Is China Poised to take Ownership of the Moon?

Although treaties forbid ownership, this powerful nation would have little resistance when laying claim to lunar resources.

THE GIST

• Within about 15 years, China could have a permanent presence on the moon, and be laying claim to its resources.
• There may not be anything the United States, hobbled by debt and politically polarized, can do to stop China.

By the time U.S. astronauts return to the moon they may need permission to touch down -- from China, which is laying the groundwork for a lunar land grab, says long-time space advocate and entrepreneur Robert Bigelow.

Owning the moon is the first step in a game Bigelow, founder of Nevada-based Bigelow Aerospace, calls "Solar System Monopoly."

"This will characterize the 21st and 22nd centuries and beyond. If we ignore this, it will be at our extreme peril," Bigelow said at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight under way this week in Las Cruces, N.M.

The way Bigelow sees it, China, which has no debt, cash reserves of $3 trillion, technical skills, a long-term strategy and strong national support, will lay claim to raw materials on the moon in about 15 years.

The land grab will occur despite an international treaty barring ownership of extraterrestrial bodies, concludes Bigelow, who points out that China's growing global economic influence will make it less likely other countries will object to its lunar expansion.

"This isn't going to start World War III," Bigelow said. 

There's several reasons why China might want the moon, not the least of which is its trove of mineral resources that include water and helium-3, a potential fuel for fusion energy reactors. Laying claim to the moon also would have a powerful psychological impact, displacing America's Apollo forays and catapulting China's international status in one fell swoop.

"Nothing else China could possibly do in the next 15 years would cause as great a benefit for China," Bigelow said.

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With the United States straddled by debt and political gridlock, Bigelow thinks the first round of the game is already lost. But there's still time to give China a run for its money on Mars.

"Hopefully this will produce the fear factor necessary to motivate Americans," Bigelow said.

China, which is not a member of the International Space Station program, last month launched a test module for its own outpost in orbit. A capsule to robotically dock at the module is scheduled to be launched in November. That will be followed by human missions in 2012.

In addition to a small space station, China has announced plans for a lunar base by 2020.

Sasquatch DNA Proof: Debunked by Many

A Texas veterinarian-researcher claims to have shown that the elusive creature known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch is a human hybrid, descended from human females who mated with males of “an unknown hominid species.”  In a statement released on Saturday, Melba S. Ketchum said that her conclusions emerged after she sequenced samples of purported Sasquatch DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA in the samples, which offspring inherit from their mothers, was identical to modern human mitochondrial DNA, she said. But the nuclear DNA samples — the genetic blueprint that mixes genetic material from both parents — appeared to be a mix between human nuclear DNA and “novel non-human sequence.” 

“Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry,” Ketchum said in the statement.

But many others weren't yet convinced.  A few of their reasons:

This is Bigfoot we’re talking about, a creature that has never definitively been observed, despite decades (centuries?) of reported sightings. Over the years, Los Angeles Times reporters Kim Murphy and Eric Bailey both wrote about scientific and not-so-scientific searches for the possibly mythical man-beast.   

A related problem: As no one has yet seen or captured or exhumed a Sasquatch, many question whether Ketchum’s samples actually came from such an animal. Ketchum’s statement did not describe where she got her DNA samples. 

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Lottery: Powerball Up to 425 Million this Week

A lot of hopeful eyes are glued on the biggest number in gambling this week -- the record $425-million Powerball jackpot that’s destined to make some lottery ticket buyer somewhere very, very happy.

In advance of Wednesday's drawing, some people are already very happy: officials in states selling Powerball tickets. Behind the scenes, they've been setting the stage for bigger and bigger jackpots, both for ticket buyers and states selling tickets. 

In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, state lottery commissions -- 33 of which run Powerball -- saw a historic year of revenue from ticket sales. Despite a still-anemic economy, 32 of the country’s 44 state lotteries set new sales highs that will make Powerball’s record-setting payout look like a pittance.

QUIZ: Test your knowledge of Powerball

You think $425 million is impressive? Try $60.8 billion.

That’s the amount state lotteries reporting making in the last fiscal year, according to the North American Assn. of State and Provincial Lotteries. That’s an 8.7% increase from the previous fiscal year. And at the pace the industry is going, you can expect those numbers to continue.

