The Jungle Is My Home!

Meet DAISY

2008-02-01T11:41:00.000-06:00

DAISY is an adorable maltipoo owned by Jessica Simpson. Love them both!

Scarlet Johannsen Reinvisioned

2007-12-15T23:30:00.000-06:00

Is she...

a. a Single Mom?
b. a Scientist?
c. Operating a rural methlab?
d. Both a and c, or
e. All of the above?

U decide!

Thanks, Planethiltron!

PETA will be pissed!

2007-12-14T15:16:00.000-06:00

Lil' Kim is releasing her own line of furs and accessories and it's called 'Royalty Fur'. Lil' Kim - real name Kimberly Denise Jones - attended the NYC premiere of family film 'The Perfect Holiday' on Monday night wearing something from her collection--a$5,000 brown fur coat with white fur trim.

Lil' Kim is also releasing a new mix album called 'Ms. G.O.A.T.' this month. G.O.A.T. stands for 'Greatest Of All Time' and includes a cover of BritneySpears 'Gimme More', called 'Kimme More', which opens with line "It's Lil'Kim, ho," instead of "It's Britney, b***h" .

Kim said: "I always wanted to do a mix record. I did this for my fans. It's been 18 months since I got out of jail, I felt I owed them something. Although Kimberly Jones was getting her business straight and Kimberly Joneswas getting herself straight, my music was my love. Every female in the game, they're painting their own picture. I do what I do, they do what they do. May the best woman win."

(Hollywood Rag)

Happy Holidays from Amanda Lepore!

2007-12-13T12:35:00.001-06:00

The self-proclaimed "#1 Trans-sexual in the World" Amanda Lepore arrived at Marc Jacobs' Xmas Party in NYC looking stunning as always.

MJB 'Growing Pains'

2007-12-10T22:36:00.000-06:00

Release date = Dec 18

Kate Moss is on Topless World Tour

2007-12-10T22:19:00.000-06:00

Make me a smoothy!!!

2007-12-09T14:16:00.000-06:00

More men should look and dress like this.

Exclusive!!! Brooke Hogan feat. Paul Wall

2007-11-29T14:35:00.001-06:00

Brooke Hogan takes a lot of public criticism and some of her detractors--Perez Hilton, for one--have even accused her of "being a tranny".

I would like to take this time to dispel the rumour that Brooke Hogan is, or ever was, a man.

(Right: man, Left: not a man)

Brooke Hogan is all woman, 100% woman and 100$ inspiring! Not only is she incredibly ripped, blonde, and tan (Thanks, Hulk!) but she can dance and sing, too!

Now let me ask you this: if you were Brooke, with whom would you chose to perform your first hip-hop duet?

Paul Wall, of course!

Click here to watch the vid

Coats!

2007-11-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

My love for exceptional boots is exceeded only by my love of fine coats. Check out my top picks of the season:

Stay crisp, clean, and white like snowflake in this beautiful coat by...

Kenneth Cole Reaction

Imagine yourself strolling around town is this gorgeous long one by ...
DKNY

Crisp, clean, and conservative is the way!

Get To Know: David Beckham

2007-11-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

David Beckham has a blog and you can view it on his website at http://www.davidbeckham.com/ !!!

Now let's get to know David on a more personal level...

On FASHION: David is regarded as one of the most stylish men in the world. Whether wearing a sarong or a leather jacket he is never less than impeccably dressed. Together with wife Victoria, the Beckham’s lead the way in the fashion stakes.

On HIS TATS (and there are lots): David has quite a collection of tattoos ranging from guardian angels to astrological symbols. Yet they all have a place and purpose. As David himself explains, “Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and my sons, who I want with me always.” David’s interest in body art began in 1999 following the birth of his first son Brooklyn.

Boots to Love

2007-11-27T10:22:00.000-06:00

Lanvin, $599.99

D&G $859.99

Charles David, $270.

The Shoe Revue

2007-11-26T21:04:00.000-06:00

Check out the latest in extreme footwear from Bliss Spa, "the land of luxe lotions, line-levelers and lip gloss". A steal at 265 USD, these sneakers are designed to relieve back strain and improve posture while helping tone stubborn glutes and quads.

A marketing scheme so shiteous, I wish I had come up with it myself. I'm not sure who makes me more jealous, Bliss or the genius who invented Crocs!

