Elephants painted as panda bears

Elephants painted as panda bears in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Man fights off mountain lion with chain saw

Dustin Britton, an ex-Marine from Windsor, Colorado, fought off a starving mountain lion that attacked him while he was camping in the Shoshone National Forest 27 miles west of Cody. Wyoming.

When the lion pounced, the ex-Marine raised the chainsaw he’d been using to cut brush and inflicted a six- to eight-inch gash on the 100 pound lion’s shoulder.

Britton received a small puncture wound on his forearm.

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John Daly dazzles ‘em at the British Open

John Daly waits to tee off during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at the Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland.


Daly, never one to wear ordinary duds while playing his favorite sport, is shown below at other golf courses.

Coldest July day since 1900 predicted for Wisconsin

The Madison, Wisconsin Capital Times reports:

Record low high temperatures are forecast for southern Wisconsin on Friday as a very cool Canadian air mass covers the region.

The high on Friday is only expected to be in the low 60s, which would be under the record coldest high temperature in Madison for July 17 of 67 degrees, set in 1900.

Saturday's high is expected to be in the upper 60s, which could challenge the record coldest high temperature for July 18 of 68, set in 1924.

Al Gore will probably say the cause is global warming.

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Suspected swine flu outbreaks close camps

From a report by AP datelined Loveland, Colorado:

Swine flu isn't taking a vacation.

Summer camps are contending with more than bug bites and poison ivy this year: They're on the lookout for swine flu.

While regular flu all but disappears in the summer, swine flu is spreading, and more than 50 summer camps in 20 states have sent kids home early or canceled sessions after suspected outbreaks.

The swine flu outbreaks are not limited to summer camps. Cases have been reported at office buildings, jails and on church choir trips. Schools have been hit, too, including the Air Force Academy, where at least 68 students have confirmed cases of swine flu.

More here.

Swine flu by any other name...

OK you guys, for the last time, it’s not Swine Flu. Didn’t ya hear Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack say it’s the H1N1 flu?

Do I hafta come out from behind this fence and ...

Dakota farmer gives invite to Al Gore

Orlan Dreyer, a Willow City, North Dakota Farmer says:

“I think Al Gore and his group should be out here and tell us about this global warming stuff. I think he might have a change of mind. We’ve had a cool July.

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ObamaCare will be poison pill in New York

The New York Post reports that the Democrat health care plan would impose a “terrifying tax” on highest wage earners in the state of New York.

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Congressional plans to fund a massive health-care overhaul could have a job-killing effect on New York, creating a tax rate of nearly 60 percent for the state's top earners and possibly pressuring small-business owners to shed workers.

In order to pay for the massive health coverage proposed by House Democrats this week, New York's top income bracket could reach as high as 57 percent!

The top rate in New York City, home to many of the state's wealthiest people, would be 58.68 percent, the Washington-based Tax Foundation said in a report yesterday.

That means New York's top earners, small-business owners and most dynamic entrepreneurs will be facing new fees and penalties.

It’s the small business owners and “dynamic entrepreneurs” that hire a large percent of the work force in most areas.

This will force many to lay off workers as they scale back their businesses.

Without huge new taxes the government could not possibly give uninsured Americans cheap or free healthcare.

A large number of the uninsured are illegal aliens. Another large group without health insurance are those age 20 to 40 who choose to buy expensive cars, plasma TV’s, boats and other toys rather than pay for health insurance.

And, lets not forget the tens of thousands of gang members in all but the smallest towns in America who would also be covered by ObamaCare.

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Darth Vader Lives!

A man dressed as Darth Vader arrives for the launch of an exhibition in Melbourne recently that showcased an array of costumes and props from the Star Wars movies.

Hillary back to foreign policy center stage?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured) is back at work after she was sidelined with a broken arm.

Excerpts from the article at the link below:

Her role so far has been more in the field of public relations than in policy formation.

It is not at all clear that she has an in-depth influence on foreign policy.

And this insult:

She needs to decide if she wants to be the administration's mascot or have an impact on actual policy.

The administration's mascot indeed.

That may sound like a low blow, but there may be more truth than poetry to that statement because the sad part (for her) is that is what she has probably become.

Wasn’t she warned that she'd have little power and influence as a member of the Obama administration?

Up until now Hillary’s cabinet post has been made largely irrelevant by Obama’s world tours and the appointment of three special envoys - Richard Holbrooke, George Mitchell and Dennis Ross - who have been given large portfolios that some believe have detracted from Clinton's clout.

