Red Panda Escapes National Zoo, Gets Recaptured

Earlier today or late yesterday, Rusty the Red Panda escaped from his enclosure at the National Zoo, but was found today in a Washington, DC neighborhood.  He's now back at the zoo and appears to be none the worst for his brief adventure.

Red pandas share the giant panda's ability to grip objects, because the digits on their paws can oppose an extension of their wrist.  However, while the giant panda is a member of the bear family, red pandas have their own family, the ailuridae.

Read more at the New York Post, the Christian Science Monitor, NBC News and DCist.

Well, what do you know.  As reported by ViralRead, Rusty seems to have gotten a Twitter account.

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A Wedding Of "Epic Porkportions"

Vista, California residents Adrienne Dunvan and Eddie Quinones, who spent their first date eating a Puerto Rican pork shoulder dish called pernil, tied the knot this past Sunday at the Big Bacon Bite Fest at the San Diego County Fair.  The couple had won a contest to be wed at the Fest.  They had dated for six years before becoming engaged in 2011, and also have adopted four children, all of whom participated in the ceremony.  They will honeymoon this coming October around Baltimore ("the bacon capitol of the world") attending the 12th annual Pigtown Festival, which includes Squeakness, the Running of the Pigs.

Naturally, I hope they enjoy their visit to in Maryland, and will pig out (pun intended) to their hearts' content.

Read the story at San Diego County Fair, Yahoo! Shine and ABC 10 News.

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Links To Start The Long Weekend

The Memorial Day weekend, one of those "anchors" on the calendar, has just started.  This coming Monday, Americans will pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free.  Today, here are some things recently in the news:

From the New York Post, a homeless teenage girl living near Atlanta has just become her high school's valedictorian.

From Fox News, the Boy Scouts of America have voted to accept openly gay members.

From Breitbart's Big Hollywood, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gets into a confrontation with Jersey Shore cast member Snooki.

From Biz Pac Review, polling expert Scott Rasmussen says that the recent scandals are bringing bad news for President Obama.  (Isn't that what scandals normally do to a president?)

CNS News reports on Obama's commencement speech as the U.S. Naval Academy, where he blamed the "misconduct of a few" for eroding the public's trust in the government.

From CBN News, an American missionary in Africa has gone missing.

From NBC News, the Department of Justice confirms that the search warrant for Fox News reporter James Rosen's e-mails was approved "at the highest levels".  One writer at National Review suggests that reporters "should just CC Eric Holder" from now on.

From The Hill, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) says that the "Gang of Eight" immigration bill does not have the votes to pass the Senate.

From the Washington Examiner, a former president of Guatemala has been extradited to the United States to face money-laundering charges.

Reason gives us three reasons, other than Lois Lerner, to fear the IRS.

From CNN, yesterday's collapse of a section of the Skagit River bridge on Interstate 5 in Washington state is believed to have been caused by an 18-wheeler hitting an overhead tress (and not from GOP obstruction, as reported by Mediaite).

And from Wired, on the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, 30 things you didn't know about the movie.

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Sunday News & Links

A few items in the news:

From the Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu states in a cabinet meeting that the primary objective of the newly-elected government will be "to stop the weaponization of Iran's nuclear program".

From Newsbusters, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao blasts President Obama's blaming the Republicans for the state of the economy.

From the Guardian, the Internet's creator says that American democracy has been hacked.

From Guns(dot)com, one of the last interviews by former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who was shot and killed yesterday at a gun range in Texas.

From Breitbart's Big Government, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) backs off on his defense of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), accused of messing around with underage prostitutes in Colombia.

Let's give Harry a two-fer.  From Breitbart's Big Journalism, Senator Reid admits that he has not read Senator Diane Feinstein's (D-CA) proposed gun legislation.

From the New York Post, city council Speaker Christine Quinn (D) has been filling in on some ceremonial appearances for Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R), whom she hopes to succeed.

From Renew America, a list of military exercises in American cities.

From the Charlotte Observer, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Vonta Leach gives back to his home town of Rowland, NC.

And to finish with some hilarity from Duh Progressive, the career of  famous weather-forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has come to an end.

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Baby Girl Literally Reaches Out

During the past few days, a picture showing a baby reaching out from her mother's womb and grabbing the finger of the doctor performing Caesarian section has gone viral on the Internet.  The baby girl, named Nevaeh ("heaven" spelled backwards), is now 11 weeks old.  She and her parents, Randy and Alicia Atkins, live in Glendale, Arizona.  Read the story and see the picture (along with a few more) at the Mail Online.

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Happy New Year 2013

May everyone who reads Bigfoot's Place have a happy, healthy and enjoyable year in 2013.