Science Rules!

2007-11-21T10:59:00.000-06:00

Bill Nye "the Science Guy" has filed a temporary restraining order against his ex-, author Blair Tindall, in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Blair Tindall describes herself as a "recovering oboist." She authored Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, a well-reviewed account of the life of a classical music freelancer working in New York. Tindall and the bow-tied Science Guy hooked up in 2005 after Nye took a shining to Tindall's book and got in touch with the author.

Nye alleges that Tindall appeared in his L.A. backyard "dressed in black and wearing a black hat" with "two plastic bottles filled with some sort of solvent" that she intended to use to kill flowers and plants in the garden.

In her response to Nye's restraining order, Tindall says that she says she is "no longer angry" at him, and has "moved on emotionally in all respects."

Mythical Roman cave unearthed

2007-11-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Italian archaeologists say they have found the long-lost underground grotto where ancient Romans believed a female wolf suckled the city's twin founders.

The cave believed to be the Lupercal was found near the ruins of Emperor Augustus' palace on the Palatine hill.

The 8m (26ft) high cave decorated with shells, mosaics and marble was found during restoration work on the palace.

According to mythology Romulus and Remus were nursed by a she-wolf after being left on the River Tiber's banks.

The twin sons of the god Mars and priestess Rhea Silvia are said to have later founded Rome on the Palatine in 753 BC.

The brothers ended up fighting over who should be in charge of the city, a power struggle which ended only after Romulus killed his brother.

In Roman times a popular festival called the Lupercalia was held annually on 15 February.
Young nobles called Luperci, taking their name from the place of the wolf (lupa), ran from the Lupercal around the bounds of the Palatine in what is believed to have been a purification ritual.

Naked, except for the skins of goats that had been sacrificed that day, they would strike women they met on the hands with strips of sacrificial goatskin to promote fertility.

'Astonishing history'
Presenting the discovery, Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said archaeologists were "reasonably certain" that the newly unearthed cave could be the Lupercal.

"This could reasonably be the place bearing witness to the myth of Rome, one of the most well-known cities in the world - the legendary cave where the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus, saving them from death," he said.

"Italy and Rome never cease to astonish the world with continual archaeological and artistic discoveries, and it is incredible to think that we have finally found a mythical site which, by our doing so, has become a real place."

The ancient cave was found 16m (52ft) underground in a previously unexplored area during restoration work on the palace of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

Exploration of the cavity was hampered, however, by fears that it might collapse and damage the foundations of the surrounding ruins.

Archaeologists therefore used endoscopes and laser scanners to study it, ascertaining that the circular structure was 8m (26ft) high and 7.5m (24ft) in diameter.

A camera probe later sent into the cave revealed a ceiling covered in shells, mosaics and coloured marble, with a white eagle at the centre.

"You can imagine our amazement - we almost screamed," said Professor Giorgio Croci, the head of the archaeological team working on the restoration of the Palatine, told reporters.
"It is clear that Augustus... wanted his residence to be built in a place which was sacred for the city of Rome," he added.

The Palatine hill is covered in palaces and other ancient monuments, from the 8th Century BC remains of Rome's first buildings to a mediaeval fortress and Renaissance villas.

After being closed for decades due to risk of collapse, parts of the hill will re-open to the public in February after a 12m-euro ($17.7m) restoration programme.

Source: www.bbcnews.com

Russian cult threatens mass-suicide in cave

2007-11-16T09:53:00.000-06:00

Police and clergy in southern Russia are trying to negotiate with members of a doomsday cult barricaded inside a cave and threatening to blow it up.

The group calls itself the "True Russian Orthodox Church". Members are waiting for the end of the world, which they are expecting to happen next May. They say they have enough food and water to last out the winter, as well as large quantities of petrol.

The cult leader did not join them, and has been arrested by police.

Russian television showed pictured of black-robed Orthodox monks scaling down into a snow-covered gully in a forest in the Penza region, about 650km (400 miles) south-east of Moscow.
They are hoping to make contact with the 30 cult members believed to have sealed themselves in the cave. Those inside are believed to include four small children.

The group was founded by a former engineer, Pyotr Kuznetsov, who had fallen out with the Russian Orthodox Church. He is thought to have ordered his followers into the cave but did not join them. Kuznetsov is now in custody and is undergoing psychiatric examinations.

