Another Celebrity Takes Racy Photos ... With Predictable Results

Nothing overly obscene, mind you. But seriously, when is this stuff going to stop? Are these people so stupid they don't realize that eventually these photos find their way into the public eye?

Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore has contacted investigators from Major League Baseball to stop publication of steamy photographs that he says were stolen from his girlfriend's e-mail account and then posted online.

Sizemore took the photos, which first appeared Sunday on a Web site, with a cell phone standing in front of a bathroom mirror. He is partially nude in a few of them.

"We fully support Grady as he deals with this personal matter," the Indians said in a statement Monday. "The posted photos were stolen from his girlfriend's e-mail account and a legal investigation is under way."

Sizemore told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland the photos were intended for his girlfriend. The team said Sizemore wouldn't make any further comment on the photos.

His girlfriend is a Playboy Playmate, but her photos are, of course, tastefully done.

Al Sharpton's Daughter as Charming as Her Father

Not just his daughter. His ex-wife likes to throw around the F-bombs with impunity. I wonder where they picked up this nasty habit?

The @#$%! mouths on these Sharpton gals!

The ex-wife and daughter of the Rev. Al Sharpton hit cops with a fusillade of F-bombs when they were arrested on a Harlem traffic violation last month, according to statements released this morning.

In language that might make even the vociferously cop-appraising Reverend blanche, Kathy Jordan, 53, and her daughter, Dominique, 23, told police in no uncertain terms how displeased they were to get pulled over -- allegedly for blowing past a cop car and running a red light at 110th Street and 8th Avenue on October 30.

Mother and daughter shared a court appearance on their misdemeanor cases this morning in Manhattan. The mother was charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and harassment. The daughter was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

"I have a play to go to -- this is f---ing bullshit!" the daughter yelled at an officer, according to prosecutors.

"This is f---ing bull---!" the daughter allegedly continued. "You were driving too slow. Get the f--- off me! You can't harass me! Why the f--- am I getting a summons?"

The mom allegedly chimed in: "Why the f--- are you locking her up! Get your f---ing hands off her!"

Their lawyer, Michael Hardy -- who also reps the Rev -- tried unsuccessfully to get the charges dropped on the spot by noting that the mother and daughter merely exercised their First Amendment rights.

"Since when does verbal objection become criminal in America?" Hardy said after court.

But cops say the pair did a little more than just yap. Mom Kathy also pushed Sgt. Jorge Tavarez with her hands, grabbed the handcuffs the sergeant was holding, refused to put her hands behind her back for cuffing and ignored repeated demands that she return to her vehicle, the complaint alleges.

Obviously this is raaaaacist.

I have to chuckle at the lawyer's quote. His buddy Sharpton tries to ruin people over things they say that he disagrees with and he's got the balls to play the First Amendment card.

Surprise! Notre Dame Fires Charlie Weis

Don't feel bad for the guy. He'll walk away with millions and likely step right back in as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. And there's sure to be no shortage of suitors.

Charlie Weis is out as Notre Dame head football coach, a source close to the program told the Daily News.

AD Jack Swarbrick has decided to make a change after Weis finished the season with a 6-6 record and four straight losses to Navy, Pitt, Connecticut and Stanford.

Weis coached Notre Dame for five years and leaves with a 35-27 record. He has told friends in South Bend he has at least six offers from NFL teams to become their offensive coordinator.

This past weekend against Stanford Weis refused to do halftime and postgame media interviews. He reportedly cleaned out his office Thursday before the team left for the West Coast. Weis is not the only one apparently leaving. Junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen was seen giving his football helmet to his familly following a 45-38 loss to Stanford in which he threw five touchdown passes, a strong indication he will declare for the NFL draft.

All signg point to Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly as the odds-on favorite to get the job. In addition to being undefeated this season, Kelly also has what Weis never did before he got this job: prior head coaching experience.

Lupica: All Hopenchange is Lost

Poor Little Mikey. He had such grand hopes for The One, but now according to the diminutive jock-sniffer, he's morphed into George W. Bush.

There was the press pass at the bottom of a drawer Sunday, from Jan. 9, 2008, Saint Peter's College, "Change We Can Believe In" written in great big white and blue letters. It was the first time I ever saw and heard Barack Obama speak in person, heard the highest language and ideals we had gotten from a presidential candidate since Robert F. Kennedy 40 years before him.

"We are at a defining moment in our history," he said that day.

Obama's oratory delivered from a TelePrompter that day was so stirring for Lupica he kept the press pass as a memento to be cherished. And now it's all over. Images of RFK have vanished. You almost want to help him wipe away the tears.

Now, nearly two years later, Obama is President and Tuesday night he isn't in a basketball gym in Jersey City. Instead, he gives a speech to the whole country from the United States Military Academy, using West Point like the backdrop of a movie set.

This speech isn't about the change he talked about as a candidate, or the audacity of hope. It is expected to be about hopelessness, the President perhaps increasing troops in Afghanistan by as much as 50% over the next year-and-a-half. Somehow he is expected to outline his exit strategy at the same time.

Sure he will.

You know when Obama is quickly losing his most ardent Kool-Aid drinkers then he's in deep trouble.

You know when we are going to be out of Afghanistan, where the United States has become just one more losing road team? Sometime around the 12th of Never. The more who die there, the more we send over. This is Obama's surge, just without him calling it that, because that would make him sound too much like the big war President before him.

If he makes this announcement about more troops Tuesday night, it is the beginning of Barack Obama's own approval ratings ending up where George W. Bush's did.

"We're going to finish the job there," he says, and really does sound more like Bush than ever.

Somehow Bush fooled the country into a second term. The way things are going for Obama, there isn't going to be one for him. It is why there is this growing sentiment, even from people who voted for him, that the gate-crashers at the White House aren't a former cheerleader and her husband (did the Secret Service learn defense from the Knicks?), it is the President and all those advising him.

Read the rest if you need another tedious exercise in talk of chicken hawks and Bush bashing. Some things don't change in Lupica's world. But he sure does sound as if he's jumping off the sinking Obama ship.

Update: A much larger guy named Mike also weighs in.

Your potential decision to expand the war (while saying that you're doing it so you can "end the war") will do more to set your legacy in stone than any of the great things you've said and done in your first year. One more throwing a bone from you to the Republicans and the coalition of the hopeful and the hopeless may be gone -- and this nation will be back in the hands of the haters quicker than you can shout "tea bag!"

Choose carefully, Mr. President. Your corporate backers are going to abandon you as soon as it is clear you are a one-term president and that the nation will be safely back in the hands of the usual idiots who do their bidding. That could be Wednesday morning.

We the people still love you. We the people still have a sliver of hope. But we the people can't take it anymore. We can't take your caving in, over and over, when we elected you by a big, wide margin of millions to get in there and get the job done. What part of "landslide victory" don't you understand?

Awww, fatboy still loves him. But not for long.

Democrat civil war, anyone?

Jules Crittendedn live-mocks Mikey Moore.

Great Idea! Obama to Force Banks to Give Out More Bad Loans

They conveniently forget it was the government pressuring lenders to give out bad loans that got us in this mess in the first place. But due to the enduring Obama recession, I guess they have to keep repeating their mistakes until they get it right.

The Obama administration on Monday plans to announce a campaign to pressure mortgage companies to reduce payments for many more troubled homeowners, as evidence mounts that a $75 billion taxpayer-financed effort aimed at stemming foreclosures is foundering.

“The banks are not doing a good enough job,” Michael S. Barr, Treasury’s assistant secretary for financial institutions, said in an interview Friday. “Some of the firms ought to be embarrassed, and they will be.”

