call of the wild

for some reason, pictures of young cubs (particularly huge cats) hold a compelling fascination for me — the wilder and more untamed, the better. i like looking at dog pictures, too, but wild animals are another matter. i suppose that’s just my ornery, perverse nature cropping up, but i just can’t resist ‘em.

the fact that they’re rarely seen (except in zoos and documentary films) and are savagely beautiful make them an irresistible magnet for a clueless tenderfoot like me. you may call it what you like, but there’s something about these pictures that connects with me on a basic level

three white lion cubs

a couple of bengal tigers

peek-a-boo: a snow leopard

this one’s named cinderella by its clearly besotted owner. she’s too domesticated to make the grade, but i’m including her in this gallery for contrast. nyeheh.

(source: ABC news)

a cautious glance

with all the volatile changes that have been rocking the financial markets and other economic areas lately, one can’t help but wonder if things are ever going to settle down long enough so we can get our bearings straightened out. it’s not just the local market — although thankfully the jolts that we have experienced so far haven’t been as unnerving as those experienced by major economic players — it’s happening practically everywhere in varying degrees.

at times like these, i guess it’s only natural that we become even more careful with our financial resources, especially for those who are on lookout for a good small business opportunity. depending on the size and stability of your resources, it might be nice to look into franchising, especially if you get involved with well-known brand names and niches such as hotel business or fast food business. regardless of how the economy turns out, we all know that there will always be people who will continue to travel for business or for pleasure, and of course fastfood chains will always be a familar landmark within an urban landscape.

of course, it’s still important to hold on to your nest egg. it’s always nice to have a fallback plan in case things don’t work out. still, there’s a risk to everything we do — and what’s rather ironic is that doing nothing can wind up to be the biggest risk of all. well. let’s hope 2009 will be a better year for us all.

jack is back and searching for Redemption

finally. some good news for 24 fans.

jack bauer (kiefer sutherland) is back, this time in a standalone 2-hour TV movie (Fox TV) that bridges the events of season 6 and the upcoming season 7. 24: Redemption, which is set in a fictional african country of Sangala, basically serves as a prequel for the expected structural “changes” in 24. 24: Redemption will be shown on november 23, 2008, and will feature a female president, Allison Taylor (played by cherry jones).

if you don’t mind reading spoilers, just click on this link. just be warned though, an old character (who jack thought was dead) will resurface and give good ol’ jack something else to worry about.

incidentally, 24: season 7 is scheduled to start airing in January 2009.

welcome back, jack. we sure missed you.

"Twilight" is just around the corner

it seems like everyone is anticipating the arrival of Twilight, which is based on the bestselling vampire/romance series authored by stephenie meyer. Twilight posters and ads are everywhere and book sales (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) is really heating up.

the way i see it, there’s no way this film is going  to tank. in fact, i think it’s going to be a big hit. i guess it doesn’t hurt that this film has a cast of young, good-looking actors with charismatic screen presence — just the perfect ingredient to drag young viewers (and keep them coming back) into the theaters.

the lead couple is played by robert pattinson (edward cullen) and kirstin stewart (isabella swan). the cast also includes peter facinelli, elizabeth reaser, nikki reed, cam gigandet,kellan lutz and ashley green. Twilight is directed by catherine hardwicke.

pregnant guy expecting again

as if his first pregnancy wasn’t complex enough, thomas beattie — the man who famously got pregnant — is at it again.

beattie, who underwent a sex change operation 10 years ago, gave birth to a daughter (Susan) on june 29 and is expecting another child. in an interview with ABC’s barbara walters, he revealed that he had stopped taking male hormones after delivering his first child because he and his wife nancy wanted another child

the 34-year-old transgender (formerly known as tracy lagondino) also disclosed that his second child is due on june 12 next year.oh man.