Merci Mini.

I finally had to part with a piece of myself today, that I never thought would be so hard to part with...my Mini Cooper.  In preparation for moving to D.C., a much more expensive city, with fairly good transportation I just couldn't afford to keep it.  I have been tossing and turning for 3 of the past 5 nights wondering if I was doing the right thing.  I felt almost as if I was putting a baby up for adoption, or relinquishing a long time pet to the pound.  The twisting in my stomach was as if I was preparing to get married, or quit an important job.  It is odd how a little 4-wheeled machine can provide such independence and security, so much so that is keeps you up at night not wanting to let go.      

  While combating jet lag, and the swirling thoughts about my Mini, my days have become long. Tired, and heavy eyed, I now can only hope that Mini will enjoy his time with his new owner.  She is from Barcelona and although I feel so bad leaving Mini here in Cleveland to battle the long winters, Mini will be responsible for making her life better here.  He will make her happy.  Although, I wonder if he will ever get out.  I wish I could have sold him to her in Barcelona.  Or maybe to someone in Rome, Italy

where he could bump over the cobblestone streets everyday, and be parked jam-packed among many more of his kind.  Or even to someone in Switzerland where he could be donned with racing stripes and zoom through the long and curvy roads of the scenic Alps...

Goodbye Mini, you were a wonderful friend to me that got me through many hard times.  Whether it was sitting alone with me on a dark night in a grocery store parking lot...just so that I could be all by myself, or shuttling me and all my of cooking ingredients back and forth from kitchen to kitchen, or even just allowing me a bit of warmth and comfortable respite from my dreary, frigidly air-conditioned office on a hot Southern summer day.  Mini, merci, you were amazing. 

"Reading" a Book

  E loves his books. He has an amazing attention span when it comes to books. He will bring you a book then turn around and sit in your lap ready to be read a story. It is not uncommon for E to focus on reading books for a half hour at a time. Lately, E "reads" the books himself. He reads to himself and sometimes he will "read" the book to you as well. I got sneaky with the camera and caught him going through one of his favorite signing books. Unfortunately, many of the signs he is doing are on the opposite side from the camera, but I had to get what I could without him noticing. 

Phone-hacking Scandal, Key to Rupert Murdoch's Politics and Media Influences

Rupert Murdoch is a political kingmaker in Britain and his native Australia. In the United States, he's best known for promoting conservative opinion through media properties like the Fox News Channel. And in China, he's primarily a businessman working to give his News Corp. empire a toehold in that country's tightly controlled media market.

The phone hacking scandal roiling Britain has cast a fresh light on the billionaire media mogul's influence around the globe.

His outsize political role in Britain will almost certainly be reduced amid evidence his papers illegally hacked the phones of people ranging from a murdered teenager to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It's less clear what will happen in Australia. Murdoch's political engagement in the U.S. and elsewhere is less intimate and may not be as compromised by the burgeoning controversy.

"His newspapers in England are far more directly involved in politics than anything he owns in the U.S,'' said Michael Wolff, editorial director of Adweek magazine and author of a Murdoch biography, "The Man Who Owns the News.'' "He's significantly more influential in the political life of that country.''

Click HERE to read full story.

Women’s World Cup 3rd-Place Playoff Result

Women's World Cup third-place playoff result - Saturday, July 16: Sweden 2 France 1

Playing on Sunday, July 16: Japan vs U.S.

Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison Talk About Their Love Story and Marriage Controversy

Courtney Stodden, 16, and husband Doug Hutchison, 51, shocked everyone when they got married in May.

Although, the couple expresses their (true and sincere) love for each other, that didn't spare them from numerous critcisms and controversies.

Now, the couple sits down with Good Morning America for their very first interview as husband and wife to reveal their love story - how they met, their online relationship, and the beautiful moment when Doug called and explained to Courtney's parents that he was falling in love with their daughter.

Watch the Good Morning American interview HERE.

The newlyweds now live together in Hutchison's Hollywood home along with their pet Chihuahua, Everette.

Two-headed Snake Ukraine Zoo's Latest Big Attraction

A two-headed Albino California Kingsnake, each react and eat separately has become a popular attraction at Skazka (or Fairy Tale) Zoo in Ukraine.

"Sometimes one head wants to crawl in one direction and the other head in another direction," zoo director Oleg Zubkov said.

Zoo officials say the snake sometimes even steal food from each other. Because of that, zoo workers have to put a barrier between the heads when feeding the snake.

"If it is really hungry, its heads may steal food from each other," Zubkov said, adding he also needs to separate the heads with a barrier.

"The second head may get angry, but both then feel satiation because they only have one stomach."

The zoo said the three-year-old, two-foot-long (60 centimeter) reptile are extremely rare, appearing once in every 50 years.

Visitor numbers had nearly doubled since it went on display in early July, said zoo keeper Yakovenko.

The snake will be on display at the zoo until Mid-September.

Kiefer Ravena Leads Ateneo Blue Eagle's Victory vs DLSU Green Archers

After his scoreless debut at University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) (read article HERE), Kiefer Ravena - the 5-foot-11 former two-time finals Most Valuable Player in the juniors division and a former national youth team member, proves he is really Philippine basketball's future star when he played like a seasoned-veteran, firing away 22 points in the first half to help his team take an 11-point halftime lead, 41-30, that guarantees Ateneo's victory against De La Salle University, 81-72, in the 74th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

"I was pumped up. I'm very thankful because my teammates were looking for me and good thing my shots were falling." Ravena said about his first six points.

Ravena's performance, undoubtedly, is one of the best ever by a rookie in the most anticipated game of the season - 24 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and five steals in 33 minutes of action - the highest since Dylan Ababou scored 23 against National University on July 16, 2009.

"Kiefer performed very well especially in the first half. He gave us a big lift. He pretty much carried us offensively in the first half which gave us a little bit of a cushion for the second half." said Ateneo Blue Eagle's coach Norman Black.