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!