First Lady Fab

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a Healthy Kids Fair on the White House Lawn yesterday. The aim of the fair was to promote healthy eating and exercise.

According to Mrs Obama, "One of our goals was to focus on the importance of educating our kids about healthy eating. So it wasn't just about planting a garden."

Around 100 children from local elementary schools attended the event as well as some parents. In keeping with the Healthy Kids theme, chefs Koren Grieveson, Todd Gray and dietitian Ellie Krieger were there to whip up some healthy meals for the kiddies such as sweet and zesty popcorn and zucchini quesadillas.

The first lady mingled with the kids by running an obstacle course, spinning 142 times on the hula hoop and playing double dutch. Fun times for a good cause. Isn't she just fab?

Let's have a round of applause for Barney Frank!!

Rep. Barney Frank: a true realist.

Huffington Post reported that a constituent asked Barney Frank at his town hall meeting, "Why are you supporting this Nazi policy?," referring to President Obama's health policy. Frank asked the woman "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" and then then aptly described her insinuation as "vile, contemptible nonsense."

Priceless quote of the day:

"Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table." - Barney Frank

Favorability ratings dropping for Palin as she gets ready to leave post

Sarah Palin: thanks to Tina Fey, she needs no introduction

Just as I called it, Sarah Palin dug herself the deepest hole possible when she decided to leave the Governor of Alaska post recently, with 18 more months left in the term. Because of the politically suicidal move, Palin's unfavorable ratings in the Washington Post-ABC poll have now risen to 53%, compared with the 40% who favour her.

Predicting that Palin wants to run for Presidency is purely based on the intent she showed during McCain Palin 2008 campaign, and not on her fan base, or her accomplishments. While her latest move to leave Alaska for the national stage vouches for her intent, the outgoing governor's profile on twitter has a meagre 100 k followers, which, needless to say, addresses what I said about her fan base being almost non-existent when the US population of 305 million is taken into consideration. To be brutally honest, it is a pathetic amount considering the fame she supposedly gained when she was John McCain's running mate.

Above: Memories of Palin's campaign, made memorable because of Tina Fey and not Palin herself

Palin is in a situation now, after all the hype she was preceded by in 2008, where she is being advised on ways to attract a national audience. Truth be told, if she failed to attract and maintain positive attention then, it will be very hard for her to do so now, especially because the only memory which a majority of people have kept close to them, is her naivety. Unlike Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, Magic Johnson, and any other famous person who overcame lulls in popularity at one point in their career, Palin does not have a Nationally-acclaimed reputation to fall back on and use as reference.

Palin's antics were described as narcissist by her former ally, Senate President Lyda Green. Green, who needless to say is now Palin's leading critic, reportedly said that the outgoing governor's actions "are very much toward herself and her goals and what she sees for her future."

It is hard to say exactly what the future holds for someone who revelled in calling people names (remember her Obama/socialism tirade?), especially now that she is facing so much scrutiny. One thing is for sure, the bind that she now finds herself in, is one which she will need dexterity - something she has never shown before - to escape it before she ends up being tagged as a former SNL comedian.

America is the land of dreams.... this guy is testament to that

Above: Mayor Michael Bloomerg's competitor for the next New York mayoral race.... I kid you not

I can safely presume that Robert Burck, renowned as "The Naked Cowboy", is going to be BY FAR the most colorful mayoral candidate in New York history.

I can't predict if this man is going to win or not, but his announcement to run for New York mayor has made my day. Before you call him a clown, let me warn you that looks are deceiving. Judging from the photos, I prematurely wrote him off as a joker, but his aspirations, accomplishments and qualifications, prove that he is anything but.

Clearly, the weather conditions don't seem to affect his intent....

Burck, believe it or not, is actually qualified in politics, and is not the average Joe (hehe) who is running as a grassroots politician. He earned a political science degree from the University of Cincinnati, and has also written several self-published motivational books. Though his entertainment antics may be comedy to most, there is an element of seriousness involved, because he earns as much as $1,000 a day, working in Times Square from about 11 am to 2 pm, and he donates some of the earnings to charity.

"I know how to do more with less," he said, insisting that he doesn't need clothes to campaign.

Unfortunately, being an icon, and a source of entertainment for people does not necessarily equate to being taken seriously as a politician, and despite his efforts and qualifications, I predict that Burck will have a hard time not being laughed at.

But hey..... America is the land of dreams and opportunity.... Right?

View more pics of Burck and his campaign announcement here.

Free Republic blog instigates barrage of racist and sexist comments towards Malia Obama

Images of President Barack Obama's daughter Malia Obama wearing the peace shirt have attracted numerous hateful comments

I am not sure what the hoopla was about with regards to the shirt Malia Obama wore (above) to the G8 Summit in Italy, but surely..... SURELY the comments which were submitted on the Free Republic website only represent a very small fraction of the American society. If not, then America is more replete with idiots than I or anyone could have imagined.

