Colonel Meow: When Beast Becomes Beauty

Web wonder Colonel Meow achieves new heights of stardom!

 

He's now entered the Guinness Book of World Records -- no, not for his looks but rather his locks.

 

The sourpussed two-year-old Himalayan-Persian lives with his proud folks in Los Angeles and already has a large online following, making him probably the most popular pet on the internet.
 

 

But recently he was also deemed the hairiest one in the universe, with a coat of fur measuring well over eight inches in length in every direction.

 

Perpetually frowning Colonel Meow the comely cat is such a furball in fact that all you can really see at a glance is his glaring eyes and upturned nose, an endearing mug that's made him virtually famous.

 

Congs to the colonel on his latest accolade. An ugly little feline who's, somehow, totally beautiful.
 

YOSEMITE FIRE: Iconic Yosemite National Park Is Ablaze

Yosemite fire threatens San Francisco electric grid

It's an American icon and a national treasure, and now our sprawling Yosemite National Park is ablaze, threatened by the out-of-control 100,000+ acre 'Rim Fire' which, despite herculean efforts, is still only two to five-percent contained.

More than 50 massive wildfires are estimated to be burning in United States at the moment, a country which in recent times has seen the burn season arriving earlier and earlier and staying longer, due to global warming.

But by far the worst inferno yet is the one that has just reached the edge of Yosemite National Park in California, menacing not only the historic park but the San Francisco electric grid as well.

The Yosemite fire is still on the park's perimeter, but as a precaution the National Park Service announced the closure of Route 120, a ribbon of highway which leads to the west side of the nature preserve and is one of just four of its main access routes.

World famous for spectacular waterfalls and giant sequoias, endangered Yosemite covers approximately 750,000 densely-wooded acres that support a highly diverse animal kingdom.

For that reason it attracts millions and millions of visitors each year all across the globe, so the loss of any portion of such a popular landmark will be immeasurable and have a long-lasting impact.

The park is also situated less than 200 miles from San Francisco, and only 315 miles from Los Angeles.

Kodak Bankruptcy a Grim 'Kodak Moment' To Forget

The Kodak bankruptcy and restructuring has been finalized and the company that's emerging, one full year after initially filing for court protection, isn't the one we all remember.

It's drastically leaner and, not so much about cameras or capturing images anymore, Kodak's focus will now be on commercial and package-printing instead.

Founded in 1880 by the king of cameras, George Eastman, his Rochester New York based behemoth expects to be up and running at 100 percent again by early September 2013, a spokesperson has promised. 

But this required shedding numerous jobs, facilities, and even its own legacy to accomplish, and, truthfully, there's little solid evidence that a smaller version of the corporation will fare any better in the digital era.

The digital dilemma is what ultimately led to the demise of Eastman's empire, and the Kodak bankruptcy was predictable from the moment the new photo technology arrived.

Add also the paperless quality to modern picture-taking, and it's easy to understand why Kodak's customers vanished virtually overnight.

Still, without waxing too sentimental here, there really is nothing quite like the shutter sound of a Pentax K1000 35mm, single lens reflex. Nor anything that compares to spending hour upon happy hour developing film and photos in a darkroom...

Maybe then Kodak company heads should reconsider their current strategy and cater their business to the millions of old time diehards in the world who still vehemently believe that photography -- from creating negatives to glossy sepia tone finishes -- is truly a fine art.

One that can't be imitated in just an instant.

Age-defying Venus of Willendorf dons star-spangled bikini

Although evasive as ever about her actual age, Venus of Willendorf apparently doesn't mind baring all when it comes to enjoying a day at the beach.

As demonstrated in the photo below, the voluptuous 20,000-something fertility goddess was recently sighted sporting a teeny weeny patriotic bikini which left nothing to the imagination.

The immodest two-piece stars-and-stripes ensemble was in fact fashioned exclusively for the world-renowned sex-symbol by Americonic Art, and, as expected, the prehistoric beauty did it justice.

So eat your heart out, Sports Illustrated.

Asked if the scantily-clad icon of art history had any qualms about exposing her full figure in a public area where hundreds of Barbie wannabes and the muscle-bound typically hang out, Venus of Willendorf just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"I'm one of kind," she bragged, sending up a cloud of sand and a mini tidal wave as she darted past the gaping throngs and into the salty ocean. "They broke the mold when they made me," she unabashedly added.

Burst, the lady probably means -- have a great day at the beach, everybody!  

