cute knut.

last summer i fell in love with the city of berlin. seriously, if i could live there i would. one day... :) so when i heard about the city's real live "berliner bear" - knut - i just couldn't get enough. and apparently neither can everyone else. similar to last year's dc panda craze, all of germany and beyond have been raptured by this cub's cuddly cuteness. just who can resist this white fluffball? i know all i want to do is rub his warm little belly!

not only is knut just down-right adorable, but he has become quite the political symbol for global warming as well. you know you're a super star when you grace the cover of vanity fair, pose with leonardo and claim your godfather to be germany's environment minister - sigmar gabriel. heck, his calendar is already filling up with appearances... just a year away in may 2008, he will serve as the mascot of the united nations' convention on biological diversity conference in bonn. ha! in the meantime, however, he's playing it cool, staying busy greeting all his many adoring fans at the berlin zoo.

but really, there is a another reason why i am so into this baby bear... as it just so happens, my pet name for the hubby, who grew up in berlin, is and will always be "cuddlebear," which now, of course, has morphed into "KNUTschbär"! ok, ok, a little obsessed with the cute overload, but i LOVE IT!

either way, it's clear - knut ist gut, but is his cuteness just too much to bear? you decide.