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Merry Christmas

For the next few days, I'll be taking a break and visiting family members, as we gather for the Christmas holidays.  To everyone out there, have a happy and safe Christmas.

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I Can't Believe We Made It

A look back on growing up in previous decades and how things were different back then:

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Happy Thanksgiving

I'll be visiting members of the extended family for a few days, and won't be posting anything here until I get back.  There's nothing like taking a break from the normal routine, seeing some people I don't get to see very often, and just kicking back and relaxing.  For us Virginia Tech alumni, we have the odd pleasure of eating our mascot.  But whether you're staying home or travelling, may all of you who read Bigfoot's Place have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

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Fall Foliage

Now that fall has arrived, the trees here in Maryland are undergoing their annual change of color.  These are a few that I've seen in the general vicinity.  This one has turned bright red-orange:

Here are a few that are changing at different times - the green one on the left, the reddish one on the right, and the yellow-green one in the background.

This one has partially changed, with some leaves having turned orange and the rest still green.

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Woman 1 Bear 0

A black bear wanders into someone's back yard, but knows better than to mess with her.  From the New York Post:

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Monday Links

A few stories recently in the news:

From the Daily Caller, members of the Occupy movement protest the president - of Iran.

World Net Daily has found a video of Obama from 1995, in which he talks about "common ground".

From the American Thinker, the Obama campaign has quietly discontinued their sales of the "Obama flag".

From the Washington Times, the Obama administration has released a list of 55 terrorists, er, uh, detainees who have been approved for release from Guantanamo.

From WXYZ Action News, the owners of three stores in Dearborn(istan), Michigan have been arrested for alleged fraud against the Bridge Card Program, which is part of the Food Stamps system.

From ABC News, Polish soldiers in Afghanistan found a newborn baby girl abandoned on the side of a road. Niech żyje Polska!

From Big Government, Mr. Bill implies that if there's a second Obama term, Hillary won't be part of it.

From Big Journalism, one of Hillary's aids, during an interview with a CNN reporter, slips into some foul language.

From the Telegraph (and the PC department), France is not only preparing to legalize gay marriage, but also to eliminate the words "mother" and "father" from official documents.

From The Hill, several prominent Democrats warn Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to stay out of the US presidential election.

From Yid With Lid, several other Democrats, on the other hand, warn "Don't trust Obama on Israel."

From Occupy Corporatism, FEMA has created a civilian group intended to assist the federal government in future disaster preparedness.

And finally, from the Norwalk Reflector, a potential Darwin Award nominee: a stop sign thief runs a stop sign, thus making his last mistake.

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Links For Friday The 13th

I'm not much into superstition, but on a previous Friday the 13th, I posted on Twitter, "Today, avoid black cats and liberals of all colors."  Here are some stories from the current Friday the 13th:

From Western Journalism, former Speaker Pelosi tells the Catholic Church to "drop dead".

From the Washington Free Beacon, the U.S. Olympic uniforms are made in (yeah, you guessed it) China.  The company that designed the uniforms is a donor to both Obama and the Democratic party.

From Patriots For America, a video report on the U.N. Small Arms Treaty.  The report claims that what the U.N. is really after is the ammunition.

From Michigan Capitol Confidential, the SEIU omits from their disclosure form a $12,000 payment to a company that was defunded by the Michigan State Legislature.

From Commentary, a report on Hamas summer camps for children.

From Fox News, a man's dying wish, to leave a huge restaurant tip, is granted.

Also from Fox News, an autistic man is found alive after being lost for 3 weeks in the Utah desert.

From NewsBusters, Howard Kurtz warns CNN that the "liberal media double standard" is apparent "to many people".

From ABC News, this one's from yesterday, but still important enough to mention.  Did the late Joe Paterno cover up for his former assistant Jerry Sandusky?

From Gateway Pundit, it's your tax dollars at work.  The federal government is giving away, not just cell phones, but air conditioners.

From EPA Abuse, how the EPA is taking over state's regional haze programs.

From Weird Asia News, are Japan's "concept cars" getting weirder?

From Yahoo News, a dishonest doctor in California found out the hard way that his patient was a real bitch.

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Feel Good Story Of The Day

If you're a little kid, your first time dealing with death is likely to be that of your family's pet.  Four years ago, this was the experience of 7-year-old Sophie Roorda of St. Louis.  Her family thought that their mixed-breed terrier had been killed and eaten by coyotes.  But less than a month ago, another family found a disheveled dog, not far from the Roorda's home.  They took the dog to an animal hospital, where a microchip was found implanted in the dog.  The microchip identified the dog's owners as the Roordas, and Sophie now has her beloved companion back.

Read the story at the Daily Mail.

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