Courtesy: BBCnews.com

The Inspired Fashions of Victoria Beckham

2007-11-16T09:36:00.000-06:00

Who died?

Restraint of Pen and Tongue: Sheryl Crow

2007-11-16T09:21:00.000-06:00

Sheryl Crow on the rumours that Ashley Olsen and her former husband, Lance Armstrong, are dating:

"Lance and I are friends. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does in the world of cancer. What he does in his personal life . . . is none of my business. Nor would I ever comment on it."

Tactful!

Boy George 'chained male escort to a wall in his flat'

2007-11-14T11:46:00.000-06:00

Singer Boy George has once again gotten in trouble with the law, but this time it’s not a drug related charge. The 47-year-old Culture Club lead singer was charged with the false imprisonment of a Norwegian male escort. According to reports, Boy George met Auden Carlsen, a male escort, through the website Gaydar. Carlsen told London’s “Daily Mail” that he had agreed to go to the “Karma Chameleon” singer’s London flat to take some pictures. When they got there, Boy George brought out a box of sex toys and whips and said, “Now you’ll get what you deserve.” He then chained Carlsen to the wall. Carlsen said he was scared for his life. He ripped the hook off of the wall and ran to the police. Boy George was arrested when the incident happened in May. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 22.

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"

Don't you just love the community service pics? These were taken during Boy's five days of court-ordered service (for reporting a false burlgary to police) in NYC's Chinatown .

News from Gold's Gym

2007-11-12T15:05:00.001-06:00

Tyson Beckford: While visiting Austin, Texas, the world famous super model and actor kept his training regimen up at Gold’s Gym. He is now a card carrying member of the Gold’s Gym VIP program.

Where was I at that time?!

Meanwhile...

Lindsey Lohan was spotted working out at Gold's Gym Orem and Bruce Springsteen "The Boss" has been tuning up his physique at Gold's Gym Long Branch in New Jersey in preparation for his first full-scale tour of the U.S. and Europe with the E Street Band since 2003. Not to be outdone, pop-singer Vanessa Carlton showed up in support of a local charity event at Gold’s Gym Islip in New York.

Flex/Sweat/Stare/Pose

2007-11-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

Calvin Klein has offered Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady a cool $1 million to be the next underwear spokesmodel and we couldn't be more pleased!

We luv and support you, Tom Brady!

'Someone is displaying' mutilated cats

2007-10-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

The mutilation and killing of felines in San Antonio has reached an unprecedented level, officials say, with 11 incidents reported over the past three weeks.

Most recently, on Wednesday morning, the remains of a cat were found at Northampton Drive and Wurzbach Road, in a manner not unlike the others that have been found in the city. Each had been cut with a "scalpel-like" instrument, veterinarian Melissa Draper said.

"Someone is displaying them," Animal Control Director Jeff Hale said of the felines, adding that the department is investigating Wednesday's killing as the latest in a string that might have been committed by the same person or group. Wednesday's slaying was reported just hours after a San Antonio police officer watched a man toss a kitten into traffic on Interstate 35.

According to a police report, the officer watched a man "perform an underhand throw of the kitten" off the Brooklyn Avenue overpass of I-35 just after midnight. The 20-foot fall onto the middle lane of traffic killed the black and white kitten.

Daniel Holey, 26, was arrested and charged with the incident, and was being held Wednesday in lieu of posting a $6,000 bond on charges of animal cruelty and resisting arrest.

Holey, a senior airman stationed with the 93rd Intelligence Squadron at Lackland AFB, claims the kitten jumped from his arm, the report said. An Air Force official said no disciplinary action was immediately taken against Holey, who the official said has been in the armed forces for seven years without any incidents.

The recent cat mutilations follow the September arrest of a 19-year-old man by Universal City police. Austin George Patterson was charged with three counts of cruelty to animals after three gray tabby cats were found slashed and duct-taped to a piece of plywood in Northeast Bexar County. He since has posted a $61,000 bond and is awaiting trial.

