[Image via AP.]

[LAX, September 2. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

[New York, August 21. Image via x17.]

[Stroehen, Germany; May 20. Image via AP.]

Dackel "Bessi" bewacht am Mittwoch, 20. Mai 2009, das fuenf Tage alte, noch namenlose Tigerbaby, im Tierpark Stroehen bei Bremen. Die einjaehrige Bessi ersetzt bei der Aufzucht des Tigers ihren Vater "Monster", der gestern vom Postboten ueberfahren wurde und verstarb. Das Tigerbaby wurde von seinen Eltern nicht angenommen, da sie die sechs Monate alte Schwester "Motte" pflegen. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer) ** zu APD9546 ** —- German Dachshund "Bessi", right, guards a five-days-old yet nameless tiger cub at a zoo in Stroehen, northern Germany, on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. The little tiger is now being nursed by the the zoo owner's German dachshund "Bessi" who replaces his father "Monster", who originally adopted the tiger cub but was ran over by a post service car on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer)

[New York, March 18. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

The three picture books, titled First Dog, Which Puppy?, and Now Hiring: White House Dog are all scheduled for an April release, reports Publishers Weekly. But, since they all focus on the search for a dog they may become outdated quickly when pictures of Sasha and Malia frolicking on the South Lawn with a Portuguese Water Dog are plastered all over the news. Still, publishers are confident that the books will sell since the 2008 election produced more children's books about the candidates than ever before, and book stores can't keep President Obama's biography for children on the shelves. "Anything about President Obama, people are looking for," said Jan Dundon, who has already ordered copies of two of the puppy books for her bookstore in Illinois, "and kids always love books about dogs." [Publishers Weekly]

• Jessica Brooks, 18, suffered second and third degree burns after accidentally lighting her hair on fire. She was soaking her head in gasoline to kill her head lice when a pilot light ignited the fumes. • A new mother unwittingly killed her newborn daughter by kissing her while she had a cold sore. • A researcher from Kansas State University has found that the different ways male and female police officers deal with stress may actually cause them more stress. Don Kurtz also found that women are more likely to be assigned to emotionally stressful cases, like those involving the abuse of children or sexual assault. • Over 100 women showed up at the Western Wall Wednesday to pray and protest the "attempt to silence half of Jewish people" through restrictions on where and how they can pray. • Del Monte Foods has crowned its first Milk Bone spokesdog, Winston, a Great Dane from Wisconsin. • A Spanish mother took justice into her own hands and set fire to her daughter's gloating rapist. She is currently being held in prison and undergoing psychiatric tests. • Vassalboro, Maine just got its first topless coffee shop, and residents are not that happy about it. I just hope the servers have good balance with all that hot coffee. • Time to buy a vowel: this Friday, Wheel of Fortune will air its 5,000th show. • A new report shows that only 4% of Texas schools currently provide sex education beyond abstinence, and many programs give teens inaccurate information. • A 14-year-old girl just became the youngest divorcee in Israel. Her ex-husband is 17. • Heidi Hetzer, female mechanic and car dealer, has fought sexism for years, but is only now facing the most serious battle of her career: the recession. • This Wednesday, members of the first all-female, all-African-American unit, "Six Triple Eight," were presented with certificates of appreciation for their service during WWII. • An ex-student from the University of Portland is suing the school for failing to report her rape to police, and acting indifferent to negative postings about her on their social networking board. The student, who was 16 at the time of the attack, also seeks $1 million from the college sophomore who she names as her attacker. • The Elements of Intimacy is a rare book on sex education published in the UAE. Author Widad Loutah has received death threats and accusations of blasphemy for her attempts to education unmarried women about sex. • Breaking News: the Obamas may not get a Portuguese water dog. Press Secretary Katie McCormick Lelyveld says: "Mrs. Obama likes the Portuguese water dog, but she is only one of four votes." •

With all the focus on Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing Tuesday, we've sort of been neglecting the hearings of the other women of the Obama Administration, which have been going equally swimmingly. Lisa Jackson, Barack Obama's EPA nominee, faced down tough questions from Republicans who are really keen not to see anyone actually regulate at the EPA and are scared to death that companies might have to stop poisoning our environment in the name of Progress. But Jackson thinks science should trump political ideology — who'da thunk? — and said that environmental negligence weighs on her conscience. And you thought Hillary Clinton's hearings were hot.