So they'll be playing Name and Shame. How clever.

How about naming the real culprits? Barney Frank and Chris Dodd come immediately to mind.

Nah, can't do that.

The Treasury has announced plans to assign officials to monitor the largest mortgage servicing companies on a daily basis and will require companies to develop and report their specific plans to increase the number of modifications they complete. Loan servicers may face monetary penalties and sanctions if they fail to fulfill plans. Treasury is also expected to delay incentive payments to servicers until individual modifications are permanent.

Of course the last thing they'll ever do is admit this is a failure.

The servicers say that they are doing a good job and are making a good faith attempt to comply with the requirements and guidelines of the program.

According to the Times, there is now discussion in the Senate about a national foreclosure relief program based on one now in use in Philadelphia. In that city mortgage companies are forced to submit to court-supervised mediation with the borrower before they are allowed to proceed to foreclosure. Democrats in Congress are also a low pushing to allow the bankruptcy courts to "cram downs" mortgage balances to an amount compatible with the current market value of the house.

One has to wonder, might the plan to pressure loan servicers actually be counterproductive?

Of course it's counterproductive. What the stories fail to note is many who got "relief" originally wound up defaulting again anyway. It was giving loans out in the first place to people who couldn't afford them that caused the disaster. Instead of fessing up to the real problem we're just spinning our wheels and wasting untold amounts of money.

'Dear Leader' Not Showing The Love

I wonder what the penalty for crashing a party is?

A NUMBER of North Koreans have been arrested and could face execution for leaking information on the movements of leader Kim Jong-Il to South Korean news media, reports and sources say.
Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, quoting sources in the communist state, said today "many North Korean residents'' in the northeastern city of Hoeryong have been charged with espionage.

It said they were accused of leaking information on Kim's February 24 "field guidance'' trip to the city to a South Korean internet newspaper and may face execution.

Apparently "Dear Leader" doesn't like folks to know where he is. If he is so loved by all of his people why is this such a concern? I think the real culprit is revealed a little later in the article.

"A different group of North Korean residents who had worked for another Seoul-based civilian organisation were caught using unauthorised mobiles in Hoeryong,'' Shin Ju-Hyun, a Daily NK journalist, said.

If there is one thing Kim Done Gone Batty won't allow, it is contact with the outside world. To the average North Korean they think the rest of the world lives exactly the same as they do.

UN Climate Honcho Calls for Criminal Investigation

No, not into the greatest scientific fraud ever perpetrated. Hew wants to find out who leaked the information and have them prosecuted.

There is "virtually no possibility" of a few scientists biasing the advice given to governments by the UN's top global warming body, its chair said today.

Rajendra Pachauri defended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the wake of apparent suggestions in emails between climate scientists at the University of East Anglia that they had prevented work they did not agree with from being included in the panel's fourth assessment report, which was published in 2007.

The emails were made public this month after a hacker illegally obtained them from servers at the university.

Pachauri said the large number of contributors and rigorous peer review mechanism adopted by the IPCC meant that any bias would be rapidly uncovered.

"The processes in the IPCC are so robust, so inclusive, that even if an author or two has a particular bias it is completely unlikely that bias will find its way into the IPCC report," he said.

"Every single comment that an expert reviewer provides has to be answered either by acceptance of the comment, or if it is not accepted, the reasons have to be clearly specified. So I think it is a very transparent, a very comprehensive process which insures that even if someone wants to leave out a piece of peer reviewed literature there is virtually no possibility of that happening."

It's peer reviewed, therefore it's untainted!

Looks like they're going to utter tha peer review mantra for all it's worth.

Some commentators, including the former chancellor Nigel Lawson and the environmental campaigner and Guardian writer George Monbiot, have called on Jones to resign but Pachauri said he did not agree. He said an independent inquiry into the emails would achieve little, but there should be a criminal investigation into how the emails came to light.

Pachauri said he doubted that trust in the IPCC would be damaged by the affair. "People who are aware of how the IPCC functions and are appreciative of the credibility that the IPCC has attained will probably not be swayed by an incident of this kind," he said.

He doesn't seem to realize their credibility has been shattered.

'She's a Publicity Machine'

You think Tiger Woods has had a bad weekend. Wait until he finds out his alleged girlfriend is now represented by the odious Gloria Allred. Welcome to Tiger's nightmare.

After Rachel Uchitel ran into trouble, she did what plenty of scandal-scarred women have done before her: She ran right to Gloria Allred.

Allred, the self-described "most famous woman attorney in the nation," has represented women in some of Tinsletown's biggest cases.

Now she's taken in Uchitel, a Manhattan club hostess who the National Enquirer claims had an affair with golf legend Tiger Woods.

Dressed to the nines in one of her signature designer suits, the 68-year-old lawyer greeted Uchitel at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday with a hug.

But that soft touch was misleading. Known for her no-holds-barred press conferences, Allred is a tiger in the court of public opinion.

"I don't think there's been a high-profile case she didn't like," said Loyola Law School Prof. Stan Goldman, who has known Allred for decades.

"She's the rainmaker. Her name and reputation bring in the clients. She's a publicity machine, and you can't underestimate the skills of her team," Goldman said.

Allred got her start taking on the Beverly Hills Friars Club for discrimination, and she's a master at making sometimes unsympathetic women look like victims of a sexist society or manipulative men.

Wonderful: Huckabee Pardoned Suspected Washington Cop Killer

Last week Mike Huckabee hinted he probably won't be running for President in 2012. Well, he can permanently shelve any further political aspirations.

The man whom police are seeking as a "person of interest" in the slaying of four police officers was released from an Arkansas prison nine years ago after a controversial decision by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to commute his sentence.

Maurice Clemmons, 37, was identified late Sunday by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office as a man sought for questioning . Clemmons has pending charges in Pierce County Superior Court for second-degree child rape and third-degree assault for an attack on a police officer. He was released from custody in those cases after posting a $150,000 bond, according to the Lakewood Police Department.

Long before coming to Washington, Clemmons was serving a 35-year prison term in Arkansas for armed robbery but his sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Huckabee, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in his 2008 presidential bid, according to the Arkansas Times Web site.

According to this report the suspect may now be dead. Best news I've read all morning.

Huckabee's second Willie Horton? Sure seems like it.

Update: The suspect was not in the house police searched and it's feared he could be somewhere around the University of Washington in Seattle.

AP Still Dutifully Pushing Global Warming Hoax

These folks sure don't let reality interfere with their propaganda.

Ski resorts across the country are using the Thanksgiving weekend to jump start their winter seasons, but with every passing year comes a frightening realization: If global temperatures continue to rise, fewer and fewer resorts will be able to open for the traditional beginning of ski season.

Warmer temperatures at night are making it more difficult to make snow and the snow that falls naturally is melting earlier in the spring.

In few places is this a bigger concern than the American West, where skiing is one of the most lucrative segments of the tourism industry and often the only reason many people visit cash-strapped states like Utah during winter.

But even as world leaders descend on Copenhagen next month to figure out a way to reduce carbon emissions blamed in global warming, the industry is still grappling with leaders in some of their own ski-crazy states who refuse to concede that humans have any impact on climate change.

Chief among them is Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who says he will host what he calls the first "legitimate debate" about man's role in climate change in the spring.

While the world's leading scientific organizations agree the debate was settled long ago, the former Realtor who took office when Jon Huntsman resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China maintains that it wasn't.