Lotteries are, by their nature, losing games for ticket buyers; they’re designed to be fundraising machines for state governments, which are getting increasingly talented at squeezing revenues out of buyers with huge jackpots and scratch tickets.

Those bigger payouts aren’t just lucky runs. They’re intentional. Last year, Powerball doubled its ticket price to $2, which the lottery said would boost average jackpots from $141 million to $255 million, with the starting jackpot now beginning at $40 million instead of $20 million.

The impact on Powerball? A 27% increase in sales revenue despite a doubling of prices.

That’s made lotteries an attractive money source for state governments in a time of budget shortfalls and Republican resistance to raising taxes. Gambling used to be widely illegal across the U.S., with lottery fraud helping lead the cause for a ban in the 1800s.

Now state lotteries are like any other big business with a mandate for maximizing profit, with talk of “best practices”. Gambling in the back room has been replaced by -- in Minnesota -- lottery machines at ATMs and gas pumps.

While the public worked itself into a frenzy over this year’s $656-million Mega Millions jackpot, New Jersey was busy funneling $950 million of its record $2.8 billion in sales into programs for education, veterans, the developmentally disabled and others.

Before somebody had even bought a winning $337 million Powerball ticket in Michigan in August, the state was dumping a record $770 million of lottery sales money into its School Aid Fund.

For some, the knock against lotteries is that they’re essentially a hidden tax on the poor, who are more likely to buy tickets in the hopes of making it rich -- by playing against a system designed to take more money from ticket buyers than it pays out.

Others bat down that criticism, replying that lotteries are consensual; no one is forcing ticket buyers to chase a $425-million jackpot, no matter how infinitesimal their odds of winning. (The odds are 1 in 175,223,510.)

But for lotto managers, as another huge Powerball jackpot approaches and the holiday season looks to see higher ticket sales, life is good.

“The Thanksgiving season is a time of year when we need to say ‘thank you’ for all of the great things that have befallen us both personally and professionally,” District of Columbia Lottery Executive Director Buddy Roogow wrote in the most recent edition of Lottery Insights, a trade magazine. “Across our industry, we are thankful for the great resume of customers, vendors and employees to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude. So many lotteries enjoyed record years. Let that continue into the new year.”

Just What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

Eliminating America's dependency on foreign oil has been a policy goal for at least the last two U.S. Presidents.  According to the International Energy Agency, by 2020,  the U.S. will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's number one oil producer.

However, there's still some work to do.  The United States Energy Information Administration reported that 45% of the petroleum consumed by the U.S. in 2011 was from foreign countries.   Even though the country is well on its way to becoming self reliant, there's always a chance we could hit a major bump in the road.  The good thing is we have protection.  It's called the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or S.P.R.

So here's how the S.P.R. works:

The reserve was created after the 1973 energy crisis when an Arab oil embargo halted exports to the United States.  As a result, fuel shortages caused disruptions in the U.S. economy.

The reserves are located underground in four man-made salt domes in Texas and Louisiana.  All four locations combined hold a total of 727 million barrels of oil.  The inventory is currently at 695 million barrels.  That's around 80 days of import protection.  It's the largest emergency oil supply in the world -- it's worth about $63 billion.

Only the President has the ability to tap the reserves in case of severe energy supply interruption.  It's happened three times.  Twice within the last decade.  In 2005, President Bush ordered the emergency sale of 11 million barrels when Hurricane Katrina shutdown 25 percent of domestic production.  In 2011, President Obama ordered the release of 30 million barrels to help offset disruptions caused by political upheaval in the Middle East.

Following the release order, the reserve issues a notice of sale to solicit competitive offers.  In the most recent sale involving the Obama administration, the offers resulted in contracts with 15 companies for delivery of 30.6 million barrels of oil.  To put that in context, last year the U.S. consumed almost seven billion barrels of oil — that's 19 million per day -- or about 22% of the world's consumption.

Rolling Stones Celebrate Fifty Years of Rock and Roll

LONDON (AP) — The Rolling Stones made a triumphant return to the London stage on Sunday night in the first of five concerts to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut as an American-oriented blues band.