And if you're not full-up with the womanly awesomeness yet, go check out the New York Times' article about Janet Napolitano in which it's mentioned that she quotes Monty Python, has a photographic memory, laughs at Ed Rendell and plans, basically, to save the world. Oh, and she represented Anita Hill. Come back when you're done swooning, because we're about to get to the bad news portion of the morning.

And that bad news is, of course, related exclusively to Obama's dudely nominees who — one by one — are either facing contentious confirmation hearings or delayed confirmation hearings for being, at a minimum, idiots. First up is Eric Holder, whose hearing is today. He get to face questions about the Mark Rich and FALN pardons, his involvement with a long-ago Gore fundraiser at a Buddhist temple (that's one for Napolitano's photographic memory banks, geez) and Rod Blagojevich, so it should be fun. But, hey, at least he's not Alberto Gonzales, right? Right? Are those crickets I hear?

Next up on the controversy train is Treasury nominee Tim Geithner, whose new problems stem from having neglected to pay self-employment taxes for four years despite having gotten paid extra by the IMF to offset the additional tax liability. Most everyone thinks that, like Holder, he'll nonetheless be confirmed, mostly because Republicans are unwilling to make a big deal about it because they think he's practically one of them, but his confirmation hearing has been delayed.

Finally, the newest nominee to face a delay is Republican Congressman and Transportation Secretary nominee Ray LaHood who, in the wake of the Blago scandal, might face just a touch more scrutiny at his hearing what with all his earmarks that benefited campaign donors. God, when was the last time there was a Republican corruption scandal?

Not that any of this is rubbing off on Obama, who is riding high in the polls and facing tremendous pressure to do politically popular things like eliminate torture, use the bail-out money for the housing crisis and adopt an appropriate dog. He's going to face more pressure to stay at the Inaugural Balls for more than 10 minutes.

And I could talk about Israel bombing more UN civilian targets in Gaza, but I'm scared that Joe the Motherfucking Plumber might be mean to me. CNN's Rick Sanchez, though, is not and he took him on yesterday in a segment that made my ladybits tingle.

While having your dad elected to the U.S. presidency is exciting enough, we're sure that the girls are probably overwhelmed with giddiness over the prospect of having a pup to call their own. To help Obamas out, we decided to make a list of the best dogs for their family using Petfinder, a website that lists adoptable dogs in shelters across the nation.

Malia, the eldest Obama sister, has allergies so we had to take that into consideration when picking out potential puppies. We also tried to stick to dogs in the Washington D.C. area.

The girls have expressed interest in a Goldendoodle, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle that is said to be hypoallergenic. They sure are cute and a good mix of a "All American" and hypoallergenic to suit Malia's allergies. Colton, a Goldendoodle located in Denver, PA might be the perfect puppy for the Obamas!

Obama also told reporters that his family had been looking into Labradoodles, another mix of a typical American dog (Labs) and a Poodle. Boston, a Labradoodle in Washington, D.C. would be happy to play with the girls on the South Lawn.

The American Kennel Club has a list of dogs that are generally considered to do well with people with allergies. On the list is one of our (okay, my) favorite dogs, the Schnauzer. A Schnauzer would be great for the girls since they are both hypoallergenic and temperamentally well-suited for children. Lady, a Miniature Schnauzer from Laurel, MD whose owners lost their home would be safe and sound in the White House.

Since the girls seem to like the Poodle mixes, perhaps a Schnoodle (or Schnauzer-Poodle mix) would appeal to them. Elise, a Schnoodle in Hedgescille, WV would be happy to run around the feet of the younger Obamas.