"He's said to me that the jury is out in his mind whether it's man-caused and he thinks and believes that the public jury is still out," said Herbert's environmental adviser, Democrat Ted Wilson.

Herbert's reluctance to acknowledge that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming quietly frustrates Utah ski resorts that depend on state marketing money, but it openly infuriates industry officials elsewhere who liken it to having a debate about whether the world is flat.

"That's just kind of raging ignorance," said Auden Schendler, executive director of sustainability for Aspen (Colo.) Skiing Co. "We're not environmentalists, we're business people. We have studied the hell out of the climate science. To have a neighboring governor not believe it ... It's absurd."

A climate study by the Aspen Global Change Institute is forecasting that if global emissions continue to rise, Aspen will warm 14 degrees by the end of this century, giving it a similar climate to that of Amarillo, Texas.

It must be "peer-reviewed," I guess.

Somehow the Associated Press has managed to avoid noticing the greatest scientific scandal of modern times. Yet it is those who dispute the junk science that are ignorant.

Hey, Don't I Know You?

Sure looks like Barack Obama is familiar with the Salahis. Maybe they flashed this photo in order to scam their way into the White House the other night.

Meanwhile, as their fifteenth minute rapidly approaches, these two have ditched Larry King and are angling for a big payday.

Whodathunkit?

They may be in big trouble, but the White House party crashers are just eyeing the big bucks.

The desperate and broke fame-seeking duo has postponed their highly anticipated TV appearance with Larry King and are shopping interviews to the highest bidder -- demanding "high six figures" for their story, sources said yesterday.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi became the "big get" since they sneaked their way into the supposedly secure White House state dinner Tuesday evening -- getting face time with President Obama and leaving the Secret Service with a major black eye.

But their bid for cash has shocked even seasoned television veterans.

"This being asked by relative nobodies is pretty ridiculous, and it's going to be interesting to see where they end up," said an industry insider. "Their people are aggressively shopping them around."

The couple had been slated to appear on "Larry King Live" tomorrow night, but the Salahis "have postponed" the interview, a spokesman for King said.

Underscoring their value as interview subjects was a note left on their front door by a producer for Katie Couric, who said the CBS anchor was anxious to give them "the opportunity to tell their side of the story."

The socialite couple's lawyer, Paul Gardner, and spokeswoman, Mahogany Jones, have been doing the negotiating, but people close to the Salahis said it was not surprising they would try to exploit their ill-gotten fame for financial gain.

"Everyone who knows Tareq knows that he is one of the most aggressive, P.T. Barnum-type operators out there," said a pal who has known them for years.

The one thing I always took away from the circus was the stench of elephant crap. I'm getting a big whiff of it with these two.

'Mostly Peaceful' Activists Riot Before Geneva WTO Meeting

Recall back in the summer when Tea Party protesters were portrayed as "raucous" and "angry mobs" by the lamestream media? Well, get a load of how these leftwing anarchists are portrayed in this dispatch out of Geneva.

Anti-capitalism demonstrators smashed windows of banks and watchmakers in central Geneva today during a violent protest against the World Trade Organisation.

Several people dressed in black used mallets to break windows at Credit Suisse and other institutions during the demonstration by some 3,000 mostly peaceful people.

They also smashed windows at a Starbucks cafe.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said some demonstrators seemed to be smashing windows at every building they passed.

Protesters also set off fireworks in the Swiss city's main shopping street, which was lined with police in riot gear.

The demonstration was called to protest against the WTO's three-day ministerial conference that starts on Monday.

Police spokesman Patrick Puhl confirmed protesters set fire to four cars and broke shop windows during a march Saturday.

Puhl said other acts of vandalism were also committed during the march.

Activists say trade policies adopted by WTO members create poverty in rich and poor countries by squeezing farmers in developing countries and depressing labour standards in industrialised nations.

Here's one of those zany activists wearing a ski mask and wielding a hammer.

Where are the water cannons when you need them?

NY Times Reveals More Classified Information, Largely Ignores ClimateGate

Breathlessly reported leaked today by the New York Times is this item about a "secret" (well, it was secret) prison in Afghanistan, using "human rights researchers" and "former detainees," none of whom we're sure has any axe to grind or political motivation involved in our defeat. But hey, thanks, New York Times, we're so glad you have our best interests at heart. After all, we have to worry about our "image" rather than the safety of our armed forces.

An American military detention camp in Afghanistan is still holding inmates for sometimes weeks at a time and without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to human rights researchers and former detainees held at the site on the Bagram Air Base.

The site consists of individual windowless concrete cells, each lighted by a single light bulb glowing 24 hours a day, where detainees said that their only contact with another human being was at twice-daily interrogation sessions.

The jail’s operation highlights a tension between President Obama’s goal to improve detention conditions that had drawn condemnation under the Bush administration and his desire to give military commanders leeway to operate. In this case, that means isolating certain prisoners for a period of time so interrogators can extract information or flush out confederates.

Ah, yes, such a dilemma for our fearless Historic First Golfer, the man of unprecedented something or other. On an unrelated note, big up and mad props to the leakers at the Times for not calling it harsh interrogation. They're at least cognizant of the ridicule.

Military officials said as recently as this summer that the secret Afghanistan jail and another like it at the Balad Air Base in Iraq were being used to interrogate high-value detainees. And officials said recently that there were no plans to close the detention centers.

In August, the administration restricted the time that detainees could be held at the secret jails to two weeks, changing previous Pentagon policy.

In the past, the military could obtain extensions. The interviewed detainees had been held longer but before the new policy went into effect.

Detainees call the Afghan site the black jail.

Oh my, the black jail, a name so offensive it immediately let to condemnation from MENSA chapter leader Joy Behar.

Now with the Times yet again revealing classified "secret" information, it's curious how little interest they have in ClimateGate, only the greatest scientific hoax of the modern era.

During the Bush Administration, it was Pulitzer material to expose anti-terrorism methods and operations including:

* The Terrorist Surveillance Program
* How we tracked terrorist financing
* Exposing secret terrorist holding facilities in allied countries
* Exaggerated accounts of terrorist interrogation

But when it comes to the hundreds of emails exposing the “scientists” who are manufacturing fraudulent data that is being used to seize control of the U.S.—and world—economy in the name of “global warming,” the New York Times is suddenly queasy about exposing documents that were “never intended for the public eye.” The last time they kept a secret this well, was when Stalin was starving millions of Ukrainians to death.

But the New York Times is not alone. Despite stories on every network that Barack Obama is going to Copenhagen to advocate for a “climate change” treaty, NONE of them have reported on this story—not even to try to refute it.

Yet rest assured all those "real news" outlets ignoring ClimateGate will all likely report this story tonight.

Media bias? What media bias?

When they're called on it, the hacks at the Times will say they "covered" the story, but that's a disingenuous excuse as to how they reference the story. But it's come to be expected from them. If they ignored the Van Jones story, do you think they'll really want to investigate a story of far greater implications? When a story comes along that refutes all that which you've believed and promoted for decades, editorial judgment exits the building and ass-covering commences.

His Wife is Really Cold

I feel really bad for the guy, but maybe it's time to move on and seek companionship elsewhere.

A Vietnamese man dug up his wife's corpse and slept beside it for five years because he wanted to hug her in bed, an online newspaper reported on Thursday.

The 55-year-old man from a small town in the central province of Quang Nam opened up his wife's grave in 2004, molded clay around the remains to give the figure of a woman, put clothes on her and then placed her in his bed, Vietnamnet.vn said.

