed by a crane.

Link

Global warming can be boring

Taking a nap during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) meeting at the Bella Center in Copenhagen.

GOP midterm election comeback in the making

Republicans could have a big year in 2011. Even if they don’t gain the 40 Houses seats or the 11 Senate seats to gain control of Congress, they appear to be on their way to have a significant say in legislation during 2012 and beyond.

Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut (upper photo) and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada (lower photo) are among the Democrats who face challenging reelection votes this year.

From a Los Angeles times report (see link below):

After losing the White House and nearly 70 congressional seats in the last two elections, Republicans are poised for a strong comeback in 2010, with significant gains likely in the House and a good chance of boosting their numbers in the Senate and statehouses across the country.


All 435 House seats, 36 in the Senate and the governorships of 37 states will be on the ballot in November.

Some of the Democrats' most prominent figures, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, are in serious danger as they seek reelection. Both would probably lose if elections were held today.

Last spring, Democrats seemed well positioned to add Senate seats. Today, a Republican gain appears more probable, costing Democrats their 60-vote supermajority and ability to stop GOP filibusters.

Link.