Camels and Honey Bees and Pets

In 1959, a local newspaper published a fictional account of Virginia City's camel races. Although a complete hoax, it didn't sound like a bad idea.

And so the next year the town actually held a real camel race. Oddly, the winning jockey was legendary film director John Huston, who was in these hills filming "The Misfits."

Fifty years later, they're still at it.

Now you may be wondering, Where do you find racing camels?

Kansas, of course! Specifically, at the exotic animal farm of Joe Hedrick, known to some as the "Camel Whisperer."  (CBS)

Pakistani Camel Jockey Ring Foiled

(AP)  Five children, all younger than 7, were safe with police Monday after immigration officials stopped them from being smuggled to the United Arab Emirates to be used as camel jockeys.

Police detained a couple posing as the children's parents and two other people believed to be involved in an organization supplying child jockeys to the Emirates.

Camel racing dates back hundreds of years in the Gulf, and although using child jockeys is illegal in most places, they are still prized as jockeys because they are lighter than adults, enabling camels to run faster.

Immigration officials said suspicions were aroused Sunday when they noticed that the children seemed scared as they prepared to board a flight from Islamabad to Dubai.  (CBS)

Back at the Obama White House, Michelle Obama has a beehive on the White House lawn to go along with her garden.  She is now using the honey as a special White House gift to dignitaries.  Does anyone really believe that 'designer-clothes-MEchelle' weeds the garden or harvests the honey??? 

What started out as a springtime lark meant to help Michelle Obama's South Lawn veggie garden—a simple beehive—has produced an abundance of sweet honey that the first lady is treating like gold. While initially planned for use in the first family's recipes, the light honey with a hint of mint from local basswood trees has been given an elevated role in the East Wing: It's the main feature in the first lady's gift packages. At the recent G-20 economic meeting in Pittsburgh, for example, the first lady had a wooden gift box made up for each of the visiting spouses. Inside were a tea set colored like the purple-and-white Lincoln china and a crystal vase with two little jars of White House honey. Etched on the vase: "White House Honey 2009." The remaining honey will be jarred for other gifts, used in the kitchen, and offered as tasty treats for visitors.

The homegrown gift is a White House rarity, say historians, which could make it the most sought-after nectar since Romans gave it to their gods.  (US News)

Will Max be a tax break? Can Fido help with FICA?

A bill making the rounds on Capitol Hill marries two feel-good propositions -- tax cuts and pet ownership -- to generate a novel idea: A tax break of up to $3,500 per person for pet care expenses.

The measure is a legislative long shot. But it's been championed by a veteran Hollywood tough guy and by a conservative Michigan congressman, and has drawn the enthusiastic support of animal rights groups eager to promote pet ownership during economic down times.  (ABC)

Comments

[ron russell]

Not one single red cent would I pay for the White House honey. I recall years ago going in the woods and finding wild bee hives, the art of finding these hives has been lost to all but a few. Anyway wild honey has a different taste and what makes it all the better is that its much harder to get.

[Fatty Liver]

Hmmm...White House bees and Kansas camels. I really need to get out more and see these things. *lol*

DJ