The man, Le Van, told the website that after his wife died in 2003 he slept on top of her grave, but about 20 months later he worried about rain, wind and cold, so he decided to dig a tunnel into the grave "to sleep with her."

His children found out, though, and prevented him from going to the grave. So one night in November 2004 he dug up his wife's remains and took them home, Vietnamnet reported.

The website carried a photo of Van with the figure of his wife, which is still in his home.

'We Must Seize the Moment to Seal the Deal'

Yes, you better seal the deal before the media catches on to ClimateGate. Not that there's any urgency to do that.

SUCCESS is in sight at the looming Copenhagen talks on climate change, UN chief Ban Ki-moon says, after encouraging signs at a summit of Commonwealth nations.
"We must not fail. Success in Copenhagen is in sight. We must seize the moment to seal the deal," said the UN Secretary General, urging all world leaders to attend the final days of the Copenhagen talks.

Ban said he was convinced that the talks would clinch a strong statement on setting targets to curb greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming.

Of course, there is no "global warming," but why quibble with reality?

Scandal? What scandal?

Unprecedented Stupidity: WH Posts Party Crashers on Flickr Page

President Barack Obama greets Michaele and Tareq Salahi during a receiving line in the Blue Room of the White House before the State Dinner with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Nov. 24, 2009.
(Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Hello? Is anyone at the White House paying the slightest bit of attention?

Uhhhh, this isn't exacly how you want to discourage copycats.

The photo has already been viewed almost 9,000 times and has some 119 comments.

We're not quite sure why the White House posted the picture -- we thought sports TV crews have established a good precedent of not televising streakers and other people who run onto the field.

Maybe it's good to have a sense of humor, or show some accountability, but it's also giving the couple the exact kind of attention they want.

More from Doug Ross.

'I Never Expected to Get So Much Attention'

Well, when you're 6-foot-8 and wearing stripper pumps, expect plenty of attention.

Meet Bod-zilla.

A California lawyer-turned-dominatrix named Amazon Eve has become the world's tallest cover girl.

Eve, who declines to reveal her real name, has become an overnight media sensation after an Australian magazine ran a photo spread of the 6-foot-8 model with a much shorter woman and featured her on its cover.

"I never expected to get so much attention," the lengthy lovely told The Post.

In the Zoo Weekly photo spread, Eve looks like she belongs to a race of giants compared to her diminutive counterpart, who barely comes up to her chest.

The publicity drawn by the photo has led to a flood of modeling gigs, and she's now on the lookout for a publicist and a manager.

A California native, Eve said she went to law school before deciding to become a personal trainer.

I guess she's ruled out the WNBA.

'Mom, That's Jesus Looking at Us'

Uh, no, it's not. Hate to break this to you folks, but that's an iron with stains on it.

Good grief.

The image of Jesus Christ has popped up on all sorts of household items, from dirty windows to pieces of toast. Now one woman sees Christ's likeness in the rust on her iron.

Mary Jo Coady noticed the religious imagery when she spotted the iron on the floor in her daughter's bedroom.

"It just gave me a sign that life is going to be good," she told the Eagle-Tribune.

The 44-year-old mother of two told her daughters, expecting they would dismiss the likeness. But, she told the paper, they saw the features of Jesus Christ, as well.

"They were like, 'Mom, that's Jesus looking at us,'" Coady said, who has found new born faith thanks to her discovery.

According to the Boston Globe, she shared the photo on Facebook, and was reassured by friends that they, too, saw Jesus on the iron.

"So I said, 'OK, I'm not crazy,'" Coady said.

That depends how you're looking at things. Me, I'm not so sure about her mental stability.

'Mrs Obama Resembles No One Else — Her Style is Unique'

Indeed, she is unique. How many women do you know who dress up like a giant pastry? Of course instead of inviting ridicule, some twits continue with the delusion she's some sort of fashion icon.

The French fashion world has dealt a new blow to Nicolas Sarkozy’s desire to upstage President Obama: Elle magazine, the Parisiennes’ style bible, has proclaimed that Michelle Obama is more chic than Carla Bruni.

The magazine’s annual best-dressed list, unveiled yesterday, awarded first place in the category of “political chic” to America’s First Lady, and second to France’s Première Dame. It is the second year in a row that Ms Bruni, 42, has come second on the list; last year Elle put her behind Asma Assad, the British-born wife of the Syrian President.
...
The Elle style jury, led by Nathalie Rykiel, of the Sonia Rykiel house, said that the emphasis this year was on strong personalities who shone with a distinctive style. “Mrs Obama resembles no one else — her style is unique,” said Elle. “She encourages young designers and has succeeded in imposing the waisted cardigan as official dress.”

That was enough to knock Ms Bruni, a career supermodel who has, as a political wife, developed a demure new Dior-dressed style, off top spot — although she came in for warm praise. She was credited with changing her look on arriving at the palace after marrying Mr Sarkozy last year in what was dubbed her Jackie Kennedy look. “She has managed to invent a style of First Lady à la française,” said Elle. “She always gets it right.”

Yes, she does. And I've yet to see her wear a suicide-bomber belt. But this career supermodel is outdone by Michelle Obama?

Please.

Tiger Woods Seriously Hurt in Car Wreck

There seems to be very few details as this story is just getting out there.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident early this morning, the Florida Highway Patrol just reported.

Woods, 33, pulled out of his driveway in the Isleworth community about 2:25 a.m. when he struck a fire hydrant, and then drove into a tree at his neighbor's property, FHP reported.

Woods was transported to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee in serious condition, FHP said. No other information about his condition has been released.

Update: More now out of Orlando.

FHP said the airbags in Woods' Cadillac Escalade did not deploy, which means the vehicle was traveling under 33 mph.

Orange County Fire Rescue received the call for aid at 2:28 a.m. Woods was transported from his Windermere-area neighborhood by the hospital's own ambulance.

FHP did not report the accident until just after 2 p.m. today. The agency said the crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.

Driving under the influence, perhaps?

Update: Authorities now say it is not alcohol related.

The highway patrol says the crash is still under investigation, and charges are pending. However, the highway patrol said the crash was not alcohol-related.

Ellen Goodman Oddly Silent on ClimateGate

It's been a week now and we thought we'd revisit on of the most absurd columns in recent memory pertaining to the Great Global Warming Hoax. Less than three years ago this gem received much attention.

On the day that the latest report on global warming was released, I went out and bought a light bulb. OK, an environmentally friendly, compact fluorescent light bulb.

No, I do not think that if everyone lit just one little compact fluorescent light bulb, what a bright world this would be. Even the Prius in our driveway doesn't do a whole lot to reduce my carbon footprint, which is roughly the size of the Yeti lurking in the (melting) Himalayas.

But it was either buying a light bulb or pulling the covers over my head. And it was too early in the day to reach for that kind of comforter.

By every measure, the U N 's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raises the level of alarm. The fact of global warming is "unequivocal." The certainty of the human role is now somewhere over 90 percent. Which is about as certain as scientists ever get.

I would like to say we're at a point where global warming is impossible to deny. Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers, though one denies the past and the other denies the present and future.

That's right. Those of us who questioned the bogus science were on a par with Holocaust deniers. We were to be shunned and ridiculed for the science was settled.

Except now we know the science was anything but settled. It was a fraud.

The folks at the Pew Research Center clocking public attitudes show that global warming remains 20th on the annual list of 23 policy priorities. Below terrorism, of course, but also below tax cuts, crime, morality, and illegal immigration.

