Leno: More David Wu Jokes

JAY LENO: There is a new tiger on the endangered species list. Take a look.



There you go. That is a United States congressman.

Fifty-six-year-old Oregon Congressman David Wu now coming under fire for allegedly making unwanted advances towards a teenage girl. Is that why he's dressed like a tiger? How young are these girls? Where's he picking 'em up? Chuck E. Cheese? What is that? How creepy is that?

Well, now Congressman Wu is being forced to resign. So the moral of this story: Never try to 'Wu' a much younger woman. OK?

These congressmen are out of control. You know, he didn't want to resign. He was fighting it, but after what he did last night, I'm sure you saw it. Well, maybe you missed it. Here take a look.



It's got to stop.

Leno: David Wu Jokes

UPDATE: More David Wu jokes
________________________

JAY LENO: Well, folks, here we go again. This is so stupid. It seems 56-year-old Oregon Congressman David Wu... remember him? He's the congressman who sent staffers pictures of himself dressed as a tiger? Here's his picture. Look at this.



There he is. He's a congressman.

Well, he's now been accused of making inappropriate sexual advances to the teenage daughter of a friend. Teenager. What is it with these Democrats? If it's not Weiner's wiener, it's Wu's wang. What is going on?

There were signs with this guy. Did you see his campaign slogan? "Wu's your daddy." Right there we should have known.

Bristol Palin and Jay Leno (Video)

Bristol Palin was Jay Leno's guest on Thursday's Tonight Show. She was promoting her book, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far.

Don Rickles was also on the show. He was the first guest and remained during Bristol Palin's segment.

While Leno interviewed Bristol, Rickles was interjecting his comedy/commentary here and there.

The camera frequently caught Rickles mugging and rolling his eyes.

Sometimes, he was mocking Leno. At other times, he was reacting to Bristol.

Here's video:

Part 1: Bristol Palin talks about her new chin and her mom, Sarah Palin, running for President.

Part 2:Bristol Palin talks about new reality show and living with two guys.

It's funny how Palin haters responded to the interview on Twitter. They expressed their pleasure at Bristol being ridiculed by Rickles, as well as voicing their own insults.

Watching the segment, I found Rickles to be relatively restrained. He made fun of Leno's stupid questions. It's not as if he were on a mission to attack her.

In general, Leno treated Bristol with respect, and Rickles was being Rickles.

There was no real cruelty.

Nothing like the sort of stuff that David Letterman does.

David Feherty and Jay Leno

David Feherty of the Golf Channel talks with Jay Leno about Charles Barkley's swing.



Whenever I see Barkley golfing, I can't believe it.

I give Barkley credit for not quitting golf in spite of that horrible swing. His determination is admirable.

Leno: Weiner Jokes, June 16

JAY LENO: Some good news: We will not be getting anymore junk mail from Congressman Anthony Weiner. Anthony Weiner announced today he is stepping down. I guess he finally realized he couldn't stick it out any longer.

So if you live in New York now, you're only left with one disgraced congressman representing you - Charles Rangel. So you only have the one disgraced guy.

Well, you know, he had to step down. You know, he sent those naked pictures of himself. And there were clues, there were clues. I think in his home life, too. Did you seen him when he stepped down today he was talking about his parents? Here, take a look.



It all starts at home.

The good news is they already found a replacement for Anthony Weiner. The bad news: It's Brett Favre. It doesn't stop!

Well, a new poll showed that 70 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view, unfavorable view of Anthony Weiner. To which Weiner said, 'Really? How about this view? Or this one?' A number of views.

Well, the evidence just kept mounting against him. It was unbelievable. You probably heard of this. A former porn star, an actress who exchanged e-mails with Weiner, held a press conference with her lawyer, Gloria Allred. Did you see this yesterday? And the porn star said that Weiner often steered the conversation toward sex.

You know, I don't want to defend the Congressman, but SHE'S A PORN STAR! What are you going to talk about? The debt ceiling? Hello? Maybe get a three way with Jenna Jameson on the crisis in Libya. Can we do that possibly?

And did you see this? Gloria Allred... she was reading Weiner's sex messages out loud. And, you know, typical lawyer, now she's trying to make a buck on it. Look at this:



Anyway, Anthony Weiner still has to send in an official letter of resignation. In fact, he asked today, 'Can I text the letter?' They said, 'No, no, just regular is fine.'