They showed no signs of wear and tear — except on their aging, heavily lined faces — as front man Mick Jagger swaggered and strutted through a stellar two-and-a-half hour show. He looked remarkably trim and fit and was in top vocal form.

The Stones passed the half-century mark in style at the sometimes emotional gig that saw former bassist Bill Wyman and guitar master Mick Taylor join their old mates in front of a packed crowd at London's 02 Arena.

It was the first of five mega-shows to mark the passage of 50 years since the band first appeared in a small London pub determined to pay homage to the masters of American blues.

Jagger, in skin-tight black pants, a black shirt and a sparkly tie, took time out from singing to thank the crowd for its loyalty.

"It's amazing that we're still doing this, and it's amazing that you're still buying our records and coming to our shows," he said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Lead guitarist Keith Richards, whose survival has surprised many who thought he would succumb to drugs and drink, was blunter: "We made it," he said. "I'm happy to see you. I'm happy to see anybody."

But the band's fiery music was no joke, fueled by an incandescent guest appearance by Taylor, who played lead guitar on a stunning extended version of the ominous "Midnight Rambler," and Mary J. Blige, who shook the house in a duet with Jagger on "Gimme Shelter."

The 50th anniversary show, which will be followed by one more in London, then three in the greater New York area, lacked some of the band's customary bravado — the "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band" intro was shelved — and there were some rare nostalgic touches.

Even the famously taciturn Wyman briefly cracked a smile when trading quips with Richards and Ronnie Wood.

The concert started with a brief video tribute from luminaries like Elton John, Iggy Pop and Johnny Depp, who praised the Stones for their audacity and staying power. The Stones' show contained an extended video homage to the American trailblazers who shaped their music: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and others. The montage included rare footage of the young Elvis Presley.

The Stones began their professional career imitating the Americans whose music they cherished, but they quickly developed their own style, spawning hundreds — make that thousands — of imitators who have tried in vain to match their swagger and style.

The concert began with some early Stones' numbers that are rarely heard in concert, including the band's cover of the Lennon-McCartney rocker "I Wanna Be Your Man" and the Stones original "It's All Over Now."

They didn't shy away from their darker numbers, including "Paint It Black" and "Sympathy for the Devil" — Jagger started that one wearing a black, purple-lined faux fur cape that conjured up his late '60s satanic image.

He even cracked a joke about one of the band's low points, telling the audience it was in for a treat: "We're going to play the entire "Satanic Majesty's Request" album now," he said, referring to one of the band's least-loved efforts, a psychedelic travesty that has been largely, mercifully, forgotten.

He didn't make good on his threat.

He also made fun of the sky-high ticket prices, which had exposed the band to some criticism in the London press.

"How are you doing up in the cheap seats," he said, motioning to fans in the upper rows of the cavernous 02 Arena. "Except they're not cheap seats, that's the problem."

But Jagger seemed more mellow than usual, chatting a bit about the good old days and asking if there was anyone in the crowd who had seen them in 1962, when they first took to the stage.

He said 2012 had been a terrific year for Britain and that the Stones nearly missed the boat, playing no role in the celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics, or the new James Bond film.

"We just got in under the wire," he said. "We feel pretty good."

By GREGORY P. KATZ | Associated Press

Seven Reasons People Commit Suicide and How to Avoid It

Suicide is all about a moment. It is the moment that forces you to end your life. People who have passed through that moment and still survived often regret their action. Suicide is just a symptom of a bigger problem and that bigger problem is different scenarios that force us to commit Suicide. Study the symptoms identify the problem and your life could be changed.

Click image if you are considering suicide

1) Expectation-Most people commit suicide because they have expectations from others and if others fail they have nothing left to live for. You keep expectation from life, the one you love, you family, friends, mentors etc. etc. and it seems your life is running on expectations only. When no one lives up to your expectations you feel that your world is bad and that your life is meaningless. So you have two options- keep expectations from others and become forced to commit suicide or don't keep expectations on others and live your life the adventurous way. The choice is yours. Ask yourself “Am I suffering because I am keeping expectations from others?” and you would get the answer. Stop expecting from people and you would never have to ask how do I commit suicide?

