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It's been two months since Jessica Simpson gave birth to daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson, and yet, according to fitness experts, she still looks to be at least 182 lbs. For a woman whose body has been a major part of her success, Jessica is traumatized by her surplus size. And friends say she has reached a breaking point in her struggle to lose the baby weight. While no new mom should be expected to be superslim so soon after giving birth, Jessica, 32, is actually getting paid — to the tune of a reported $4 million — to shed 70...

Orville certainly isn't the first cat to fly, but he may be the first cat to do so under his own power.

The extra pounds that propelled Meow the shelter cat to national celebrity have killed him. The 5-year-old, 39-pound cat died Saturday of respiratory complications related to his girth, Santa Fe Animal Shelter executive director Mary Martin said Monday. The huge but personable feline became the subject of nationwide fame last month after appearing with Anderson Cooper and on the “Today” show — where Meow met actor Hugh Grant — as part of a media blitz to warn pet owners of the dangers of pet obesity. Meow traveled between Santa Fe and the East Coast for his TV appearances by airplane...

About all that is certain regarding the bizarre situation with fifth-graders in Junction is that when the teacher tells you to hush, responding with meows isn't the brightest idea. And maybe forcing the entire fifth-grade class to crawl down the school's track, meowing as they went along, wasn't a well-thought-out disciplinary response. Junction, a quiet town of 2,700 about 120 miles west of San Antonio, is best known for its beautiful rivers and its annual ranch rodeo. But in the wake of the Wednesday showdown at the elementary school, it's getting a different sort of attention. Upset Junction parents are...

Hello freepers, I'm a registered Democrat, but I'd really rather not be. I would much rather sign myself onto some progressive party as I feel they would better represent me, my views and my country. However, if I were to do so in the current political environment I would be throwing my vote away and by not voting for the Democrat I'm helping the Republican candidate inch closer to a plurality. Similarly, I'm sure plenty of you guys would much rather have a strong Libertarian Party or some sort of Evangelical Party instead of being lumped in with the rest...

This is my list of all the cats I can remember since I cared about pets.

Rush Limbaugh explains his apology on his Monday, March 5, 2012 program. LIMBAUGH: This is the mistake I made: In fighting them on this issue last week, I became like them. Against my own instincts, against my own knowledge, against everything that I know to be right and wrong, I descended to their level when I used those two words to describe Sandra Fluke. That was my error. I became like them. And I feel very badly about that. I've always tried to maintain a very high degree of integrity and independence on this program. Nevertheless, those two words were...

OK, this is not a flame thread. I'm genuinely curious why conservatives think Communism is so evil. I am a Communist. I am also a God-fearing Christian, a tax-paying and loyal American, and a generally nice guy. Communism was perverted by third world despots and was never implemented fully in its true form. Communism is about cooperation and good will. And it's important to note that economic success and cooperation are not mutally exclusive. In fact, I would argue greater cooperation among individuals leads to more prosperity and more overall happiness.

"Dang, Dang, Dang notin' but xenophobes in this here dang ole' place.. I tell u what, i try to help ..uh..er...u well...uh.. u know...er...mexican kids..and these here xenophobes hatin' on me. gosh dangit."

Cains share of the GOP primary has jumped 10 percentage points since Sept. 26 and is now at 38%. Mitt Romney is second with 18%, followed by both Rick Perry and Ron Paul, at 12% each.

A dog-eating carnival that derived from a 600-year-old tradition in an east China township has been banned following a wave of public fury, said an official Wednesday. The government stopped the dog-eating carnival held in every October in Qianxi Township, Jinhua City in Zhejiang Province due to resentment voiced on the Internet as well as increasing discontent among villagers, said Zhang Jianhong, a township official. Dogs are slaughtered and skinned in the streets in recent years in Qianxi when an annual commodity fair is held in October, which sparked fierce condemnation after the cruelty was exposed online prior to this...

LAKE GEORGE -- State wildlife biologists have confirmed that a wild mountain lion passed through Warren County last winter before it was hit and killed by a car in Connecticut earlier this year. The big cat was hit by a car in Milford, Conn., on June 11. A series of DNA analyses have linked it to mountain lion fur left behind with cat paw prints in the back yard of a Lake George home last December, said Lori Severino, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Officials believe it was native to South Dakota, and said it was...

<p>Those 8 yr old kids who first bought Harry Potter are now of voting age. Is this a good thing considering that the leading Republican running used to be a witch?</p>

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is gracing the cover of the current issue of Newsweek magazine. As can be expected, she is receiving some criticism — this time over her image. Earlier today, Jonathan Capehart took to The Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog to criticize the 2008 vice-presidential candidate. In making a clear reference to her garb and presence in the cover photo (see right), he writes: Folks want to be able to envision someone sitting in the Oval Office. They don’t necessarily want to envision them in the pages of Esquire magazine’s “Sexiest Woman Alive 2011” or Maxim. She can’t possibly...

John McCain and Sarah Palin have long insisted things are all good between them, even after their losing 2008 presidential effort wound up with a nasty bout finger pointing between loyalists to the two former running mates. But the family members of both candidates are not being so publicly amicable. As ABC News's Sheila Marikar reports, Bristol Palin trashes the McCain clan in her new upcoming memoir, "Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far." It's unclear from Marikar's report whether the 20-year-old Palin daughter e specifically mentions her mother's running mate, her book does slam McCain's wife, Cindy, for...

Could Andrea Mitchell possibly be more snide and condescending toward Sarah Palin? On her MSNBC show today, here's how Mitchell introduced her interview with Jeanne Cummings of Politico concerning Sarah Palin's current trip to India and Israel: "Well. Heh-heh. Where do you start?" Dismissive as was the language, only the video does justice to the derision in Mitchell's tone. View clip here.

Although many observers said Michelle Obama looked radiant in her silk organza Alexander McQueen gown at a state dinner last week, she was criticized by some for not wearing an American designer. New York-based Oscar de la Renta told Women’s Wear Daily, “This is a big industry in this country. Mrs. Obama does look great. She should take that and do something. She could do a great good for our industry. We need to create jobs here, create jobs on Seventh Avenue, too.” Tonight at the State of the Union address, she’s wearing a more conservative silvery white three-quarter sleeve...

Sarah Palin is the ultimate "American Idol" politician. Plucked from relative obscurity by the McCain campaign, quickly costumed, coached and handed a set list created to play to her strengths, she leapfrogged over the traditional trajectory of a political career directly onto center stage where some viewers/voters loved her and many others didn't. So although it is unprecedented, it is not surprising that, in the aftermath of her unsuccessful vice presidential bid, Palin would quit her actual political job — governor of Alaska — to pursue a career in television, first as a commentator for Fox News and now...

It is hard to imagine that anything has gone unsaid about the so-called Ground Zero mosque, but an important point seems to be missing. The mosque should be built precisely because we don't like the idea very much. We don't need constitutional protections to be agreeable, after all. This point surpasses even all the obvious reasons for allowing the mosque, principally that there's no law against it. Precluding any such law, we let people worship when and where they please. That it hurts some people's feelings is, well, irrelevant in a nation of laws. And, really, don't we want to...

I deposit the Risk into the account of a dummy finance company for management, called the republican party. Then, I deposit the damage into the account of a dummy corporation for control, called the democratic party. I leave all the bible belt religions as spoilers, or third parties; putting them down as department store chains. To stave off the profit into the mints money burning facility, to insure that the money is worthless in terms of pragmatic value, and is only practical believed values. And the Black market is pimped as bad but, even losing even your kindeys in a...