And to make matters worse, new photos surfaced this week showing Anthony Weiner in a bra and pantyhose. Did you hear about his? Apparently, these cross-dressing photos were taken back in college.

You know, if we could put him in a French maid outfit and hook him up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, it would be the greatest joke day in the history of America.

Delta Airlines Military Baggage

Delta Airlines is trying to work its way out of a PR disaster.

The company saw heavy criticism on Wednesday when it charged 34 soldiers returning from Afghanistan as much as $2,800 in baggage fees. Delta changed the policy a day later following public outrage sparked by a video posted on YouTube by two of the soldiers.

Delta released a statement on Thursday publicly apologizing for any miscommunication regarding its policies and for any inconveniences it may have caused. After reviewing the situation, the airline decided it would allow troops to check four bags for free instead of three.

Here's a Delta commercial that sums up the situation, via the Tonight Show with Jay Leno:

Leno: Weiner Jokes, June 10

DEMOCRAT Anthony Weiner is getting no mercy from late night comedians.

This is the fifth night of a Weiner dominated monologue from Jay Leno.

JAY LENO: A company called 'iTouchless' has come out with a kitchen trash can that opens automatically when it senses you approaching. It opens by itself when you come near it. Congressman Anthony Weiner has a pair of pants using the same technology.

I've never done this, but this whole taking a picture of your crotch thing, you know -- I mean when you're taking a picture of your penis, before you press the button on the camera, do you still say 'Cheese'?

Well, as you know, Congressman Weiner said it's only been six women over the past few years. But you know, this is not new. These problems go way back. We were able to obtain some footage of Congressman Weiner when he was back in high school. Now this is disturbing. I apologize for the quality, but here, take a look.

(Clip from 'Saved by the Bell' dubbed with 'Weiner')



But Weiner said today again he is not resigning. And if there's one thing we about this guy he knows how to stand firm. So, he is not resigning.

There's a million of these jokes. We could do them all day.

In fact, his new campaign slogan: 'Hey, as seen on Twitter. Yeah, come on, vote for me.'

It was also announced this week, he's going to be a father. Let's just hope he doesn't name the kid 'Seymour.' That's the worst name you could possibly come up with. But enough about that.

Anyway, the show Extra gave an exclusive look of the inside of Anthony Weiner's condominium in New York City. And you could tell there were problems in the house. Here's the story.

(Clip Weiner's condo and his cat posing in revealing positions, cat also known for posting provocative pictures on Twitter)



These animals copy us.

Leno: More Weiner Jokes

DEMOCRAT Anthony Weiner is still starring in Jay Leno's monologue.

Brett Favre, Eliot Spitzer, and Bill Clinton are also playing roles.

Jokes from Thursday's Tonight Show:

JAY LENO: It was so hot in Washington, everyone was sitting around in their underwear like Congressman Weiner. He finally felt at home.

Oh man, that story! Oh, please! This is the story that just won't go away. It gets worse and worse. You've probably seen this. It now seems there's a picture going around the Internet of Congressman Weiner's naked penis. And you can tell it's him because it looks just like him, you know? You know, if he was bald. I mean, you can see the resemblance.

Let me tell you how graphic this picture is. Even Brett Favre won't return his calls now. That's how bad... it's terrible.

You know, I mean, I don't understand taking... how many photos of his crotch did he take? You know, I don't have any photos of my crotch. I mean, I've got a couple of oil paintings, some sketches, sure, a couple of charcoals, but I mean, you know, I don't, really... No, it's awful.

See, I don't understand the way Washington works. Now explain this to me: We are not allowed to see bin Laden's death photo because it's too explicit; but our Congressman's penis, that's fine.

Well, the latest news is that Congressman Weiner's wife is pregnant. I'll tell you how creepy this is: When his wife first called to tell him she was pregnant, he said, 'Uh, who is this?'

Well, you know who married Weiner and his wife? Bill Clinton. In fact, Weiner called Bill Clinton and apologized. See that's when you know you have a problem, OK, when your sexual behavior has offended Bill Clinton. That's where you just go, 'OK, time to draw the line.'

Well, more and more people are now calling for Anthony Weiner to resign. But it's not all bad news. Eliot Spitzer said if Weiner does resign, he can join him on his show and they'll call it 'Weiner Spitzer.'

How many people feel he should resign?