One reason is that while poles are melting and polar bears are swimming between ice floes, American politics has remained polarized. There are astonishing gaps between Republican science and Democratic science. Try these numbers: Only 23 percent of college-educated Republicans believe the warming is due to humans, while 75 percent of college-educated Democrats believe it.

And who has been proven right now, Ms. Goodman?

Curiously since the great hoax was exposed last week, Goodman doesn't have anything to say about it. Funny how that is. She and her ilk are on the run, their credibility shattered.

The term that Fox News is now applying to the Climategate e-mails is “game-changer”. For the first time, Anthropogenic Global Warming cranks are on the defensive, losing their cool and uttering desperate mantras such as “You can be sceptical, not denial.” Gee, thanks, guys. In fact we shall be whatever we want to be, without asking your permission.

At this rate, Copenhagen is going to turn into a comedy convention with the real world laughing at these liars. Now is the time to mount massive resistance to the petty tyrants and hit them where it hurts – in the wallet. Further down the line there may be, in many countries, a question of criminal prosecution of anybody who has falsified data to secure funds and impose potentially disastrous fiscal restraints on the world in deference to a massive hoax. It’s a new world out there, Al, and, as you may have noticed, the climate is very cold indeed.

Indeed, those who have promoted and profited from this massive hoax need to be investigated and possibly prosecuted. They should be exposed, ridiculed and shunned. It is they who are the deniers.

Reality deniers.

Kinky: Liberals Plan to 'Spank' Obama

After they're done spanking Obama they'll move on to spanking monkeys and choking chickens.

President Obama is days away from announcing a new Afghan strategy, but his immediate battle could come from liberals within his own party who are vowing to "spank" the president for committing tens of thousands of more troops to the eight-year conflict.

In a prime-time speech Tuesday from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Obama is expected to announce that he is sending up to 35,000 additional troops to Afghanistan beginning next year.

The figure is short of the 40,000 troops his top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, requested -- but enough to anger many congressional Democrats who oppose any potential troop surge, arguing that the mission is too expensive and lacks a clear objective.

"I think there will be some disillusionment within his base," said Paul Kawika Martin, political director for Peace Action, a grassroots organization, who added that thousands of activists are planning to protest following the president's announcement.

"We're going to spank him for sending more troops," he told FoxNews.com, adding that they may also "thank him" if he announces a quick exit strategy.

Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank immediately volunteered to be spanked before and after Obama.

Even though Obama's announcement is sure to reawaken the anti-war movement, Martin said, the protests won't be as intense as they were in the Bush era because the movement has been weakened by the economic recession -- some organizations have shed up to 40 percent of staff in the past year, he said -- and is distracted by the national health care debate. He also said many members of the movement voted for Obama and trust him more than the Bush administration.

"So you don't have that same type of anger," he said.

Why are these people always so angry?

Lying for Sex Now Legal in South Korea

Hard to believe men would actually make false promises in return for a little action, isn't it?

South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a decades-old law Thursday that had punished men for making false promises of marriage to engage in sex with women.

The nine-member court ruled in a 6-3 verdict that the law infringed upon women's dignity and privacy and didn't reflect the current social trend on sex and individualism.

The ruling said the law treated women like "infants," and went against the government's "constitutional obligation to aim for the equality of men and women."

Despite the ruling, South Korea remains deeply conservative and is still influenced by a Confucian heritage after decades of Western influence. Last year, the Constitutional Court upheld a law against adultery, rejecting complaints the law is outdated and constitutes an invasion of privacy. Those convicted under the anti-adultery law face prison sentences of up to two years.

The law tossed out Thursday had punished South Korean men who deceived their girlfriends into having sex with up to a two-year prison term and a fine of more than $4,000. Enacted in 1953, the law only held men liable for false promises of marriage.

Harsh 'Reality' for White House Party Crashers

The attention-seeking couple who crashed the White House tent soiree the other night may not be enjoying all the attention they're now getting.

The fame-seeking duo who crashed a White House state dinner in a shocking security breach were so eager to get on TV's "Real Housewives of Washington" that they concocted an invite to the president's party to show the producers what big wheels they were, sources said yesterday.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi are one of several couples in contention to be featured on the Bravo show, for which casting has not been finalized. They have been trailed by cameras for months as producers tried to assemble players.

The Salahis -- whose brazen stunt has led to an investigation of Secret Service security measures -- may have been trying to ice the "Housewives" deal by showing that they're a Beltway power couple, said one source.

The fame-seeking duo who crashed a White House state dinner in a shocking security breach were so eager to get on TV's "Real Housewives of Washington" that they concocted an invite to the president's party to show the producers what big wheels they were, sources said yesterday.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi are one of several couples in contention to be featured on the Bravo show, for which casting has not been finalized. They have been trailed by cameras for months as producers tried to assemble players.

The Salahis -- whose brazen stunt has led to an investigation of Secret Service security measures -- may have been trying to ice the "Housewives" deal by showing that they're a Beltway power couple, said one source.

Well, it seems this "power couple" are only a couple steps above being grifters.

Despite presenting themselves as deep-pocketed philanthropists the couple appears to be in financial straits.

Tareq has been embroiled in a years-long feud with his parents over the family's Virginia winery, which filed for bankruptcy in February.

The family has been trying to sell the business because, his parents said, Tareq ran it into the ground, piling up as many as 50 creditors and almost $1 million in debt while he was its president.

Among its creditors are the Washington Redskins, for whom Michaele used to be a cheerleader. The couple owes the team $224,000 for season tickets. They also had a $57,000 Carver Mariner yacht, an $80,000 Aston Martin and an Audi that were repossessed.

There is also a $3.5 million fraud suit against the company, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit-card debt and legal fees.

A catering company has sued Tareq Salahi for more than $300,000, claiming he never paid the bill for food for a polo-charity event.

Meanwhile, a purported nonprofit run by the Salahis -- Journey for a Cure, which has claimed to raise millions for research on multiple sclerosis -- was flagged in May by Virginia consumer-affairs officials for failing to apply for tax-exempt status.

"Contributors are cautioned that their contributions to [the] organization may be used for noncharitable purposes," the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement.

You can be sure the IRS will be having a much closer look at these two, and for good reason.

Of course being these two are shameless name-droppers mired in debt, they may have found the perfect spot for their next television gig.

The Salahis are slated to appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Monday.

How appropriate. Maybe King can give them some tips.

Former neighbors of these two aren't exactly fond of them.

"Nobody wants to deal with them," said a neighbor.

Another neighbor said the Salahis were living out of hotels around Washington in recent weeks. The neighbor said the couple's cars, including a Maserati and an Aston Martin, have been repossessed.

"People come in our driveway looking for them," the neighbor said. "The sheriffs have come by twice lately."

Democrat Cruelty

Can you imagine the media firestorm if Republicans tried to shove something like this down our throats? All we would hear is that Republicans hate the disabled and want special needs children to die. But the Democrats pull a stunt like this and they can hardly stifle the yawns.

Families with special-needs children and people with chronic illnesses stand to lose hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in tax benefits under proposed health care reform legislation, critics say, warning that a plan to cap the amount of money people can put into special "flexible spending" health accounts will have "cruel" and "unintended consequences."

The Senate and House health care bills both include a revenue-raising provision that would cap at $2,500 the amount of money workers can put into flexible spending accounts. The accounts, used by millions, allow workers to store pre-tax dollars to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses during the year.

Many employers set a cap on contributions at about $5,000, according to Save Flexible Spending Plans, a group formed by benefits providers over the summer to lobby against the changes. Federal government workers are subject to a $5,000 limit, and most state governments impose a $3,000-$6,000 cap. But legally there is currently no cap across the board.