Those cats, which included a 3-year-old male named Taylor that was registered to Patterson and two others about 2 years old, were found under a sweatshirt by a man walking along the Cibolo Creek trails, their bodies arranged in a triangle. One was disemboweled and at least two had their throats slit. All three had fishing line tied around their necks, police said.
Police said they believe all three cats were bought on Craigslist.org, an online classified community.

Since then, cats continue to turn up dead in the San Antonio area, a fact that recently led Animal Control to add two investigators to its ranks. Meanwhile, the Animal Defense League and the Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County and the Humane Society of the United States are offering a combined reward of $4,500 to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the recent killings.

Animal Control also asks anyone who witnesses a mutilation or killing or has information about any case to call (210) 287-2778.

Jermaine Dupri Memoir Released Today

2007-10-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

Young, Rich and Dangerous: the Making of a Music Mogul hits the shelves today. The 309-page book chronicles JD's journey in the music industry and the establishment of his record label, So So Def Recordings. The book also gives readers a glimpse into the author’s personal life, and his relationship with longtime love Janet Jackson.

I wonder if he comments on how it feels when Dr. Dre calls you a midget and even writes a song about it?

Tacky or Fabulous?

2007-10-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

U decide.

MICHAEL by Michael Kors 'Studio' Boot

Jessica Simpson 'Thalia' Bootie

BCBGirls 'Tate' Bootie

NE Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the new face of Stetson cologne

2007-10-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

Visit the homepage for more pics and soon-to-be-posted vids from the photoshoot at Brady's California Ranch.

" Meet the new Stetson man. Confident, rugged, masculine.

He's everywhere: the Northeast, the Southwest, middle America. He's a strong, masculine risk-taker with undeniable sex appeal and an adventurous spirit. And expresses the great American outdoors, freedom, confidence and masculinity.

The new face of Stetson - TOM BRADY.

He is rugged, down to earth, competitive, fair-minded and honestly handsome. A man with his own style and his own special magnetism whose independence of spirit and assured authenticity are his trademarks.

'I am excited to be the Stetson man,' says Brady. 'Stetson does a great job of reflecting the guy who's unafraid to tackle the unknown, get involved and be his own person--that's how I live my life, and I think that's how me who wear Stetson approach theirs.' "

Be Well!

2007-10-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

'Wounded souls' Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson are forming a close bond through the art of yoga and meditation.

The Friends actress is advising the 38-year-old actor to take up the exercise to help himself get over his reported depression and recent suicide attempt.

A source said Aniston, 38, has 'been encouraging Owen to practice breathing techniques, yoga and meditation,' adding their bond is becoming stronger because 'both are wounded souls.'

2007 Fall Couture

2007-10-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

This collection from John Galliano is by far my favorite showing from Paris Fashion Week.

The shoes, the tights, the hair, the gowns, the veils, the sailor, the tramp, the hay... there is so much to love!

Click here to view all the designers and collections

The Fabulous-Extreme Victoria Beckham

2007-10-09T15:16:00.001-05:00

Rarely have we seen a woman create a more fantastic image!

Perfect hair...always!

Sculptor fills Tate with a hole

2007-10-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

Sculptor Doris Salcedo has unveiled a hole at the Tate Modern - the latest installation in the art gallery's Turbine Hall. The work, entitled Shibboleth 2007, runs the full 167 metres of the cavernous hall on London's South Bank. It begins as a crack then widens and deepens as it snakes across the room.

.
Colombian artist Salcedo says the work symbolises racial hatred and division in society. "I always try to relate my work to tragedy," she said. Salcedo added: "It represents borders, the experience of immigrants, the experience of segregation, the experience of racial hatred. It is the experience of a Third World person coming into the heart of Europe."
.
Salcedo claims the work took her over a year to make, and apparently spent the past five weeks installing it in the Tate. But she refused to reveal how it was achieved.

.
"What is important is the meaning of the piece. The making of it is not important," she said, adding that the work was "bottomless... as deep as humanity".

The hole will be filled next April.

.
Mr Serota added: "There is a crack, there is a line, and eventually there will be a scar and that scar will remain."

Tate staff will be on hand to warn visitors about the dangers of tripping and falling into the gap.

Celebrate Imperialism, Apartheid

2007-10-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

Get ready, y'all!