(Audience applauds)

How many people feel he's doing a good job and this has nothing to do with his job?

(Little audience applause)

Interesting, interesting.

Now, as I said, Weiner is adamant now about not resigning. In fact, CNN caught up with him today on the streets and they talked to him. Here, take... here's the interview:

(Clip of actual CNN video, followed by video with CNN audio)



I don't want to see that member of Congress, OK? Thank you.

Leno: More Anthony Weiner Jokes

It's Day Three of Anthony Weiner jokes on the Tonight Show.

JAY LENO: Well, yesterday, President Obama welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House. One embarrassing moment when Merkel got a phone call from a certain New York congressman, asked if she'd like to see his Wiener Schnitzel. That was really bad.

This is not good folks. Congressman Weiner has admitted he did carry on an explicit online relationship with six different women. Well, he thought they were women. Turns out three were women, one was a guy pretending to be a woman, and the other two were other congressmen. He had no idea. They were talking to each other.

Now it turns out one of the women that Weiner was sexting with is a porn star, a porn star. I mean, how bad... one minute, you're a respected member of Congress, the next minute you're competing for skanks with Charlie Sheen. What is that? What is that? Horrible.

And you know, you say to yourself, people wonder why did he engage in such reckless behavior. You know, if you want people to check out your crotch, go to the airport and go through security like everybody else.

And of course, Weiner now desperately trying to make things better with his wife. And you know, you can tell he's sorry. Like today, he sent her a picture of his penis with a little sad face on it.

Leno: Anthony Weiner Jokes

UPDATE: Anthony Weiner jokes from Wednesday's Tonight Show.
_________________

From Tuesday's Tonight Show with Jay Leno:

JAY LENO: According to TMZ, the day after First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the new USDA guide to healthy eating, President Obama was spotted in Ohio eating two chili dogs... That's two politicians this week getting in trouble for their wieners.

What a story this is! Yesterday, Congressman Anthony Weiner, now known of course as the 'peter tweeter,' that's who he is now. Well, he held a big press conference at a hotel in New York City where he admitted to everything. Did you see him standing in front of that microphone? I think it was a microphone.

See, this is why Twitter exists. Members of Congress can now send you pictures of their penises electronically. Remember the old days with Sen. Larry Craig? You had to get in your car, drive to the airport, find the airport bathroom, try to figure out which stall he's in, knock on the door. Now they send it right to your house. It's fantastic!

Well, you know this was gonna happen. A second woman has come forward now, and she says she has over 200 explicit sex text messages from the married congressman. She says they're very short messages, you know, like cocktail wieners. They're the smaller...

Anyway, yesterday, Weiner said he wanted to apologize to his constituents, especially the really hot ones. He feels bad about that. But he said there were six girls in three years, but he never had sex with any of them. Six girls, three years, and no sex -- Do you know what I call that? High school. OK? That was high school. That was high school for me.

And his wife, I guess his beautiful wife, Huma, she's a beautiful woman, if you've seen her. She is an aide for Hillary Clinton. And I guess Hillary called Huma to console her, while Anthony Weiner got a call from Bill going, 'Yeah!!!'

_________________

Weiner jokes from Monday's Tonight Show here.

Katie Couric and Jay Leno (Video)

Katie Couric was on Monday's Tonight Show.

Both Couric and Jay Leno had loads of fun bashing Sarah Palin and Donald Trump.

Couric said that Trump was "acting like a jackass for a while."

From Politico:

“Because I live in New York and I’ve seen Donald at various events, he actually can be a very nice person with a good heart, but I think he was just acting like a jackass for a while,” said Couric. “It’s as if he was abducted by aliens temporarily. He was just acting so strangely,” she added.

Banter about Trump was bookended with talk of Sarah Palin and Couric’s famous 2008 interview with her. Has the anchor talked to Palin since the interview, Leno wanted to know. Couric’s answer was a firm “no.”

Later in the show, after saying she was still on the fence about Palin’s presidential aspirations, Couric joked to Leno, “Maybe a Palin/Trump ticket? What do you think about that? That would keep people interested.” “We could call it hair head vs. airhead,” Leno offered up.