Best pizza in New York City NOT Pizza Hut

The world's best pizza comes from New York City, not Pizza Hut as far too many American consumers seem to think.

 

Granted, fast food joints like that may now hold a monopoly on the healthiest junkfood ever known to man. But, as most of us have learned the hard way, mass production and availability are not true measures of greatness.

 

Save your pennies, take a trip, and gamble on any tiny hole in the wall, from Queens to Little Italy, and you'll see what I mean: New York City KNOWS how to pound, flip, and bake a pizza pie like no other.

In fact, for this former Brooklyn resident and lifelong fan of fresh oven-baked cheese, dough and tomatoes, mentioning Pizza Hut offerings in the same breath or sentence with NYC's, almost seems sacrilegious.

Because that's not just a matter of comparing apples to oranges...

It's the difference between buying a Ford or a Ford Mustang.

OUT OF THE BOX: Converted Dumpster is Home Sweet Home

A Brooklyn man's converted dumpster takes dumpster-diving to brand new heights, serving as his no frills crashpad and home-away-from-home for whenever he comes to New York City.

New York's apartment rents and hotel rates are utterly astronomical, as everyone who's ever lived or visited there already knows, and unfortunately these continue creeping ever skyward, pricing most of humanity out of the market.

So to offset the high cost of travel and accommodations, designer Greg Kloehn, a frequent guest in the Big Apple, came up with enough cash for an economical solution that is nothing short of artistic.

He bought an old garbage dumpster and -- no rubbish -- converted it into a mini estate.

For those interested in following suit, $2000 was the total ticket-price for the stinky container. Not counting all the necessary renovations which cover everything one would need to subsist, including a kitchen sink and working toilet.

In fact, Kloehn's electrified converted dumpster, although somewhat cramped inside, even sports a wet bar, kitchen nook, lounge deck with umbrella, and a set of wheels should he ever have to relocate.

No doubt about it, Americonic Art, proud maker for over two decades of the gorgeous White Trash Collection of repurposed garbage, is pretty envious of this rugged dude's ingenuity. Despite that his little home is ... well ... kind of homely in appearance.

Dark day for Karen Black

Iconic film star Karen Black lost her battle with cancer yesterday. She was 74-years-old.

The sultry, cerebral, and sometimes silly leading lady who was frequently paired with such screen greats as Jack Nicholson, Charlton Heston and Robert Redford had been diagnosed late in 2010 with ampullary cancer and has been fighting to survive ever since.

The award-winning actress' career spanned decades, with blockbuster film credits that include classics like Easy Rider, Family Plot, Five Easy Pieces, and The Great Gatsby.

Thursday, Black's husband Stephen Eckleberry posted a message on his Facebook page to sadly announce that her fight officially ended on August 8th, 2013.

"It is with great sadness that I have to report that my wife and best friend has just passed away only a few minutes ago," his announcement read in part. "Thank you all for all your prayers and love; they meant so much to her as they did to me."

Eckleberry had struggled alongside his ailing wife, even launching an online fundraiser in order to raise monies to send her for experimental treatment overseas.

But by the time their campaign needs were finally met Black's cancer had spread to her spine and she became bedridden in the weeks before her death.

Young or old, it is always hard to part with our legendary performers or see them suffer, because they transcend the media and eras they work in, making their movies and songs and art the hallmark symbols of some of the "best years of our lives."

Rest in peace, Karen Black.

Monster Mayan Frieze and Frankenfish

Experts dub a Mayan frieze and mega-sized Frankenfish as two out-of-this-world finds this week:

Archeologists say Gods and governors decorate the Mayan ruins they discovered in Guatemala this past July. 

The deities and the deified were discovered in ancient high-relief stucco carvings which are being touted now as a 'once in a lifetime' find.

"This is an extraordinary finding that occurs only once in the life of an archaeologist," said Francisco Estrada-Belli, the professor from Tulane University who headed up the expedition. "It’s a great work of art."

Courtesy National Geographic, Estrada-Belli and and his team were exploring nearby Mayan ruins built circa 600 AD when they stumbled upon the never-before-seen Mayan frieze.

Its richly ornate sculpture and well preserved inscription of names "gives us a lot of information on the role and significance of the building, which was the focus of our research.”

Shown above, Guatemala's Mayan frieze measures 26 feet by 6 feet (8 meters by 2 meters) and features three prominent characters, each seated on the head of a monster and wearing quetzal feathers and jade.