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Soon taking over the space vacated by the Alamo Drafthouse is Pangaea, Austin's very own safari-themed nightclub in the Warehouse District!
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The so-called "ultra-lounge" will come decked out with various and sundry adornments meant to evoke visions of the Dark Continent and intrepid desert expeditions — we're guessing mounted zebra heads, tribal hunting gear, and the like. Unabashedly exotic and — if its London sibling is any indication-- exclusive in nature, the splashy 8,000-square-foot nightclub cost nearly $3 million to create, and will offer advance VIP bottle service at $150 to $1,000 a pop.
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"I think people go out into the night to be somewhere they haven't, to be someone they weren't," said international nightclub impresario and Pangaea's progenitor Michael Ault. "They act way out of bounds. This (club) is going to be a deeply freeing place. It's designed to appeal to the primal in all of us."
.
What do you think?

She ne vmerla Ukraina!

2007-10-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

Yulia Tymoshenko: the queen of Ukraine's image machine

Three years since Ukraine's Orange Revolution, Yulia Tymoshenko is tipped for high office again after dominating an election campaign with the help of one of the slickest image-making machines in Europe. Her ability to stand out among all the men in the country's power struggles is one that she and her team have honed to perfection.

"Orange princess", "gas princess", "goddess of the Revolution", the "Princess Leia of Ukrainian politics", "a Slavic Joan of Arc" - her nicknames over the years have acquired mythological proportions.

She has become instantly recognisable the world over for that hair: the artful arrangement of traditional braids - sometimes dubbed "the Yulia". The style has been replicated on the catwalks of Milan, in an international perfume ad and, as Ms Tymoshenko proudly boasts on her website, by Kylie Minogue in a recent calendar.

All of this has a serious political message. The style evoking an idealised Ukrainian peasant girl chimes with her uncompromising nationalist views. Her former image consultant Olekh Pokalchuk - who says he came up with the idea in the early 2000s - explains that the idea was to project Ms Tymoshenko as a Ukrainian archetype. "It was necessary to work out and implement an image that would block out the image formed by Kuchma propagandists, one of wealth, of envy, hatred," the social psychologist told the BBC News website.

Ms Tymoshenko's stinging attacks on the oligarchs who prospered under the former administration of president Leonid Kuchma has boosted her popularity among many Ukrainians frustrated by years of economic stagnation and corruption. "I created an image of a modest village teacher. A visual type, clothes and haircut, a retro image evoking memories of childhood and schooldays... simple clothes, simple haircut, a Ukrainian archetype," he says.

Ms Tymoshenko, 46, was born in the industrial city of Dnipropetrivsk, in the mainly Russian-speaking east. "She didn't speak Ukrainian so well then and it was necessary for parts of the country, where nationalism is a powerful force, that she should appear one of us," says Mr Pokalchuk.

Some say her peasant look is somewhat misleading. Critics say she made a billion-dollar fortune in the privatisation of Ukraine's oil and gas industry in the 1990s. "There is certainly a contradiction," says Andrew Wilson Andrew of London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. "She is a kind of Eva Peron figure - on the side of the poor but in a fur coat."

Making a Statement: Monet Sux

2007-10-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

A gang of intruders has broken into a museum in Paris and inflicted serious damage on a painting by Impressionist artist Claude Monet.

Four or five people were caught on camera breaking into the Musee d'Orsay via a back door early on Sunday. An alarm sounded but the apparently drunken group fled after punching a 10cm hole in the famous painting Le Pont d'Argenteuil.

This is the latest in a number of security incidents at French museums. French Culture Minister Christine Albanel said the artwork could be restored but that this was an attack on French heritage.

In February a performance artist attacked a work by Marcel Duchamp at the Pompidou Centre. Four paintings were stolen from the Fine Arts museum in Nice in August.

On Tuesday, a woman goes on trial accused of leaving lipstick marks on a Cy Twombly work on show in Avignon.

At least her heart was in the right place!

Tainted Title

2007-10-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former Olympic and world champion sprinter Marion Jones is expected to plead guilty on Friday to lying about having taken banned substances, the International Olympic Committee announced.

U.S. government officials told CNN Jones will plead guilty to two counts -- one of steroid-related false statements and one of bank fraud involving an unrelated matter.

An admission by Jones would contradict years of public, often angry denials. The woman considered one of the greatest female athletes in the world has sworn she's "never" taken a banned substance. "I'm an athlete that has always been drug free," she has said.