Here's video:

Leno: Weiner Jokes

UPDATE: Anthony Weiner jokes from Friday's Tonight Show.
__________________

UPDATE: Anthony Weiner jokes from Thursday's Tonight Show.
__________________

UPDATE: Anthony Weiner jokes from Wednesday's Tonight Show.
__________________

UPDATE: More Weiner jokes from Leno.
__________________

Someone alert Jay Leno to the fact that Anthony Weiner is a DEMOCRAT.

From Leno's Monday monologue:

JAY LENO: Congressman Anthony Weiner finally spoke to the news media today. Apparently, he wanted to wait till his pants came back from the dry cleaners.

Well, to give him credit, he took full responsibility. He says, yes, that was his penis. He did send those photos.

(Audience boos)

Finally, a man taking responsibility for his own penis!

(Leno applauds)

There you go, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.

I mean, with all this new media, is that considered junk e-mail or is it e-mail of your junk? There are so many terms.

I love the way... we have the economy, we have the war, but let's face it, we're all in 9th grade really.

And I love the way the media reports the story. They say this whole thing started when a lewd photo of a man's crotch was sent to one of Congressman Weiner's Twitter followers. Do they even have to say 'lewd.' I mean, are there tasteful photos of men's crotches?

I mean, it shows you how the political race has changed. Remember, it wasn't that long ago when candidates would ask each other, 'Where's the beef?' You can't ask that now.

And I love this. And the chairman of the New York Republican Party, Ed Cox, said that he will use these pictures to help defeat Anthony Weiner. So, now we have Cox versus Weiner. You know, it doesn't stop. It doesn't stop. It's awful. It's awful.

I don't think Congressman Weiner learned his lesson. Did you see him leaving the press conference? Look at the car he drives. Look, here he is leaving. Look at that. You see? Right there, right there. Dead giveaway.

Leno gets credit for beginning his monologue with this string of jokes related to Anthony Weiner.

However, not once did Leno mention that Weiner is a DEMOCRAT. Not once. Considering Leno is quick to mention the party affiliation of Republican politicians caught up in scandal, I don't believe the failure to mention that Weiner is a DEMOCRAT was unintentional.

Also, much of the material wasn't directed at Weiner and what he did. Leno took a number of general shots at the media, the public, and politics rather than being rough on Weiner's specific wrongdoing.

Furthermore, directly after the Weiner jokes, Leno launched into a lengthy series of Sarah Palin jokes, followed by jokes attacking FOX News.

More of the monologue was devoted to bashing Palin and FOX than Weiner.

When Leno's guest, Katie Couric, made her appearance, she did her usual slew of Sarah Palin insults. That gave Leno the opportunity to mock Palin again.

Even when there is a major scandal involving a DEMOCRAT with major developments in the story occurring that day, and it lends itself to comedy, Hollywood and media Leftists prefer to focus their attacks on conservatives.

Go figure.

Mike Huckabee and Jay Leno (Video)

Mike Huckabee was Jay Leno's guest on Thursday's Tonight Show.

I'm glad he's not running for president.

Watch the complete interview.

Here's video:

Part 1



Part 2

Leno: Don Gorske, Big Macs

JAY LENO: Here's one of those 'only in America' stories: A man in Wisconsin recently finished his 25,000th Big Mac.

The guy's documented 'em all. He's got all the receipts - 25,000 Big Macs. He's eaten two Big Macs every day for the past 39 years. Psychiatrists say the man may have a McDeath Wish.

Wanda Sykes: Trump Racist (Video)

Wanda Sykes was Jay Leno's guest on Thursday's Tonight Show.

When discussing the controversy over Obama's birth certificate, Sykes attacked Donald Trump, accusing him of being racist. She also mocked Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Video.



Transcript

JAY LENO: You mentioned Trump. What do you make of all this nonsense over the birth certificate? It's hilarious.

WANDA SYKES: It's hilarious, and it's ridiculous. Like, what? Really? I'm sorry, I think the whole... I'm really disappointed in him because you would think that he would know better but it's, it all just drips with racism. You know? Because how many presidents or any politician has had their nationality questioned like this?

It's like, 'How did we get this black president? He must be from somewhere else. Where's he from?'

You know? And it's like, well, if you say it's racist, they go, 'No, no, no. It's not racist. His father's Kenyan.'

Yeah, but he was born here. He was born here. Hawaii is a state, you know.

...And then you have, you know, then they say, 'Well, he has a funny name.' You know? Barack Obama. There's been white guys with funny names. Newt Gingrich. What the hell is a Newt Gingrich? Oh, no, that's acceptable. Where was Newt Gingrich born? Atlantis? What the hell?