Mayan Empire historians have determined that it was commissioned by King Ajwosaj who ruled the city-state of Naranjo, a vassal of the Kaanul dynasty.

A Virgina fisherman's catch in June was equally monstrous, although not quite as artistically appealing.

He reeled in a Frankenfish record setting snakehead that, as you can see by the photograph on the left, also takes first prize for ugly.

At nearly 18 pounds, the sharp-toothed freshwater predator from Asia that 27-year-old Caleb Newton yanked out of a northern Virginian creek is now in the record books as the largest one ever captured.

No tall fish tale, it measured three-feet in length.

This invasive species is one of the most tenacious as well, able to survive in extremely shallow streams and even mud if necessary, making eradication from America waters highly problematic.

McDonald's Franchisees Furious: Say Junk Food Giant is 'Greedy'

McDonald's franchisees furious about increasing operational costs have finally discovered a truism: The junk food giant is greedy.

The world's number one purveyor of garbage -- at both the consumption and post consumption level -- stands accused of unwieldy price hikes of late, particularly pertaining to rent, training and production.

This has left profitability in the dust, many franchisees assert, and since over 90 percent of McDonald's *restaurants* are operated by this up-in-arms mob then the chain has a significant problem on its hands.

But even before this week's corporate collision, McDonald's had recently been subjected to nationwide 'walkouts' by underpaid employees tired of flipping burgers for next to nothing and being deprived of benefits.

That made it extremely difficult for citizens in places like New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Kansas City to order their Happy Meals or supersize.

Routinely attacked for its less than nutritious offerings, the issue of a living wage, and the potential to pay that living wage, seems to be at the core of the corrupt corporation's newest crisis. 

But, judging from McDonald's long tradition of exploitation, analysts believe the company's management and policymakers are unlikely to bend very much on any of the matters for which it's currently under fire.

Salaried heads of McDonald's and shareholders' profits are far more important.

Regardless though, with hundreds of billions 'served' by now, and clearly only a tiny fraction of them satisfied, can the day of reckoning for stingy McDonald's be too far off?

Disgusted customers, disgruntled employees and disenchanted franchisees don't doubt it.

What do you think? Are McDonald's franchisees furious over nothing, or should the mega-chain finally clean up its act?

World's Biggest Afro

The world's biggest afro is BIG. 

How big is it? Well, larger than a disco ball, and, although it's definitely out of this world, still somewhat smaller than a Mars lander.

But it grows, remember, and at over four-feet in circumference already that's quite a piece of sculpture to have in tow 24/7.

A living, breathing work of art.

New Orleans resident Aevin Dugas is the proud owner of this hairy masterpiece and a Guinness Book record-holder for the world's biggest afro. 

The 38-year-old has been primping her stellar coif for almost 15 years, she says, and every now and then enduring some setbacks as a result.

“I don’t wear it like this on an airplane because people would probably slap me, because it touches people. I’ve had somebody want to beat me up at a concert.”

And that's not all. Dugas has very limited peripheral vision now, her big hair acting like veritable blinders. 

Plus, she also has to dodge trees and bushes all the time because, if she's not careful, her humungous hairdo can easily get snagged in them...

“So it can be kind of problematic," she concedes, "but I still wouldn’t change a thing about it.”

Sinkhole Montreal

Sinkhole Montreal the latest puzzling pit:

Not more than a week has passed since the Kansas sinkhole in Hoss' hayfield emerged without warning, and now a second hole in the ground has just given way. This time in the middle of a busy street in downtown Montreal Canada.

At approximately 25-feet across (so far) Montreal's sinkhole, however, is considerably smaller than the one which continues to grow in the state of Kansas. 

Nevertheless, it still managed to suck down an entire backhoe -- sans its operator, thankfully.

Sink-holing is relatively rare in Kansas, but the metropolis of Montreal and parts thereabout have regularly done battle with them. In fact, this newest one is the third or fourth to develop in that particular neighborhood, some of which have swallowed up more than one vehicle!

The Toronto Sun reports that, as with most of the other sinkholes that suddenly appeared in their region, the cause of this latest one is most likely decrepit infrastructure as well.

A sewer main had been leaking for weeks in that exact location, its effluence slowly but surely undermining the earth right beneath the pavement.

Hoss' pocked pasture, on the other hand, is still being investigated, as there is no known geological reason for why the bottomless pit should have begun growing there overnight.

