Condoleezza Rice playing the piano with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plays the piano during a performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Pennsylvania.

Gaither Homecoming group sing "Church in the Wildwood"

Sun dried bear on the rocks

A polar bear dries off in the sun after coming out of the water in his enclosure at a zoo in Berlin.

Record-braking 8th inning in the Rockies - Cubs baseball game

It was a wild 8th inning at Coors field in Denver as the Colorado Rockies routed the Chicago Cubs 17-2.

The photo above shows Cubs manager Lou Piniella on the left talking with Rockies manager Jim Tracy before the game.

Every Rockies batter got at least one hit in the eighth inning as they a scored record-breaking 12 runs on 11 straight hits - a major league record.

The Rockies batted around twice in the inning.

It took the Cubs 28 minutes to get the final out in the bottom of the 8th inning. The score was 5-2 when the inning began.

And this was only the second win for the Rockies since losing 8 straight games.

No wonder managers turn gray.

Link

Stylized Michael Jackson bust shown in Tokyo

A disclaimer should read, "any resemblance to Michael Jackson is purely coincidental."

Cycle riding cockatoo

A cockatoo performs by pedaling a tricycle during a performance at Bird Island Zoo in Shenyang of Liaoning Province, China.

Elegant but high maintenance beard

An intricately bearded participant presents himself to the jury at the 25th Garmisch-Partenkirchen Beard Championships last March in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

An elegant but high maintenance beard.

Nailed: Rangel hit with 13 ethics charges

A Washington Post report at the link below is titled, Democrat Rangel charged with 13 ethics violations.

The House ethics committee charged Rep. Charles B. Rangel (pictured) with 13 separate violations of House rules Thursday, saying his various financial dealings broke the "public trust." The long-awaited release of the charges against Rangel at an afternoon hearing was the first formal step toward a possible ethics trial in mid-September.

When last minute settlement negotiations broke down, the committee announced that it had found "substantial reason to believe" that the Harlem Democrat had:

Violated House rules or federal laws by soliciting donations from people with business before his committee to fund a center named in his honor at City College of New York, not paying taxes on a Caribbean home, improperly using a rent-stabilized apartment in New York as a campaign office, and not properly disclosing more than $600,000 in income and assets.

Only a few of his fellow Democrats have called on Rangel to resign. More could join in asking for a Rangel resignation now that the allegations have been detailed.

This is an embarrassment Democrats can do without going into the fall elections.

Link

On Angel wings

A woman playing the part of an angel takes part in a dress rehearsal on a rooftop in Berlin last year during the 20th anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It's probably safe to assume she ditched her purse before the actual performance.

The Arizona immigration decision

On the surface the federal court's issuance of a temporary injunction against enforcement of the major provisions of the Arizona immigration law appears superficially plausible but lacking real merit.

Judge Susan Bolton bought the Justice Department's preemption argument — i.e., the claim that the federal government has broad and exclusive authority to regulate immigration, and therefore that any state measure that is inconsistent with federal law is invalid.

The Arizona law is completely consistent with federal law. The judge, however, twisted to concept of federal law into federal enforcement practices (or, as it happens, lack thereof).

In effect, the court is saying that if the feds refuse to enforce the law the states can't do it either because doing so would transgress the federal policy of non-enforcement ... which is nuts.

This appears to be a classic case of a liberal judge, appointed by President Bill Clinton, bowing to the wishes of an even more liberal administration in Washington.

Did Judge Bolton make the ruling strictly on her own or did she get instructions (orders) from Eric Holder or someone else in the administration?

More here.

The Hoar Cross Downhill Soap Box race

Competitors take part in the Hoar Cross Downhill Soap Box race, an event held every winter in the Staffordshire village of Hoar Cross, England. The event raises tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

The Empire strikes back - Darth Vader robs a bank

A man robbed a Chase bank branch on Long Island dressed as Darth Vader.

Detectives say the man walked into the bank wearing a full head mask and a blue cape. The only part of the uniform that was out of place were his camouflage pants.