Ron Paul. Ron Paul what? You got two first names. Ron Paul what? What are you hiding, Ron Paul? What are you - Ron Paul Hitler? What's your name? What's your name? Really?

LENO: Have you watched Celebrity Apprentice? Do you watch any of those shows?

SYKES: And that's another thing, because this was the first season of Celebrity Apprentice that I was watching and enjoying, and then Trump just went all stupid. So I can't look at his dumb face. I can't watch. So I stopped watching the show. He ruins everything.

White House Gives Kids Eggs and Debt

Here's how the "Headlines" segment began on Monday's Tonight Show with Jay Leno:

White House Gives Eggs to Children, Huge Debt to Grandchildren

That's more sad than funny.

Hope and change?

A better slogan for Obama would be "Screwing America's Future Generations."

Obama: Anonymous

So Obama wants to be anonymous.

He misses being a nobody.

The president said he loves his life in the White House but doesn't enjoy some of the ways of Washington, such as the "kabuki dance" among political partisans before serious policy discussions begin. He also regrets his loss of personal privacy.

"I just miss - I miss being anonymous," he said at the meeting in the White House. "I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk."

He says he enjoys golf but is not the fanatic that some have portrayed.

"It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours at a stretch," he said.

His impossible dream: "I just want to go through Central Park (in New York) and watch folks passing by ... spend the day watching people. I miss that."

That's why he golfs so much. It's the only way he can get outside.

What a crock!

If it makes Obama feel any better, he should know that at least half the country wishes he still had his anonymity and spent his Saturday "squeezing the fruit."

JAY LENO: President Obama said in an interview over the weekend he misses being anonymous. He said, 'I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, going to the market.'

Hey, be careful what you wish for. 2012 is just around the corner.

Jimmy Carter and Jay Leno

In this photo provided by NBC, showing former President Jimmy Carter, left talking with Jay Leno during the taping of 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

On Wednesday, former President Jimmy Carter was a guest on the Tonight Show.

Jay Leno gave Jimmy Carter one of the most glowing introductions I've ever heard him give a guest. Leno gushed about how thrilling it is to interview former President Carter. What a great man! So many accomplishments!

In Leno's introduction, he noted that Carter is an "undeclared super delegate."

That, of course, is somewhat of a crock. Carter keeps insisting that he's undeclared but then he adds that everyone in his family supports Barack Obama, his way of hinting that he does, too.

Carter said he would not be declaring until after the primary season concludes in June.

Leno asked Carter what he thought about Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.

Carter responded, "Well, I thought that Obama won one and Hillary won one."

He said it takes a super delegate to analyze that. Right.

Something that had to tick Hillary off was Carter's comments about the delegates from Michigan and Florida.

Carter did a dramatic lead up, asserting that they "ought to be seated for sure... in 2012."

Leno agreed with Carter when he said it would be wrong to seat them in 2008 because "they disqualified themselves."

Leno ended the topic by saying, "That argument is pretty much over."

On what planet? I wouldn't say that the issue of Florida and Michigan is settled, not by a long shot.

Talking about the Democrats' primary methods, Carter said the Dem party went with the super delegate system because at the 1980 Dem convention, Carter's opponent Ted Kennedy refused to shake his hand.

If you say so, Jimmy.

Leno asked Carter if he thought McCain was too old to be running for president. Carter said that McCain is 12 years younger than he is. It sounded as if Carter would say that McCain wasn't too old.

Wrong.

Carter flipped and said, "I think we need a younger person to be president."

Way to diss older Americans!

Naturally, Leno brought up Carter's recent talks with Hamas.

Leno asked, "Why do it? It seems like...boy, it gets people riled up. I mean..."

Carter led off with, "Well, for 32 years, I've been trying to bring peace to Israel, and was successful in getting a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt."

Gee, when was the last time you heard Carter mention the Camp David Accords?

It had to be the last time you heard Carter speak because he manages to work that into every statement he makes.

Then, Carter blathered on about meeting with Hamas, and the need for dialogue, and blah, blah, blah.

Carter said that the State Department didn't ask him not to go on the trip and meet with Hamas. He claimed no one even insinuated that he shouldn't go.

If you say so, Jimmy.