The change is projected to bring in about $15 billion over the next decade by limiting the pre-tax dollar savings, but critics say it could have devastating effects on families that rely on flexibile spending accounts to pay for health care expenses that are not covered by their insurance policies.

"It's really become kind of a revenue grab rather than good sound health policy," said Jody Dietel, chief compliance officer for WageWorks, a company that helps administer the accounts. She is also executive director of Save Flexible Spending Plans.

Recall back in 1995 when the GOP attempted to slow the rate of increase for the wasteful school lunch program. For months on end all we heard from the media and the left was that Republicans wanted to "starve" children. And that was with funds to the program actually increasing.

Globwarm Myth of the Day: Eating Less Sausage Will Save the Planet

As the scandal of the century mushrooms further and the credibility of the global warming hoaxers evaporates faster than Barack Obama's approval rating, today's exercise in stupidity bring us this inane drivel out of the U.K.

Cutting a sausage a day from the average British diet is necessary to save the planet, scientists claim.

Their controversial report, which partly blames meat-eaters for climate change, was backed by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn's department last night.

The scientists called for a 30 per cent reduction in the number of farm animals bred for meat to prevent rising temperatures and rising sea levels.

The average meat intake in men is 970g a week and in women 550g a week. A 30 per cent reduction in men is equivalent to seven 40g sausages, two 130g chicken breasts, four 70g lamb chops or 12 bacon rashers of 25g.

Such a reduction would also bring significant health benefits, the scientists said, by reducing premature deaths from heart disease in Britain by 17 per cent - equivalent to 18,000 lives a year.

They claimed food production from animals was a major source of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and that by 2030, rising demand for meat was expected to drive up livestock production globally by 85 per cent from 2000 levels, leading to substantial emission increases.

The authors, led by Dr Alan Dangour, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Dr Sharon Friel, from the Australian National University in Canberra, wrote in the medical journal The Lancet that improvements in agricultural efficiency were 'necessary but not sufficient to meet targets to reduce emissions'.

Ah yes, The Lancet, the home of those bogus Iraq fatalities from several years ago, a report funded by the thug George Soros.

Meanwhile, more climate change fraud has been exposed.

Rather than admit they've all been in on the greatest hoax of modern time, the reality deniers are just doubling down with more hysteria. Their credibility has been shattered yet they still move forward, inching ever close to the cliff's edge. Their fall will be a steep one.

'She Thinks He is Really a Socialist in Disguise'

Honestly, I don't think he's disguising it very well. Whatever the case, Angelina Jolie may not want to be holding out for any invitations to the White House any time soon.

Angelina Jolie isn't happy with the state of politics today … and that includes President Barack Obama.

"She hates him," a source close to the actress said in the latest issue of Us Weekly magazine. "She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise."

Despite her displeasure with the leader of the Democrats, the 34-year-old actress is reportedly not a Republican like her father, actor Jon Voight.

Jolie, who has been a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador since 2001, is said to think the President is all "smoke and mirrors."

'Reality TV' Couple Crash White House Party

So nice to see security is up to snuff at the Obama White House.

A couple of aspiring reality-TV stars from Northern Virginia appear to have crashed the White House's state dinner Tuesday night, penetrating layers of security with no invitation to mingle with the likes of Vice President Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi -- polo-playing socialites known for a bitter family feud over a Fauquier County winery and their possible roles in the forthcoming "The Real Housewives of Washington" -- were seen arriving at the White House and later posted on Facebook photos of themselves with VIPs at the elite gathering.

"Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!" one of them wrote on their joint Facebook page at 9:08 p.m.

But a White House official said the couple were not invited to the dinner, not included on the official guest list and never seated at a table in the South Lawn tent.

A woman describing herself as a publicist for the Salahis denied that they were interlopers. Pressed for details, Mahogany Jones sent a statement saying simply: "The Salahis were honored to be a part of such a prestigious event. . . . They both had a wonderful time."

While the White House offered no official explanation, it appears to be the first time in modern history that anyone has crashed a White House state dinner. The uninvited guests were in the same room as President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, although it is unknown whether they met the Obamas and the guest of honor.

I blame Fox News.

The story goes on to say they "looked like they belonged" so I'm figuring they walked around with a chip on their shoulders, their noses up in the air and an angry look on their faces.

SEIU Thugs Finally Charged In Gladney Beating

Finally. After months of careful consideration the St Louis county prosecutors office has seen fit to file charges against 6 people for the beating of Kenneth Gladney at the Tea Party rally outside of Rep Carnahan's town hall meeting back in August.

Of course Jim Hoft over at Gateway Pundit is all over it, and the prosecutors office admit that they were motivated in part by bloggers and videos appearing on the internet.

This particular news account leaves out any mention of the SEIU connection and in fact leaves you with the impression that it was the people protesting against Rep Carnahan support of the PelosiCare healthcare bill that were the ones charged.

Unbiased journalism or willful omission I will leave up to the reader.

They even managed to press charges against a reporter who was on the scene, you know doing his job.

Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman, 30, of University City, was charged with interfering with a police officer. The charges allege that he failed to obey repeated commands "to leave the site of an ongoing disturbance."

Hmmm, isn't the job of reporters to, you know, like, report on things like this? I wonder how often they ask reporters to leave the site of other protests? Of course this is the same Missouri which earlier in the year drafted the memo about folks who oppose Obama should be given particular attention by public safety personnel, since they pose a threat and the same Missouri who wanted to set up truth squads to fight the rumors that might smear The One.

I, like a lot of other people, are still left to wonder what took so long to prefer charges in what appears to be a pretty obvious case of assault, with police officers on the scene. Meanwhile the folks of the "Show Me" state might want to start taking a look at who is running their state and get some folks in there that have at least a passing familiarity with our Bill of Rights.

'There is no longer freedom in the United States'

'Send Me Back To Uzbekistan'
Ruslan Sharipov, a U.S.-based Uzbek dissident and the only openly gay Uzbek journalist, says he is “disappointed with American democracy” and wants to return home.

In an open letter to Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the U.S.-educated, award-winning journalist pleaded with the president to allow him to go back to Uzbekistan to “escape threats, persecution, physical abuse, isolation, and humiliation” he claims he has faced in the United States.

Bullshit.

“I have no friends in the United States and I miss home,” wrote the 32-year-old journalist and gay rights activist.

Having no friends is a personal problem and has absolutely nothing to do with the US or her people. If people perceive that you're an odious schmuck, only you can change that perception.

In the ex-Soviet country, where homosexuality is frowned upon by the predominantly Muslim society, Sharipov had caused quite a stir for being openly gay.

With international funding, he set up a project to protect gay rights in Uzbekistan.

However, the project was short-lived, as Sharipov was sentenced to five years in prison on sodomy charges in 2003 -- although the journalist claimed he was punished for being an outspoken critic of Karimov’s regime.

Sharipov’s arrest was given extensive media coverage by international rights groups, who said the “opponent of the regime” had been singled out for punishment because of his “personal magnetism” and his ability to attract many followers.

After allegations of torture in prisons and under pressure from rights groups, Uzbek authorities set Sharipov free in 2004 and he triumphantly left for the United States leaving behind the regime he despised.

Sharipov has talked about his fondness for U.S. pizza, the Gap store, and a way of life where people could enjoy freedom regardless of their sexual orientation.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing.

In his 2007 interview with Ferghana.ru, Sharipov said he was briefly arrested for illegally crossing into Mexico.

