theCLog

I think we’ve all seen mama animals nursing other species and the pictures never stop being sweet. The recent pictures from the Kansas City Star of the golden retriever who adopted three tiger cubs are no exception.

But I’ve seen other pictures of mixed species and wondered if it’s really that unusual. MentalFloss.com actually had an article on the six species that dogs will adopt: chicks (that’s baby chickens), ducks, squirrels, deer, pigs and of course, tigers. They also had a story about interspecies adoption in general and the tortoise who adopted a baby hippo is too cute for words.

Unfortunately, that email we all received a few months ago about the tiger who adopted piglets to get over the depression that came from losing her own cubs was staged. Snopes.com (who doesn’t love them?) discovered that a zoo in Thailand creates exhibits like the tiger and piglets to entertain their visitors.

But who really cares if they’re staged or faked? I just love oohing and ahhing over the pictures and believing for a moment that the world can live in peace.

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China is so excited about hosting the Olympics. I’ve heard rumors that they created a huge topiary garden and are training nearly 200,000 cheerleaders to help boost the crowd’s enthusiasm in the numerous venues where the competitions will be held. Though I wouldn’t put anything past them (they are cleaning up smog, algae and probably those pesky locusts in record time) I could only find proof that the New England Patriots’ Cheerleaders are helping to train 200 bouncy bubbly Chinese ladies.

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Ahhhhh, the bad kisser. Who hasn’t kissed one? CNN ran this article “Dating don’ts — how NOT to kiss” (written by How Not to Date author Judy McGiure) and I had a good time laughing at the descriptions. My personal Venus Flytrap kisser had braces and left my lips raw for hours. Not the best memory, but entertaining to tell people.

Check out if you recognize any of these:

Iguana: Characterized by cool, dry lips, and a tiny pink tongue, Lizard Lips is about as arousing as, well, a small reptile crawling around your mouth. One victim noted, “He’d dart his tongue in and out at a million flicks per second. Kissing is supposed to get you hot, not give you calluses.”

The Excitable Puppy: I don’t know who is telling these boys that there’s nothing hotter than a mid-makeout tongue bath, but I heard from a lot of sopping sisters. “He licked from forehead to nose to chin and back again,” is how one woman described her first kiss. “Like the way my 80-pound Labrador licks my face. Even though it was my first makeout sesh, I knew my companion was cursed with bad skills.”

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Well, it looks like China’s obstacles to hosting the perfect Olympic Games will never end. After months of recovering from natural disasters, taming Tibetan riots, and a sudden effort to reduce smog, Chinese officials now have to clean up a huge bloom of blue-green algae in the waters off Qingdao. The algae covers most of the water where Olympic sailors will be competing, but Chinese officials have promised to have the area cleared by then. So in one month they expect to clear out 19 miles of this heavy supposedly edible stuff. Are they going to make algae dogs for the concession stands? Maybe they could donate it to the company in Nevada or Utah who’s making biodiesel with algae. What I do know is that while they’re spreading their forces out on all these problems, another one is moving in: locusts. According to Pretoria News out of South Africa, exterminators have been sent to deal with the infestation, but who knows how much damage they’ll prevent. Maybe they’ll have to call in the duck patrol like they did in 2000.

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According to BBC News, Internet sites like Facebook and MySpace allow kids to create and scrap different personalities in cyberspace without discovering who they truly are in the real world. Because of this, experts are worried that anyone born after 1990 (the generation who can’t imagine life without the Internet) will be prone to dangerous impulsive behaviors and suicides.
Well, this certainly sounds like a nice pat little theory that explains every crazy violent teenage event from the Columbine massacre to the MySpace-related suicide, but I’m not buying it. I’ll agree that time spent in front of computers and TV is ridiculously high (please play outside more, it’s good for you), but that doesn’t mean that our children are weak-minded. Sure they can’t imagine what to do with themselves outside, but their imaginations are being stretched by all the computer programs, Internet sites and TV shows. The majority are smarter than the generation before them and getting smarter.
So let’s get real. Society has changed for a number of reasons resulting in no one being responsible for their own actions. How about we focus on responsibility instead of yet another excuse?

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Smog, that nasty and very visible air pollution, isn’t pretty and can be dangerous, but most of us have learned the ways of the ostrich in order to keep driving our precious vehicles guilt-free. According to CNN, Beijing noticed their problem with smog years ago, but suddenly wishes to correct their smog problem as soon as possible for the 2008 Olympics. They are especially anxious since Olympic officials stated that events will be postponed if the air quality is too dangerous. Well, good luck! What has taken years to create can’t be undone in a few months. Nevertheless, officials have decided to pass laws, beginning this week, that restrict citizens from driving their vehicles freely. They think that allowing certain cars, according to license plate numbers, to only drive on odd or even days will reduce the smog. Sure, there’s probably a lot of people who will have to scramble for alternate transportation. And sure, businesses that rely on deliveries will suffer, but it’s China!  And since it’s the Communist land of the People’s Republic of China, the government can do whatever they want, no matter how far into fantasy land they’ve drifted. Apparently this includes believing they can cure smog before Aug. 8.