The real purpose for Carter's guest appearance was to hawk his new book about his mom, supposedly a great Mother's Day gift. He mentioned how she loved to be the center of attention. Carter added that he's "really not that way."

HUH? Carter wasn't joking. He claimed that he doesn't like to be the center of attention.

I never knew that. He sure fooled me.

Cindy McCain and Jay Leno

In this photo provided by NBC, wife of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, Cindy McCain, left, speaks with Jay Leno during the taping of 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, April 30, 2008. (AP Photo/NBC,Paul Drinkwater)

I don't know much about John McCain's wife Cindy.

I know a lot about Hillary Clinton's spouse. (Actually, I know more about Bill than I want to know.)

I also feel I'm getting to know quite a bit about Barack Obama's wife Michelle. She's very active out there on the campaign trail. As the Dem primary process lingers on, I'm learning more about the sort of person she is.

To date, Cindy McCain has been in the shadows compared to Bill and Michelle.

That's why it was nice that Cindy was a guest on Wednesday's Tonight Show.

She made a stunning entrance, wearing a bright yellow jacket and slacks. When I say bright, I mean BRIGHT.

Jay Leno was a gracious host. He was very courteous.

They didn't talk politics. Only when Cindy told of the family gathering to discuss McCain's potential run for the presidency did she even mention any issues at all. She said she was impressed that her kids were asking questions about things that matter to them, like global warming and the war. They wanted to know what their dad would do as president.

(Don't they ever watch him on Meet the Press?)

Leno didn't bring up the Democrats at all. Not once. Cindy didn't either. She only said he'll be a great president.

What I learned about McCain's wife, Cindy:

--They have seven children, four together.

--She drives race cars.

--McCain is a bad driver.

--She's a pilot.

--When she first met McCain, he was following her around an hors d'oeuvre table at a party. She was avoiding him because she thought he was weird.

--McCain looks cute in dress whites.

--They both lied about their ages. She said she was four years older and he said he was four years younger. They didn't find out the truth about their ages until they applied for a marriage license. She said their marriage was based on a "tissue of lies."

--She said McCain is not too old to be president. She said that this summer he is going to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim with two of their sons. She brought along McCain's walking stick and invited Leno to join them.

--She was addicted to painkillers after spinal surgery. She hid her addiction from McCain. When he confronted her about it, then she stopped using.

--She had high blood pressure. She thought she could manage it through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. She had a stroke four years ago. Rehab wasn't easy, but she has recovered.

--When discussing how McCain's campaign hit rock bottom last summer, Leno complimented his determination to keep going. Leno said, "He's a tough old bastard."

Cindy agreed.

The Food Crisis

There's a global warming/climate change crisis.

I know that because NBC's peacock logo is green this week and Jay Leno is having "green" guests on his program to raise awareness. He's also wearing green ties.

But there's a more immediate crisis at hand, and it's one that is inexcusable.

The world faces a "silent tsunami" of soaring food prices.

The world faces a "silent tsunami" of soaring food prices and more must be done to help secure future supply, the UN food agency said Tuesday as experts gathered in London for a special summit on the problem.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said an extra 100 million people who previously did not require help could now not afford to buy food.

It said the soaring prices threatened anti-poverty and health improvement initiatives in the world's poorest nations and left a 755-million-dollar hole in the organisation's 2.9-billion-dollar budget.

"This is the new face of hunger -- the millions of people who were not in the urgent hunger category six months ago but now are," said WFP executive director Josette Sheeran in a statement.

"The response calls for large-scale, high-level action by the global community, focused on emergency and longer-term solutions."

Food prices have risen rapidly since the last quarter of 2007, blamed in varying degrees on rising populations, the use of biofuels to combat climate change, higher demand from developing countries, natural disasters and higher fuel prices.

Price hikes for staples such as rice -- which is now nearing the 1,000 dollars per tonne mark, more than double the cost in early March -- have led to riots and protests in a number of developing countries.

The food crisis isn't just hitting developing countries.

The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., called on Wednesday "recent supply and demand trends."

The broader chain of Wal-Mart stores has no plans to limit food purchases, however.

The move comes as U.S. rice futures hit a record high amid global food inflation, although one rice expert said the warehouse chains may be reacting less to any shortages than to stockpiling by restaurants and small stores.

Sam's Club followed Seattle-based Costco Wholesale Corp., which put limits in at least some stores on bulk rice purchases.