Last time I checked, illegally entering Mexico was in the domain of the Mexican gendarmes and this asshat is lucky he isn't still in Mexico.

Sharipov said he hadn't been given a U.S. Green Card or permanent residency and that he has been assaulted and threatened by the police and others.

Sharipov said that he was “deeply disappointed with U.S. leaders, George Bush, and Barack Obama alike" and had asked Human Rights Watch to purchase him plane tickets to Sweden, a request rejected by the rights watchdog.

“There is no longer freedom in the United States,” said Sharipov in his open letter to Uzbek leaders and asked them to pay for his return ticket to Tashkent.

-- Farangis Najibullah

Maybe Barney Frank can hook you up put you in contact with someone -- if he's not too busy getting some book learnin' on what marijuana looks like. Or, uhh, you know, busy doing something else.

And once you do find someone else to pay for your return ticket to Paradise, please, by all means, don't let the door hit your sweet sorry ass as you leave.

Goddam ingrate.

Via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Blog Removes Offending Michelle Obama Image

I found it odd how Google couldn't remove it themselves, but hey, they're the tech savvy people behind the world's largest search engine, so they know more than we do.

Anyway, I had seen the offensive image before but never in a million years thought of using it. Any casual reader of this blog knows I enjoy goofing on Michelle Obama as much as anyone, but even we have a minimum of standards and would never be so malicious.

An offensive image of first lady Michelle Obama that had topped Google Image search results appears to have been removed.

The image of President Obama's wife, which had been ostensibly photo-edited to resemble a monkey, was hosted by a blog called "Hot Girls."

When Google users typed "Michelle Obama" into the search box, depending on their Web browsers' settings, the first image to surface in Google Image's search engine could have been the offensive image.

But today the image no longer appears among the search results or on the blog. Instead, on the page that previously hosted the image, the blog's manager posted an apology in English, beneath Chinese text.

"I am very sorry for this article, andthat [sic] this is the program automatically issued a document from the article. Do not the subject of race and politics make the discussion too radical and sincere hope that the world is very peaceful," said the message, which is oddly dated Oct. 21, 2009.

Originally spotted by Search Engine Roundtable, after a Google user reported it to a Google Web search help forum, the offensive image was apparently first hosted by the Web site buzzoverm.blogspot.com.

Google last week removed the image saying the site hosting the image

Previously, to explain why the offensive image topped Google Image's search results, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company posted a message in the advertising space above the image which read, "Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree. Read more."

When you clicked on the corresponding link an even lengthier message appeared.

"Sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries. We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google," said a message from "The Google Team." was serving malware to visitors. But, the photo later turned up again on the "Hot Girls" blog.

More background here.

It's Historic: The Oprah-Obama Christmas Special

Someone please make it stop.

Actually, I'm offended they're not calling it a Winter Holiday special.

The queen of daytime will interview the president of the country during an ABC holiday special that brings together Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.

The network has announced "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special," which includes an interview with the president, a conversation with the First Couple and tour of the White House. The special will also go behind-the-scenes as staffers prepare the White House for the holiday season.

The special marks the first time Winfrey has interviewed Obama since he took office. "Christmas at the White House" will air Sunday, Dec. 13, at 10 p.m.

All I can add is this is truly unprecedented.

Ace links. Thanks!

Meanwhile, I got to thinking of some counter-programming. How does a Very Wasilla Christmas grab you? I'm thinking Sarah, Todd and the kids are joined by Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Greta Van Susteren. They can roast the authors of Going Rouge, or maybe Andrew Sullivan over an open fire while Santa Limbaugh flies in from EIB's Southern Command to distribute toys. Failing that, see here for some suggestions.

With the holiday spirit in mind, we bring you the Twelve Days of Obamas.

Obama's Historically Transparent Thanksgiving Eve Document Drop

It's all so historically transparent, they felt the urgency to release it on a day when most people are busy traveling or preparing for Thanksgiving.

But hey, we're witnessing history here, so stop bitching. Plus, as a special holiday bonus, it's so transparently transparent, they're giving us records that are at least 90 days old. If you want anything since the beginning of September, well, you're out of luck. Maybe they need a record-keeping czar, an appointment that would no doubt signify another historic moment.

Soak in some of the magically transparent history.

Building upon last month’s historic release of nearly 500 White House visitor records, today the White House releases more than 1,600 records of visits to the White House in response to another month’s worth of requests. You can view all the records in a searchable database in our Disclosures section.

We announced earlier that in December the White House would -- for the first time in history -- begin posting all White House visitor records under the terms of our new voluntary disclosure policy. As part of that initiative, we also offered to look back at the records created before the announcement of the policy and answer specific requests for visitor records created earlier in the year.

Today’s production of records is in response to over 300 requests from the public during the month of October. Those requests have yielded over 1,600 responsive records. Consistent with our earlier announcement that we will only release records that are 90 days or older, this group of records covers the time period between January 20, 2009 to August 31, 2009. All of these have been added to the online database of published visitor records in an accessible, searchable format for anyone to browse or download.

Today’s release advances the President’s historic commitment to increasing government transparency and openness. This Administration’s concrete commitments to openness include putting up more government information than ever before on data.gov and recovery.gov, reforming the government’s FOIA processes, providing on-line access to White House staff financial reports and salaries, adopting a tough new state secrets policy, reversing an executive order that previously limited access to presidential records, and webcasting White House meetings and conferences. The release also compliments our new lobbying rules, which in addition to closing the revolving door for lobbyists who work in government have also emphasized expanding disclosure of lobbyist contacts with the government.

(Bold emphasis added)

I have to appreciate the subtle humor about "closing the revolving door for lobbyists." These people are a hoot.

The irony that there have to be hundreds of requests before they voluntarily release information seems to escape them. They can just pretend everything is historic and transparent and nobody is to question them. To wit:

Request White House Visitor Access

As detailed in our Voluntary Disclosure Policy on Visitor Access Records, for records between January 20 and September 15, 2009, White House Counsel will voluntarily respond to individual requests that are reasonable, narrow, and specific (e.g. requests that list possible visitors). To request such visitor records, click here.

How about just releasing all visitor records if you're seeking transparency? Why do you have to request something they claim they'll voluntarily release?

Smoke, meet mirror.

Tomorrow Obama will historically play his first historic round of golf on a Thanksgiving Day while President.

Alright, Here's The Muppets

Who am I to fight the machine? For those that haven't yet viewed Bohemian Rhapsody by the Muppets, here it is.



Sheesh. Happy now?

Best Buh-Bye?

Well, it looks like Best Buy has stepped in it this holiday season. In a sales flyer they sent out they chose to give a special mention to the Islamic holiday of Eid al-adha, instead of the more traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving.

In light of recent events like the Ft. Hood massacre and the decisions to bring the 9/11 plotters to this country for trial you would have thought the braintrust at the corporate headquarters might have been just a little more sensitive. I have no doubt they have some Harvard Business School grads up there, you know like the ones in charge of a lot of financial institutions.



Eid al-Adha commemorates the end of the Hajj, that annual rite of passage whereby Muslims travel to Mecca, march around a stone, and try not to get trampled to death. It is also supposed to mark the story in their Koran, shamelessly lifted from the Christian Bible about Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice his son Issac as a test of his faith.

The Muslims make Abraham Ibrahim and Issac becomes Ismael, but the story stays the same.

There is no doubt the ACLU would come down on them with both feet and a dozen class action lawsuits if they tried to mention the Biblical story rather then the Islamic version.

You do have to wonder about their decision-making ability though in a time when more and more Americans are squeezing every last drop out of each dollar.