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Latest floating “foot” turns out to be a hoax: Authorities revealed Thursday that the sixth foot to wash up on the shores of British Columbia is not human. Someone used a skeletal animal foot and lower leg surrounded by seaweed to stuff a sneaker and appear to be a severed human foot.

Full story: CNN.com

Teen girls reportedly make pregnancy pact: This pact is at least partly responsible for the sudden increase in pregnancies at Gloucester High School in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Normally there are four pregnancies at the school per year and this past school year there were 17 girls pregnant. Suspicions were roused when more girls reacted negatively to not being pregnant or gave high fives when they learned they were expecting.

Full story: CNN.com

A wide-open battle for power in Darfur: Five years have passed since the government led violence against civilians began and now it has taken a dramatic turn.
Groups of militia, warlords, rebels and everybody with an AK-47 are fighting for money, land and trucks in an effort to gain power. The original goal of liberating the Darfurians has almost been forgotten.

Full story: MSNBC.com

After pledging not to gamble, Barkley to play poker for charity: About a month after vowing not to gamble, Charles Barkley is headed back to Las Vegas for a good cause. He will play in the “Ante Up for Africa” event in the 2008 World Series of Poker on July 2. All proceeds will be used for aid in the Darfur crisis.

Full story: ESPN.com

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Zimbabwe: Harare mayor’s wife ‘bludgeoned to death’: Abigail Chiroto was found in a mortuary near her home after being kidnapped and beaten to death. Her face was almost unrecognizable. Four other activists against President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party were also killed. Chiroto’s four-year-old son was kidnapped with his mother, but was released unharmed.

Full story: CNN.com

Iowa flooding could be man’s fault, experts say: Kamyar Enshayan, a college professor and Cedar Falls City Council member, thinks that the drastically altered landscape is to blame. Streams have been straightened out or rerouted, wetlands and flood plains have been filled in and the tall grasses have been replaced with plowed fields. All of these changes have left nature little choice about where excess water can go.

Full story: MSNBC.com

Amnesty seeks ‘missing’ Tibetans: Amnesty International says that more than 1,000 Tibetans who were detained during protests in March are unaccounted for. The demonstrations against the Chinese government disrupted the Olympic torch relay, which is now supposed to enter Tibetan areas. Amnesty officials hope that this leg of the relay will illuminate the plight of the Tibetans.

Full story: BBC.com

Haney: Tiger predicted U.S. Open victory despite two leg fractures: Woods told his doctor that he would play in and win the U.S. Open two weeks before the event, Tiger Woods’ swing coach, Hank Haney, said Wednesday. Woods reportedly said this just after the doctor recommended three weeks of crutches and three more weeks of inactivity. Woods suffered the stress fractures from rehabilitation after his last knee surgery.

Full story: ESPN.com

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Israel calls for Lebanese peace talks: Israel and Gaza’s Hamas leaders have agreed to a truce that begins Thursday morning at 6 a.m. and is set to last for six months. Peace talks are planned, but for any truce to be successful for the Israelis, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in June 2006, would have to be released.

Full story: CNN.com

Bush to urge lifting of ban on offshore drilling: White House press secretary Dana Perino reported Tuesday that President Bush is set to ask Congress today to lift the ban on new offshore drilling. It is an effort to increase domestic oil supply for the U.S., but opponents are worried that aquatic ecosystems will be destroyed.

Full story: MSNBC.com

Woman soldier among Afghan dead: A female soldier was the first female UK soldier to die in Afghanistan. She was in a military vehicle that was caught in an explosion and three other soldiers died. Nine UK soldiers have died in the past 10 days.

Full story: BBC.com

Walker remains hospitalized Tuesday after robbery, beating: Javon Walker, Oakland Raiders’ wide receiver, suffered a concussion and facial injuries after being robbed on a Las Vegas street early Monday morning. The thief got away with $3,000 in cash as well as $100,000 in jewelry.

Full story: ESPN.com

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Police: Father believed to have beaten tot: The man who was shot and killed by police in order to stop him from beating a small child has been identified and is possibly the child’s father. Sergio Casian Aguilar stopped his truck on the side of a rural highway and several motorists witnessed him punching, kicking and stomping the small boy to death. The boy was so unrecognizable that DNA tests will have to confirm his identity.

Full story: CNN.com

AmeriCorps helps river town take a stand: Volunteers with AmeriCorps have responded to Clarksville, Mo. to help the small town prepare for the storm runoff from flooded Northern states. AmeriCorps was created in 1993 by President Clinton as a national service program that helps with domestic problems from literacy to disaster relief.

Full story: MSNBC.com

Health officials continue salmonella probe: More than 200 people in 23 states have become sick from tomatoes that were tainted with salmonella. The investigation into the cause is underway with a cluster of nine cases from a single source being the best lead so far. The best news for tomato lovers: the FDA has released a list of areas where eating tomatoes is safe again.

Full story: CNN.com

A Torrey story: Woods’s win was greatest U.S. Open ever: After 91 holes that included an 18-hole playoff and a sudden death hole, Tiger Woods won his third U.S. Open. Rocco Mediate gave Woods a run for his money in Mediate’s attempt to be the oldest player to win the U.S. Open. Both had injuries to combat and awesome shots to tie them up on the 18th hole two days in a row.

Full story: ESPN.com

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