Here's more on the "hoarding epidemic" in the U.S.

Load up the pantry!

For 34 years, Patel Brothers has catered to the city’s South Asian households. Starting yesterday, though, the supermarket decided to restrict bulk purchases of some varieties of rice, limiting customers to two 20-pound bags.

Though shortages of the staple have led to hoarding in recent weeks around the globe, soaring prices have now sparked fears of a coming shortage in the U.S., leading to stockpiling by restaurants and small stores.

The Gates Foundation is responding to the food crisis.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will increase spending on farming projects by 50 percent this year as surging food prices threaten starvation and social unrest in poor countries.

The world's largest charitable foundation will give grants for agricultural programs totaling about $240 million this year, up from $160 million last year, said Rajiv Shah, the foundation's director of agricultural development and a former adviser to 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore.

``We are ramping up activity,'' Shah said in a telephone interview yesterday from Seattle, where the foundation is based. ``The focus will be on encouraging extra supply, which is one reason global food prices have climbed so high.''

New funding from Gates for agriculture in poverty-stricken countries comes as food prices soar around the world. The Gates programs aim to increase farm productivity, a task that has received less attention from larger aid institutions.

The proportion of global development aid devoted to agriculture is 4 percent, according to figures from the World Bank. The share of World Bank financing devoted to farming dropped to 12 percent in 2007, from 30 percent in 1980.

``The strength of the foundation is that because it is not constrained by politics, it can afford to take a longer view on food supply,'' said Ruth Levine, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, an aid research group in Washington. ``They are working on research and activities that have been very under-funded'' by other groups, she said.

What's sick is that at least some of this "silent tsunami" of hunger is of our making.

The increasing use of crops to produce biofuels has been criticized as contributing to food shortages. While Britain and the European Union have called for greater use of biofuels, Brown said Tuesday that "we need to look closely at the impact on food prices and the environment."

"If our U.K. review shows that we need to change our approach, we will also push for change in E.U. biofuels targets," he said.

So people are starving, but rest easy. You're using ethanol, and that's good. Right?

I wonder what Al Gore has to say about the food crisis. He certainly has played a role in it.

Read Vice President Al Gore's remarks from the Third Annual Farm Journal Conference, Tuesday, December 1, 1998:

My earliest lessons about the environment were about the prevention of soil erosion on our family farm. And what I learned then I believe now: we should not have an either-or, us-versus-them mentality when it comes to agriculture and the environment. We need both. And we need sustainable natural resource policies, incentive-based conservation efforts, and cutting-edge research to make sustainability a real possibility on the farm.

Over the past six years, we have launched and strengthened several programs that promote good farming while protecting the environment. For instance, through the Conservation Reserve Program and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, we are forming partnerships with states and with growers to protect water quality, by setting aside land along rivers and streams. As of last month, more than 30 million acres were being protected. And last year, more than 8 million acres were protected under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, although I was disappointed that Congress denied a $100 million increase requested by the President, and actually cut this innovative program by $25 million.

I was also proud to stand up for the ethanol tax exemption when it was under attack in the Congress -- at one point, supplying a tie-breaking vote in the Senate to save it. The more we can make this home-grown fuel a successful, widely-used product, the better-off our farmers and our environment will be.

Similarly, we need to address the challenge of global warming in ways that are market-based, and good for farmers. Certainly, no line of work is more vulnerable to changes in the weather than agriculture. And perhaps no part of our economy has more to gain from serious efforts to reduce global warming. Fortunately, part of the solution can be found right on the farm. We can reduce greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration -- the use of agriculture to suck the carbon out of the air and deposit it into the soil, enriching our farmland and making our air cleaner at the same time. That is why, last month in Buenos Aires, our negotiators won agreement with other nations on a comprehensive approach that we hope will lead to an international consensus on the role agricultural conservation can play in meeting this challenge. In fact, the Chicago Board of Trade is already exploring ways that farmers can profit from emissions trading, by selling carbon credits on the open market.

Yes, Gore bragged about his tie-breaking vote in the Senate when the the ethanol tax exemption was under attack.

"The more we can make this home-grown fuel a successful, widely-used product, the better-off our farmers and our environment will be."

I guess Gore didn't think about the consequences of pushing biofuels without taking into account its impact on the food supply.

STARVATION.