2) Comparison- Your life is going nowhere, you don’t posses the luxuries, you don’t have a boyfriend, you aren't happy while every other person around you have so much promising stuff in their lives. It is habit of people to compare and then feel bad about themselves. The situation aggravates with time and they feel that it is only them who have all the suffering in life. Not enjoying what you have and spoiling you life by doing comparison is nothing less then committing suicide. You are unique and so are your problems, you life, and your issues. Face them and learn to enjoy in them. Comparing yourself and feeling bad about it is nothing less then committing suicide. Do it and you would asking again How do I commit suicide?

3) Feeling Sorry For Yourself- You cannot win, you cannot buy, you cannot perform, you cannot enjoy just because there is some issue with you and your excuse has always been one thing or the other. You are always a sorry figure and it does gets you some attention. Soon you develop a habit of it and feel that people should empathize with you more and more. You get a kick out of it and somehow enjoy it too. Feeling sorry for yourself is like committing a suicide in itself because you yourself close all doors of improvement or effort in your life. Do it and you would always ask how do I commit suicide?

4) Negativity- Every time you look at something you look at bad side of it. Your mind is always jealous of one thing or the other. Your whole day goes into thinking about things that holds no importance. Your heart is filled with hatred and you desire nothing but bad things. It is all about mind and with time you have filled it with bad feelings and thoughts. You develop a habit that is nothing short of committing suicide. It brings about the feeling of how to commit suicide.

5) Not Seeking Help- Internally you know you suffer from things like depression, stress, anxiety but you are afraid to seek help. Something in you stops you from seeking help and you believe everything would be right soon. But the problem aggravates and soon you are standing on the verge of taking your life. Not seeking help from professionals or people who matter in your life is among the easiest and best way to commit suicide. Not seeking help would always make you wonder how to commit suicide.

 6) Fear Of Change- You want a change badly in your life but you are scared to take the first step. You are sick of your environment but cannot muster enough courage to go for a change. The end result is that you stay wherever you are and with time create a grave for yourself. Keeping fear in your mind and not seeking change is a form of suicide….an extension to asking, how do I commit suicide?

7) No Work- Not doing any work and not keeping yourself busy soon deteriorates your mind and brings both bad health and thoughts in your mind. Keeping yourself busy is best way to get rid of multiple diseases and sins. Doing nothing and letting your mind wander aimlessly is one of easiest and best way to commit suicide. A mind without work will always ask how to commit suicide.

I will repeat this again, giving your life is too easy.

 It is the easiest thing you can do. But the real change lies in facing your life head on. If you are  thinking of committing suicide read the above points and you would yourself realize that by doing one of above 7 things you have already pushed yourself to verge of committing suicide or asking how to commit suicide. The best you can do now is to reverse its effect. Yes, now that you know the symptom that has caused problem you should definitely take the first step to be at least positive for this moment and reverse the bad part. Go…….take the first step…….Life is fun, discover it.

 Kill the problem, give life another chance.

NASCAR: Danica Patrick to Divorce Husband of Seven Years

One day after Danica Patrick was named the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver, she posted on Facebook that her marriage with Paul Hospenthal has ended.

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"I am sad to inform my fans that after 7 years, Paul and I have decided to amicably end our marriage," Patrick said via her Facebook account. "This isn't easy for either of us, but mutually it has come to this. He has been an important person and friend in my life and that's how we will remain moving forward."

The pair married in November 2005. Patrick, 30, is 16 years younger than Hospenthal.

Patrick finished 10th in the 2012 Nationwide Series points standings driving for JR Motorsports, the best finish ever by a woman in any NASCAR series. Her best finish this season was eighth at Texas Motor Speedway. Her career-high finish in Nationwide came last year with her fourth-place finish at Las Vegas, also a NASCAR best for a female.

In 10 starts with Stewart-Haas Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, her best effort was posted at Phoenix where she finished 17th. She moves to Sprint Cup full time in 2013.

PETA Asks Obama NOT to Pardon Turkeys this Year

Is this woman for real? I laughed through this whole article. My opinion is obvious: give us carnivores a break and go hug a tree lady!

