Parade ends 2007 with a laugh

MIAMI, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The 26th King Mango Strut Parade in Miami was headlined by acts and floats poking fun at current events and politics.

The irreverent attractions at the annual parade Sunday included a man dressed as daredevil Evel Knievel wiping out while attempting a bicycle jump over a group of friends and a "Brokeback Havana" float featuring Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and a sign that said they were "partying like it's 1959," the Miami Herald reported Monday.

The parade was also attended by a woman posing as astronaut Lisa Nowak, who -- with a diaper duct taped to her waist -- chased an Audi containing parade participants posing as the troubled astronaut's ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.

"She took my boyfriend away," yelled Antionette Baldwin, the woman dressed as Nowak. "We used to go for long walks in space. You were my space cowboy!"

A 12-person team made up a broken ice mass designed to represent the melting of the polar ice caps as a result of global warming, the Herald said.

"You make me hot and I'm melting for you," yelled Luis Hernandez, who made up a portion of the ice flow.