This Darth Vader apparently traded his light saber for a handgun.

At least one person in the bank didn't think the robbery was legit - at first.

More here.

Report: Rangel in a sleaze squeeze

A New York Post article reports that one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's top lieutenants demanded that Rep. Charles Rangel (pictured) quickly settle the swirling ethics charges against him rather than face a trial that could embarrass Democratic candidates across the country.

"I think it's best that he settle," Rep. George Miller, an influential California Democrat who helped engineer Pelosi's rise to power.

Rangel, however, does not want to go quietly.

As Lucianne Goldberg said, "it's tough to drain the swamp, when the biggest alligator just won't go down."

More here.

No more debating in your underwear in Boulder

Maybe Boulder, Colorado is getting a little less boulder as the City Council has banned citizens from addressing the chamber wearing underwear.

The days when a citizen could address the Boulder City Council wearing only underwear may be over.

The council will vote on new decorum rules in September, seven months after a resident stepped up to a microphone in his boxers.

The rules were already under review, but that incident led to a proposed ban on undressing during meetings.

Link

Comic-Con International

These photos were taken last weekend at the well attended Comic-Con International comic book convention in San Diego.

Russian prosecutors Investigate parasailing donkey stunt

Authorities in Russia are opening an animal cruelty probe into a weekend stunt on a beach in southern Russia in which a donkey parasailed high over the surf.

Amateur video footage showed men attaching a parasail harness to the trembling mule.

The English-language Kremlin news channel Russia Today reported that sunbathers were distressed at the sight of the flying donkey, which brayed in fear as it glided above the bay for half an hour.

Russia Today reported the donkey was shell-shocked but survived.

Reports said the donkey flight was a promotional stunt.

Employees of a leisure firm in the village of Golubitskaya on the Azov Sea could face two years in prison if they are charged and convicted of animal cruelty.

Link here and here.

GM electric Volt comes with sticker shock

From a report at the link below:

The long-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' electric car, will cost $41,000, the company announced Tuesday, leaving consumers to decide whether its environmental appeal is worth a price far above that of similarly sized conventional autos.

The Nissan electric Leaf is expected to appear later this year and will cost $32,780.

GM and Nissan are relying on a $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles to offset some of the added cost, and they're hoping that the allure of their novel power source will make up the rest.

More here.

Rep. Barney Frank caused scene over $1 on way to gay club

Congressman Barney Frank (pictured) caused a scene when he demanded a $1 senior discount on his ferry fare to Fire Island's popular gay haunt, The Pines, last Friday.

Frank, the Massachusetts ultra liberal Democrat was turned down by ticket clerks at the dock in Sayville because he didn't have the required Suffolk County Senior Citizens ID.

A witness reports, "Frank made such a drama over the senior rate that I contemplated offering him the dollar to cool down the situation."

Frank's partner, James Ready, asked the ticket office for a regular ticket for himself and a senior ticket for Frank, but was turned down because Frank didn't have a resident ID.

Link

Ethics challenged Rangel lashes out

An article at the link below reports that Congressman Charles Rangel (pictured) didn't stay sorry very long after his Friday apology for new ethics charges.

He lashed out Monday over questions about the ethics storm swirling around him.

"Why don't you wait until you know what the facts are?" the Harlem Democrat snapped at one reporter, after calling his ongoing ethics probe "traumatic."

He was especially grouchy over suggestions Democratic allies like Gov. Paterson, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Sen. Chuck Schumer are less than wholehearted in their support.

More here.

Italian man opens manhole cover museum

The International Manhole Cover Museum must surely rank as one of the world’s most bizarre collections.


It was set up by Stefano Bottoni, from Ferrara, in northern Italy.

Some of the covers were on temporary outdoor display.


The sheer weight of the cast iron means they can be left on outdoor display with minimal security.

The manhole covers are from all over the world including Amsterdam, Havana, Helsinki, Prague, Rome, Bucharest, Sarajevo and Vienna.

The museum lends dignity to objects that give access to storm drains, sewers, underground pipes, etc.

Link