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Hillary Clinton back in action

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Sotomayer: muddled confusing backtracking

Byron York wrote a brief report for the Washington Examiner based on Senator Jeff Sessions appraisal of Tuesday mornings Sotomayor confirmation hearings. A portion follows:

During a break in the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked whether Sotomayor has been "forthcoming" in her testimony, particularly in her explanations of several controversial speeches she has given.

"How forthcoming is she being," a reporter asked, "and is it any different from what Justices Roberts and Alito did during their hearings?"

"I don't think her testimony is close to the clarity and consistency of Judges Roberts and Alito," Sessions answered. "I just don't think it is. It's muddled, confusing, backtracking on issue after issue -- and these are things that many of us have spoken of on the floor over the past several weeks, so it's not as if they are surprise issues. So I frankly am a bit disappointed in the lack of clarity and consistency in her answers."

The good news (for left-wing Democrats): the “wise Latina woman” will probably be confirmed.

The bad news (for America): the “wise Latina woman” will probably be confirmed.

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Dog day afternoon

Fans dressed as cartoon dogs wait as a rain delay stops the first cricket Test match between England and Australia, which was in its third day in Cardiff, Wales. (AP Photo / July 10, 2009)

Bernie Madoff sent to country club prison

Notorious Ponzi scammer Bernie Madoff arrived yesterday at his new home in North Carolina - Butner prison (shown below).


An ABC report says Madoff “hit the inmate lottery” when he was sent to Butner prison to serve out his sentence. Butner's medium security lockup is said to be "one of the crown jewels of the federal prison system."

"It looks and feels like a college campus," said federal sentencing attorney Alan Ellis, who has clients currently serving time there and says it's a popular assignment request for many white collar criminals.

Madoff's former life of luxury will quickly turn into a life of routine at Butner.

Inmates start their day at 6 a.m. and are required to work 7.5 hours a day, as long as they're found medically fit, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Madoff will make between 12 cents and 40 cents an hour to be a groundskeeper, a food service employee or a commissary worker.

Dinner is at 5 p.m., with free time afterwards until 9 p.m., during which time he can partake in recreational, religious or educational programs.

Link

Madoff reveals his secret

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Yogi Berra: no it wasn’t and error!

An interviewer started to ask Yogi Berra (pictured) about his two hits from the previous night when Berra corrected him and said he had three hits.

The interviewer apologized. "I checked the paper and the box score said you had two hits. The third must have been a typographical error."

"Heck no," Berra replied. "It was clean single to left field."

Stimulus waste: $3.4 million turtle crossing

Before approving a second stimulus plan, Mr. Obama needs to make sure the first $787 billion has been spent responsibly - not on a $3.4 million turtle crossing.

"I don't think we need to have another stimulus bill. I think we need to change this one so that we spend the money right now," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who has been critical of the plan.”

Then there are the questionable projects:

For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation wants to spend $3.4 million in stimulus money for a turtle tunnel. That's right, $3.4 million to help turtles cross under a highway. Each year, 1,035 turtles are killed on a half-mile stretch of highway north of Tallahassee, according to The Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance, a group advocating for the tunnel. They are hoping to use the stimulus dough to save the turtles.

Another example:

Across the country in Montana, a border crossing that averages fewer than two passenger cars a day and two to three trucks a month is slated to get $15 million in stimulus funds for upgrades.

And then there is the Utah sheriff asking for $25,000 in stimulus money for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

It gets worse. A report at the link below says:

To keep track of all the spending, the government has created a Web site. But nothing in life is free.
The independent General Services Administration quietly put out a release Wednesday night saying the site would be redesigned -- for $9.5 million and, perhaps, as much as $18 million in the next five years!

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So sayeth a Wise Latina woman

Cartoon by Michael Ramirez

Famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign vandalized

The world famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip has been defaced by graffiti vandals.

The graffiti, which appeared to be written with a marker rather than spray paint, was spotted Monday.

Several letters were written on the sign, but no profanities.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (shown standing in front of the sign above) issued a statement saying, “off with their head!”

Even in permissive Las Vegas we doubt the punishment will be anywhere near that severe.

Built in 1959, the Las Vegas sign has become a symbol of the city, appearing in ad campaigns, films and even board games.

In May, the sign was officially welcomed onto the National Register of Historic Places.

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Bad hair day at Wimbledon

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves to Sorana Cirstea of Romania during their third round singles match on center court at Wimbledon.