The level of racism and ignorance which is manifested publicly in America is very depressing. So far I have only been able to find quotes and excerpts from the topic and the comments which were deleted by Free Republic, but if a screenshot of the article and the derogatory comments surfaces, it will be posted here.

After pulling the story, most likely due to the uproar it caused, the host(s) of the website wrote a story titled: One more from the left: Free Republic Pulls Thread Bashing Malia Obama. Follow the link, or simply view a few screenshots of the comments, as well as additional commentary on the original post which bashed Malia Obama here.

Obama drama?

No. Just another frivolous story hyped up by the media, similar to this fly swapping incident.

Above: The extremely misleading photo with Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy

I thought the photo was worthy of a giggle, but many of the world's major media networks thought differently, making a big thing out of the issue. The Obama fly-swatting incident caused such an uproar that it was hard to believe that the overreaction regarding it could be topped. Judging from the way the media responded to this "event", it seems like I was almost wrong.

PETA criticized the President for his insecticide as though it was a homicide, and the only thing which probably prevented women's rights activists from bashing Obama, was the video below which revealed the inaccuracy of the photo.

Speculation arises following Sarah Palin's resignation

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at the announcement of her resignation as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska, on Friday.

It has been few days since her resignation from the position as Governor of Alaska, but Sarah Palin's motives for the move are still being speculated in the media. On the surface, it seems like Palin is simply preparing to run for US Presidency in 2012, and that may very well be the case, but reports elsewhere are suggesting something more scandalous.

There is a claim that Palin's resignation is an effort by her to avoid an embezzlement case which is as a result of her alleged ties to the building contractor, Spenard Building Supplies (SBS). The speculation stems from rumors in Alaska, that federal investigators have recently been seizing paperwork from SBS, searching for evidence that Palin and her husband Todd steered lucrative contracts to the company in exchange for gifts such as the construction of their Lake Lucille home in 2002.

Even though the FBI made a rare response on the matter and said that they are not investigating Palin, the ramifications of this rumor will definitely be damaging to Republicans' hopes of overthrowing President Obama in 2012. As is usually the case in the world, negative press is what resonates for longer periods, than positive press. Despite the FBI making a public statement, her already tainted image is going to be tarnished even further, and will no doubt affect her image should she choose to to run for Presidency in 2012.

One thing is for sure though - Mrs. Sarah Palin will now be tagged as a maverick quitter because of this resignation, and it will be interesting to see whether she can lose this stigma before 2012.

NY Times: Political shifts on gay rights lag behind culture

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Performers from Broadway and beyond commemorated the anniversary of the Stonewall riots on Thursday in Times Square.

I am fairly ambivalent about gay rights. While I understand their efforts to be respected, I do not like the over-the-top nature of some of their protests. Simply put, just like heterosexuals, there is good and bad. We are all humans, and we all deserve some level of respect regardless of our sexual orientations. That said, The New York Times published an article on the topic of homosexuality being accepted more by the society, than it is by politicians in America.

In my opinion, this can be applied to most, if not all societies and cultures around the world, and the only answer I can provide as to why politicians are yet to fully embrace homosexuality, is that the society as a majority, hasn't. Politicians will do (or at least promise to do) whatever the majority of his/her electorate desires, and the "divide" on Gay Rights in the White House is (once again in my opinion) testament to the fact that the whole of America hasn't come to terms with homosexuality as yet. When the sentiments of the majority begin to change and embrace homosexuality, then the politicians will follow suit and pass every bill in support of, or related to Gay Rights.

Gov. Sanford's wife knew about affair since January!

AP – Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, speaks about her husband's recent affair admission

In an interview with the Associated Press, Jenny Sanford, the wife of the under fire South Carolina Governor, revealed yesterday that she knew about the affair for a while now, and was hoping that her ultimatums would have gotten through to him...... (Mrs. Sanford, your husband either doesn't care, or he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed). Needless to say, Gov. Sanford went to Argentina and continued the affair, while Mrs. Sanford somewhat naively held hopes that he was "hiking on the Appalachian Trail as his staff had claimed."

South Carolina governor under scrutiny over adulterous affair

Oh dear. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse for the Republicans, this happens.

BEFORE:

Above: (In happier times) Gov. Sanford, probably soon after his inauguration

AFTER:

Above: Gov. Sanford during the confession of his affair to the media

When will they ever learn? It seems like yet another American politician has been "caught with his hand in the cookie jar". Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina admitted a few days ago to having an affair with a woman in Argentina last year, and he is now facing the consequences. There are now increasing calls for his resignation as a result, and (sadly for the Governor) there are still some missing pieces to this puzzle and it seems like the authorities are relentless about the investigation. The extent of his Argentinean exploits is still unknown.

So....... what's next for the embattled Governor? He is probably going to be forced to repay the State after using its money to conduct his political interests. After that, he will probably face more scrutiny, which will almost certainly hasten the demise of his political career. As for his "mistress", as she was so affectionately called in the media....... her name is reported to be Maria Belen Shapur.