PETA to Obama: Don't Pardon Turkeys

By Sarah Parnass | ABC OTUS News – 8 hrs ago

It's a White House tradition with a century and a half of history behind it, but PETA is asking the White House to skip it this year.

Tomorrow President Obama is set to pardon two turkeys -Cobbler and Gobbler - just as every president since George H. W. Bush has. The tradition finds its roots in a moment of sympathy Abe Lincoln's son, Tad, had for their table's turkey back in the 1860s.

Now Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says the turkey pardon has got to go.

"It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States' president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry," Newkirk wrote in a letter sent to President Obama today. "Turkeys do not need to be 'pardoned'-they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals."

"You understand so well that African-Americans, women, and members of the LGBT community have been poorly served throughout history," Newkirk writes, "and now I am asking you to consider other living beings who are ridiculed, belittled, and treated as if their sentience, feelings, and very natures count for nothing."

Those are turkeys she's talking about.

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When asked if the comparison of turkeys with minority Americans was a little extreme, PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne answered that turkeys feel pain and fear, just like humans.

"Everyone deserves to be free from suffering, and that includes turkeys," Byrne said.

So will the White House forego the fowl tradition and opt for Tofurkey? Not likely.

Last year PETA similarly took issue with the term "pardon," asking the White House to say "spare" instead. But the White House went along with its usual use of the p-word .

Byrne said this Thanksgiving gives Obama a new opportunity to connect with his constituency and go vegan like another Democratic president - Bill Clinton - who gave up his beloved hamburgers, all meat in fact, for health reasons after leaving office.

"With more Americans than ever cutting meat out of their diets, we hope that the president could see this as a way to get with the times," Byrne said.

Featured: Forty Ninth Anneversary of the Kennedy Assassination

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (18:30UTC) on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling with his wifeJacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and the latter's wife Nellie, in a Presidential motorcade. The ten-month investigation by theWarren Commission concluded that Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone and that Jack Ruby acted alone when he killed Oswald before he could stand trial. The Commission's conclusions were initially supported by a majority of the American public. However, polls conducted from 1966 to 2004 found that as many as 80 percent of Americans have suspected that there was a plot or cover-up.

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Contrary to the Warren Commission, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that Kennedy was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. The HSCA found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed. While agreeing with the Commission that Oswald fired all the shots which caused the wounds to Kennedy and Connally, the HSCA stated that there were at least four shots fired and that there was "...a high probability that two gunmen fired at [the] President. The HSCA did not identify any other person or group involved in the assassination besides Oswald, but they did specifically say the CIA, the Soviet Union, organized crime, and several other groups were not involved, although they could not rule out the involvement of individual members of those groups. Kennedy's assassination is still the subject of widespread debate and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories and alternative scenarios.

Below are some rare photos of John Kennedy campaigning in my home town of Logan, W.Va.

NASCAR: Bad Brad Wins Cup, Angry Jeff Takes Checker, Five Time Flops

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Rick Hendrick was in Victory Lane on Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, confetti flying all around him, his clothes drenched with some sort of adult beverage.

This is where the owner of Hendrick Motorsports expected to be at the beginning of the season after predicting all four of his Sprint Cup drivers would make the Chase, and that one would win the championship.

This is where he expected -- or at least hoped -- to be at the beginning of Sunday, celebrating his 11th championship as Jimmie Johnson celebrated his sixth.

Instead, Hendrick was celebrating a first Homestead win with Jeff Gordon as Johnson explained in the media center how he let the title get away, as Brad Keselowski celebrated his first championship with the biggest Miller Lite beer glass in history.

Talk about mixed emotions.

"Yeah, it's disappointing," Hendrick said. "But at the same time, it's racing. I'm celebrating [Gordon's win] and letting the other deal go.

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Solar System Planets, Exoplanets, and Now New Category of Planet Discovered: Rogue Planet doesn't Orbit a Star

Exoplanets, planets which orbit other stars, are now being discovered by the thousands. Current estimates now say that there are likely millions of them in our galaxy alone. But there is another type of planet which had been hypothesized to exist - rogue planets, drifting through space alone, not gravitationally bound to any stars. It's a wild idea, and now the first evidence for just such free-style planets is being found by astronomers.