I think Best Buy would be better served by working on their customer service and support instead of trying to make some sort of politically correct statement in their sales flyers.

Atlanta Mayoral Race Building Steam

The race to be the next mayor of Atlanta is heating up. The latest move appears to be pitting the gay and lesbian community against the African-American community.

First, let me explain the players. There are no Republicans, and the mayoral race is supposedly non-partisan, meaning that they do not declare party affiliation, but both candidates are Democrats. I think it is illegal to be Republican in Atlanta proper.

On one side is Mary Norwood, the white woman, whom drew a lot of fire during the primary for being, well, white.

On the other side is Kasim Reed, an African-American man.

The gay and lesbian community are not real happy with Mr. Reed's stand on the whole gay marriage issue and are bucking the endorsements he is getting from several prominent Democrats and the Democrat party itself. Atlanta has a large gay/lesbian community. They fight for space next to the wannabe aspiring rap performers.

Kasim Reed’s anti-marriage equality position is not only an insult to the thousands of tax-paying gay and lesbian Atlantans, his position represents a step backwards for a city which is currently led by Shirley Franklin, who favors marriage equality. Like many of you, we are disappointed in this year’s race, and not just for Senator Reed’s position, the party’s intervention, and the lock step support from party faithful.

The Democratic Party of Georgia asks gays and lesbians to compromise on marriage equality in voting for Reed this year, while doing nothing elsewhere to improve the discriminatory treatment we feel from state government. No member of the Democratic caucus has introduced legislation to repeal the 2004 anti-marriage equality amendment; nor to create a parallel structure of civil unions, nor domestic partnerships, nor any other advance.

Is it any wonder gays and lesbians are – for the first time in memory – ignoring the party’s candidate endorsement to support the pro marriage equality, Mary Norwood?

During the primary the Reed camp managed to successfully paint Norwood as a Republican. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the label has stuck and too many people around here are clueless as to the truth.

I know this is all about local events, but having a front row seat I am enjoying the class warfare being waged by the Democrats, pitting various factions of their base against each other. The commercials are priceless, and most of them try to tiptoe around the pink elephant in the room, which is race. They have done everything but come right out and accuse the other side of being racists, but sitting on the outside and watching the news I think at this point even Helen Keller could figure out what this all about.

Earlier this week a local news station captured video of some Kasim Reed supporters removing Mary Norwood signs from people's lawns and elsewhere and taking them to one of Reed's campaign offices and getting paid for them.

I really enjoy watching Dems eat their own.

Anyway, with one more week to go it could get more interesting and it appears this election will revolve around which side gets out their voters more then it will be about any issue.

And, of course, if you are a gay/lesbian African-American, you are really in a bind.

Hezbos in America: 'This is a Significant and Troubling Development'

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey seems genuinely surprised to discover we have enemies in our midst. Uh, Bob, I'm not in the Senate and I know this stuff. What's your excuse?

Three Lebanese nationals and one U.S. resident were charged yesterday with attempting to obtain 1,200 M4 military assault weapons for Hezbollah, in the second set of such charges in as many days from Philadelphia.

An alleged Hezbollah arms dealer was arrested in Philadelphia on Saturday, and U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy said, "We are dealing with two different groups trying to buy M4s."

Three of the four men charged yesterday are still in Lebanon. A fourth man, identified as Moussa Ali Hamdan of Brooklyn, N.Y., is also overseas, according to prosecutors. Apprehending them is likely to be problematic.

Both the earlier allegation - that the Hezbollah arms supplier attempted to buy Stinger antiaircraft missiles and other weapons - and yesterday's charges grew out of the same investigative effort by the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said a senior ICE official in Washington.

The new case involves an informant who the indictment indicates has resided in Philadelphia.

The senior ICE official said the investigations were significant because "this one is the first in a while in which we've seen direct [attempted] arms sales."

Curiously, the story makes no mention of the primary sponsors of Hezbollah, namely Iran. Still, it's disturbing to find out the Democrat Casey is so apparently clueless we have terror moles in this country.

Welcome to reality, Bob.

An additional six men also indicted in the latest case allegedly participated in the purchase and transportation of stolen cell phones, laptops, computer games, and automobiles. They are from Brooklyn; Staten Island, N.Y.; Michigan, and Plainsboro, N.J., and do not face charges that they acted to support Hezbollah.

Five of those men are in custody in Philadelphia.

On the charges of supporting Hezbollah, the indictment says Dib Hani Harb of Beirut e-mailed the "cooperating witness" and asked for photographs of firearms available. On June 20, the informant met with a Hezbollah official and discussed selling weapons.

Three days later, Harb and a second Lebanese national, Hassan Hodroj, allegedly said they would buy 1,200 M4s for $1,800 per weapon. The indictment does not allege that any weapons changed hands.

The informant also discussed the sale of counterfeit U.S. currency, and in April met in Florida with Harb, who allegedly told him Hezbollah worked "18 to 20 hours a day counterfeiting many currencies."

In September, about $9,200 in fake currency allegedly was mailed to the informant in Philadelphia.

Harb and a third Lebanese, Hasan Antar Karaki, also allegedly supplied the informant with two fake passports, one for the United Kingdom, the other for Canada. The allegations are that the men raised money for Hezbollah by producing and selling fake passports.

Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the latest charges "seem to confirm a new avenue of support from, of all places, inside the United States. This is a significant and troubling development."

Another Good Photo Op

Remember this?



Well having discovered that being surrounded by members of the military is a good photo op he is now going to unveil his magnificently grand and stupendously great plan for Afghanistan at West Point.

The president says the American people will support his strategy once they understand the perils of losing the war.

Hmmm, hey numbnuts, some of us have known for a long time what the stakes are in this war and it didn't take us 3 months. Three months during which you had a drive by meeting with the commander on the ground, which was sandwiched in between fund raisers, parties, golf games and jetting off around the globe to apologize for being number 1.

The part that really grinds my gears however is leaked reports say he is going to commit 34,000 troops to Afghanistan. What seems to be lost on all the experts is that the current troop level in Afghanistan is 68,000. A tour of duty is 12 months. If he is promising 34,000 troops over a six month period then that simply works out to the normal rotation of soldiers in and out of theater.

Can anybody provide me with evidence that the 34,000 will be a net increase and not merely normal rotations?

Your Three Minute Sarah Palin Fix

Since Jammie likes to post about scowling liberal women I thought I would bring you a few minutes of Sarah Palin. This is from an interview conducted by Gretchen Carlson, beauty queen from MN and co host of Fox and Friends, that was done down in Florida at her book signing.

This is Sarah being Sarah, but there are plenty of smiles and enough upbeat attitude to make you like the woman on a personal level. Will she ever be able to gain ground in the political arena again? Only time will tell, but this is where having Barry O as a president will hurt her. Americans have seen what happens when you elect an American Idol candidate. We all wind up living on Survivor Island, so I don't think having a gregarious and photogenic persona is going to be good enough in the future.

Anyway I enjoyed the part about her changing a diaper just before debating Joe Biden. Little did she know she should have brought her diaper bag on stage with her for Joe.

Cheer Up, Won't You?

Michelle Obama sure looks as if she'd rather be anywhere else than hanging out at a lavish White House state dinner. Cheer up, woman, there was arugula on the menu!

She couldn't show more disinterest if she was pecking away on a Blackberry.

Cheer up, it's almost over.

Reminds me of this photo.

Working title for her autobiography: Misery.

H/T Urban Infidel.

Update: One more. Please tell me she's not using a toothpick at the table.