Sugar Glider

Today's pet of the day is a new one for us — sugar gliders! These adorable little creatures belong to Mike Nantel of Jacksonville. Mike was nice enough to give us his take on Sugar Gliders as pets. They take special care, especially when they are young, and have a diet that's far more complex than cat or dog kibble. Sugar glider enthusiasts say with some time and consideration they make good pets. Here's some more information on that.

"I love Sugar Gliders as pets because they are a bit different than the average household pet. They are exotic, come from the New Zealand area and are just something you don't see every day. They are nocturnal marsupials (members of the Kangaroo family) and they do have a pouch. If I was asked if I recommend them, I would, but I would say go to a reputable breeder and anticipate spending as much time as you can with them for the first 6 months. For me, I brought them to work several times and no one knows because they are so small and make no noise during the day."

They take a bit of work in the beginning when they are young to "bond" with you, but once they do, they CRAVE to be on you and be near you. They love to be in my pocket or to curl up on my shoulder at the base of my neck. They do live in a cage and are not litter box trained, but they are very clean and allergy free. They love people so much that a couple of nights, somehow if their cage was accidentally left open, they actually made their way from the family room, under my bedroom door and gave me a facehug!

Omer Bhatti

In an interview posted on NewsOne.com, Joe Jackson talks about Omer Bhatti and told the reporter that he knew Michael had another child. "Yes, I knew he had another son, yes I did," Jackson said in the video. He also discussed Bhatti's dancing abilities and his resemblence to the Jackson clan. "He looks like a Jackson, acts like a Jackson, can dance like a Jackson," he said.

As a child, Bhatti often traveled with Jackson and even lived at the singer's Neverland ranch. Court records show Bhatti was living at Neverland when authorities raided the estate in 2003 looking for evidence of child molestation. Bhatti was briefly interviewed by investigators and was initially on the defense's list of prospective witnesses. But he was never asked to testify. At Jackson's memorial at Staples, Bhatti was prominently seated in the front row next to the pop star's children and siblings.

Bhatti is also said to be seeking a DNA test to determine whether Jackson is in fact his father. Jackson's brother Jermaine has said Bhatti would be welcomed into the family, if he's proven a Jackson. "If Omer's his son, he's his son," Jermaine told Britain's the Daily Mail. 'We won't deny it. We are going to give him the same love and care that we give Prince and Paris and Blanket. I can't clearly say if he is Michael's but I saw this kid around him."

Peggy Cooper Cafritz

The Peggy Cooper Cafritz manse burns to the ground; D.C. Council gins up new revenue; gay lawyer says cop called him a fag; Fox 5 keeps the heat on OUC; and Banita Jacks is found guilty. Fire gutted the Chain Bridge Road mansion and extensive art collection of longtime D.C. arts patron Peggy Cooper Cafritz late Wednesday, and officials said low water pressure slowed firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze.

Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s mansion, on the 3000 block of Chain Bridge Road NW, was consumed last night by a massive fire, destroying much of her magnificent art collection. She was away in Nantucket at the time; neighbors rescued her pets. And, yet again, water supply was an issue in battling the blaze, leading to FEMS pointing the finger at WASA.

It took nearly two hours to find a sustained stream of water strong enough to fight the fire, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said. A spokeswoman for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, however, said the problem stemmed from fire crews trying to use too many hydrants connected to the same small water main, instead of other hydrants available in the neighborhood.