The best candidate so far was announced yesterday by the European Southern Observatory. The free-floating body, dubbed CFBDSIR2149, is the closest such object found to date, at only about 100 light-years away. It was discovered using the Very Large Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

It is thought to be part of a group of nearby young stars called the AB Doradus Moving Group, but is not orbiting any of them.

These kinds of free-floating objects are thought to be "regular" planets which somehow got thrown out of their planetary systems and ended up drifting through space by themselves. They may also form on their own, separate from any stars.

As Philippe Delorme (Institut de planétologie et d’astrophysique de Grenoble and CNRS/Université Joseph Fourier, France) explains, “These objects are important, as they can either help us understand more about how planets may be ejected from planetary systems, or how very light objects can arise from the star formation process. If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds, drifting in the emptiness of space.”

Brown dwarf stars, small stars that failed to "ignite" early on and become full-fledged stars, can sometimes be mistaken for planets. This new candidate is thought to be a gas-giant type planet and not a brown dwarf, but confirming that and learning more about its actual composition will require further study.

If it is indeed part of the AB Doradus Moving Group (an estimated 87% probability), then calculations suggest it would be about 4-7 times the mass of Jupiter, with a temperature of approximately 430˚ Celsius.

Delorme concludes: “Further work should confirm CFBDSIR2149 as a free-floating planet. This object could be used as a benchmark for understanding the physics of any similar exoplanets that are discovered by future special high-contrast imaging systems, including the SPHERE instrument that will be installed on the VLT.”

Some estimates say that these worlds may be common, perhaps even as common as normal stars, an intriguing possibility..

For more on this extraordinary planet type click here

The Chihuahua:Soon to be a New Addition in My Life

I haven't had a dog in my life since I was about 8 years old when my father introduced me to Berry, a beautiful brown and white collie that stood as tall as I did. Berry was a loyal, intelligent  dog that lived its life in my presence.

 I woke and Berry was there to greet me, she followed me to the bus stop and would be there when I returned. She played and romped with me. I loved her until the day she passed away gently in the night.

I refused to ever own or fall in love with another...until I met Bella.What a difference Bella is from my giant dog Berry.She is a miniature chihuahua and smart as a scholar. Love is something we all try to plan, but true love seems to blindside us more often than not. Here is the example in my life; a chihuahua was the last thing in which I expected to become so fond.

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Graceful, alert and swift-moving with a saucy expression, Chihuahuas are highly intelligent and should not be underestimated even though small in size. The breed can be any color - solid, marked or splashed and the coat may be long or short. These sassy little dogs are well known as "purse dogs" like the famous Bruiser in the movie Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon.

A Look Back

The Chihuahua's history is shrouded in mystery, but some believe he originated from the Fennec Fox, a very small animal with big eyes and ears, which could explain the tiny frame, luminous eyes and large ears on the breed today. Chihuahua's were used in religious ceremonies and were pets to the upper class. The breed derives its name from the Mexican State of Chihuahua, where the earliest specimens of the breed were found.

Sister Wives: Could this Four Way Marriage Turn into a Four Way Divorce

As Wikipedia states; Sister Wives is an American reality television series broadcast on TLC that started in 2010. The show documents the life of a polygamist family, which includes patriarch Kody Brown, his four wives and their 17 children. The family began the series living in Lehi,Utah, but has since moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. The seven-episode first season ran from September 26 to October 17, 2010, and drew strong ratings according to Nielsen Media Research. Season two of Sister Wives began on September 25, 2011. Season three returned on May 13, 2012. Season four is returning on Sunday, November 18, 2012.

Brown and his wives have said they participated with the show to make the public more aware of polygamist families and to combat societal prejudices. Brown believes his polygamist arrangement is legal because he is legally married only to one woman, and the other marriages are spiritual unions. Nevertheless, the series led the Brown family to become investigated for possible prosecution.

Buy, it seems that the changes this mega family has been through could cause its demise.This new season could tell the tale. Kody once said that the only thing in life he feared was poverty,let us see if he gains a new fear: the fear of divorce court times four!

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