A Bichon Frise is also recommended for allergy-sufferers. Bichon Frise's have an excellent temperament with a "cheerful attitude" and a playful but gentle-mannered behavior that is great for children. Sammy, an adult Bichon Frise in Potomac, MD would use his years of dog experience to help the Obamas adapt to the doggy-owning lifestyle.

The American Kennel Club also recommends Malteses for people with allergies. A Maltese would be a great dog to play with since they are fearless little balls of fur that are incredibly affectionate and mild-mannered. Arthur in Monkton, MD is a friendly little fellow that would have no trouble rubbing paws with foreign heads of state.

A plain Poodle would also be a great dog for the Obamas. Poodles have that hypoallergenic coat that Malia would need in order to enjoy snuggles without sneezing. Sydney, a cute Poodle in Chantilly, VA that came from a puppy mill will be ready to part with her pups when they are 8 weeks. The time lapse would be perfect for the Obamas who won't move into the White House until next year!

The most American choice of all would be a mutt. Hope, a mutt in Forestville, MD has some Poodle in her so she would be well-suited for Malia. And since her name is Hope, you know that she was meant to be with the Obamas.

Although our last two picks for First Pup aren't hypoallergenic, they'd still make excellent dogs for the family.

An energetic boxer would be great for an active family with growing children. The friendly breed would also be great for meeting with guests. Rocky in Washington D.C. looks like he is ready to meet his new family.

A perfect family dog — and a favorite of conservative writer and big Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan — is the carefree Beagle. The girls would probably enjoy watching this curious dog explore their new home. Beagles also naturally enjoy the company of other dogs and people, making them the perfect addition to a family that will be meeting a lot of people. Cracker in Washington D.C. would fit in nicely at the White House, but the Obamas might want to change his name.

Obama's First Appointment, A First Dog [Chicago Breaking News]
Obama Promises A First Dog To Sasha And Malia [NBC Chicago]
Dogs For Allergies [American Kennel Club]
Petfinder

[New York, September 17. Image via Splash.]

• MTV promotes "green" campaigns like Switch, but when it comes to the actual production of their shows, the network is very unfriendly towards the environment. • Researchers have found that 90 minutes sitting on a heated car seat can lead to an increased scrotal temperature in men, which may hurt a man's sperm quality. • A Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled against lesbian couples adopting children as though they are stepparents. • A new website that provides syphilis information to gay men — as well as a referral letter for syphilis testing and a 1-week wait for the tested men to retrieve their results online — shows promise in promoting testing among gay men. • Rachel Bird and Gideon Codding of California refused to complete marriage forms in their state because they wanted to be referred to as "bride" and "groom" on the forms and not by the new gender-neutral terms. • A new study claims that only 3% of Australians have cheated on their loved ones last year, but researchers claim the results would be "radically different" if they measured cheating over a longer time period. • Betty Constable, Princeton's first women's squash coach and a squash pioneer in the United States, died on September 9 at the age of 83. • A British woman has sworn off having children after she recently gave birth to a baby weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces (the weight of a 6 month old) and had given birth to three previous children who weighed more than 10 pounds at birth. • A new study has found that estrogen creams do not help reduce wrinkles on areas of skin that experience sun exposure (i.e., the face, hands, and neck). • The federal government is considering making Gardasil vaccination mandatory for female immigrants who are seeking U.S. citizenship. • Meanwhile, the FDA has updated the label for Gardasil, saying the vaccine protects against cancers of the vagina and vulva. • Margaret Hoelzer, a U.S. swimmer who won 3 medals at the Beijing Olympics, opens up about being sexually abused by a friend's father when she was 5 years old. •

[Image via JSoul.]

[New York, August 25. Image via Splash.]

[Image via CuteFolio]

[Los Angeles, August 4. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

[Sardinia, Italy; July 20. Image via INFDaily.]

[New York, July 14. Image via Splash.]

[New York, June 18. Image via Splash.]

[New York, May 13. Images via INFDaily.com.]