No scientific explanation has yet been offered either, but usually in rural areas like Kansas heavy rains or severe droughts are the culprits. Especially when soluble soils, which are notoriously unstable, are involved.

As can be seen by the dramatic image above, sinkholes can pose significant hazards and some people have actually died as a result. Fortunately though no one was hurt in either recent episodes. 

You can view more images of Sinkhole Montreal here, and see a picture of the massive Kansas sinkhole too, plus learn about the science behind this weird phenomena, here.

Bloodhound Gang banned and bloodied in Russia

An overseas fray involving the Bloodhound Gang and, specifically, an obscene prank their bassist pulled onstage with a Russian flag has left them black-and-blue and barred from further performances at other Russian venues.

It's a painful reminder that, although it may be just a piece of cloth, you don't mess around with another nation's flag unless you're prepared to take some heat for it. Especially when you're a guest in their land.

A concert video of the American band's pariah guitarist Jared Hasselhoff stuffing the Russian flag into the front of his trousers and then pulling it out from the back of them has now gone viral, both here and abroad. 

The incriminating film footage shows Hasselhoff simultaneously yelling "don't tell Putin" to a boisterous audience before tossing the desecrated banner into the crowd.

That buffoonery was enough to get all the Bloodhound Gang members ejected from Russia and ambushed by a small mob of angry nationalists whom they say attacked them at the airport with fists, feet and whips.

There were no serious injuries reported in the altercation apart from some bruises, but the Bloodhound Gang was then escorted by Russian guards -- for their own protection and to ensure they catch their departing flight. 

Lollapalooza 2013, Elton John, and a missing appendix

While the Lollapalooza 2013 music fest rocks on, Sir Elton John is missing out on all the art and fun, stranded as it were across the pond in a hospital bed.

He's recuperating today at his home in Nice France, after recent surgery to remove his appendix.

Britain's aging knight of glitter rock and pop suffered a prolonged bout of appendicitis during which he managed to complete at least ten major performances "in agony" before succumbing to the condition this past week.

The 66-year-old could have died from the abscess and inflammation, he acknowledged, but he's alive and well, and for the time being taking it easy.

Most of Elton John's concerts planned for this summer have understandably been canceled now, but his publicists and promoters say they expect he'll be well enough to return to the stage by September or October.

The grammy-winning superstar also has a series of American gigs scheduled here in Las Vegas this autumn, provided there are no related health complications of course.

Last week he was able to post a gracious message of thanks to all his concerned fans and well-wishers worldwide:

"I would like to thank the literally thousands of people who have sent me get well cards and messages over the past two weeks," he said. "Your well wishes have touched me deeply and will play a big part in my recovery. I cannot wait to see you all and thank you in person when I resume my concert schedule later this year."

We'll content ourselves with Lollapalooza 2013 until then. Get well soon, Elton John.

What to do about Kansas sinkhole

Huge pockets of collapsing earth, like the Kansas sinkhole that formed overnight this week in Dalton Hoss' cow pasture, are becoming a frequent occurrence now.

Normally sinkholes develop after periods of heavy rain and flooding or where man has wantonly overdeveloped, shifting rock and soil deposits and thereby compromising the land's natural integrity.

But, assuming Kansans know what they're talking about, the Kansas sinkhole is an anomaly in that there aren't any large wells, caverns or mines in the area, and the region hasn't experienced that much precipitation either.

In fact, experts theorize that the recent lack of normal rainfall throughout large swaths of America over the past several years could be the clue as to why sinking land is on the rise lately.

It's basically yet another symptom of a hotter, ailing planet, they say.

Whether through excess water or drought conditions, the destabilizing effect on soil containing large amounts of soluble rock such as limestone, gypsum and salt, could be the same: It gives out suddenly, in the process of crumbling or resettling creating massive cave-ins.

Geologists familiar with sinkhole dynamics claim nearly 20 percent of communities in the United States are situated on the type of potentially unstable earth -- called 'karst terrain' -- that could one day, without warning, start to sink.

Key U.S. states where sink-holing is not so rare are Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. But the phenomena has been spreading.

What should we do with our new, fast-growing bottomless pits, besides exercising an abundance of caution when taking pictures of them? Why, fill these ever-expanding holes in the ground with tons and tons of trash, of course!

Unless, like Americonic Art, you intend to repurpose your garbage.

(Read about Sinkhole Montreal next.]