Happy Birthday, Little One!

2007-10-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

This week Russia celebrates the anniversary of the launch of the Sputnik-1, an event that many hold to be the Soviet Union's most important victory in the international arena of science and technology competition.

The Urban/Suburban Turban

2007-10-04T14:43:00.001-05:00

Is back!

We love this latest ensemble by PRADA: silk tunic, large belt, black underpants, turban.

There is no way to improve this!

For Shame!

2007-10-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

A Chilean judge has ordered the arrest of five children and the widow of former military ruler Augusto Pinochet on charges of embezzlement.

The warrants were among 23 issued as part of a corruption investigation into state funds held in US bank accounts.

Gen Pinochet, who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, died in December 2006 before he could stand trial on charges of corruption and human rights abuses. More than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared" during his military rule.

Judge Carlos Cerda said there were "solid indications" the accused had "participated in the misuse of fiscal funds". Judge Cerda is investigating a case in which Gen Pinochet allegedly hid some $27m (£13.2m) with the help of Washington-based Riggs bank.

In 2004, a US Senate investigation found hundreds of bank accounts in the name of Pinochet and his relatives at the bank. He was being investigated for tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement in relation to those funds.

His immunity from prosecution was stripped in 2000, sparking years of legal wrangling to try to bring him to trial for alleged human rights abuses and tax fraud. His lawyers said he was unable to defend himself for health reasons.

In 2006, Gen Pinochet died of a heart attack aged 91 while under house arrest.

The Sordid Truth Comes to Light

2007-10-02T09:50:00.000-05:00

October 2, 2007 -- Lou Pearlman - the obese record producer who created *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys and launched the careers of Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter - was a pedophile preying on the young men he mentored, Vanity Fair reports.

Phoenix Stone, an early member of the Backstreet Boys, tells Vanity Fair Pearlman was "definitely inappropriate" with Nick Carter.

Nick's mom, Jane Carter, wouldn't get into specifics, but said, "Certain things happened and it almost destroyed our family. I tried to warn everyone. I tried to warn all the mothers . . . I tried to expose him for what he was years ago."

Rich Cronin, lead singer of LFO, recalled Pearlman told him of an "ancient massage technique that if I massage you and we bond in a certain way, it will strengthen your aura."

Pearlman, 53, is in a Florida jail awaiting trial on bank fraud charges. Prosecutors say he scammed more than 1,000 investors out of $315 million. He'd been a fugitive until June when he was busted in Indonesia, living under a fake name. His lawyer did not return calls from Page Six.

(Source: http://www.pagesix.com/)

Celebrities Doing Good

2007-09-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

We at TJIMH love to support local charities. One of our favorites is The Ludacris Foundation out of Atlanta, GA.

HISTORY - Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, William Engram and Chaka Zulu were the inspiration for the development of The Ludacris Foundation (TLF). The foundation is based on the principles Ludacris learned at an early age: self-esteem, spirituality, communication, education, leadership, goal setting, physical activity and community service. Officially established in December of 2001, The Ludacris Foundation was created to make a difference in the lives of youth. These men have illustrated their deep-rooted tradition of community service, which has broadened with their celebrity status. The Ludacris Foundation is committed to helping youth help themselves.

Click here to donate!

Introducing: GORDON RAMSAY

2007-09-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

Gordon James Ramsay is a Scottish celebrity chef best known in the United States as the host of FOX's Hell's Kitchen. On 9/19/07, he debuted in a new FOX series Kitchen Nightmares.

We at TJIMH absolutely adore Gordon... expect to hear more about him very soon!

Still Posh

2007-09-27T14:57:00.000-05:00

Posh as always! I love your hair these days, Vickie! Your airport attire is rather subdued today and I like it. With a scarf that long, you could wrap it around your neck like twelve times!

"Carrot Bottom"

2007-09-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

Who had any idea that CARROT TOP was this ripped?! I really love the way his black nailpolish coordinates with his black brows and eyeliner! What do u think?

Still Queen

2007-09-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

To build a career as a hip-hop artist, singer, actor, producer and cover girl, Queen Latifah followed her mother's simple advice: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It has served her well. Latifah can now afford to do some of the less commercial things she loves, like singing old jazz and R&B tunes.

In the mid-1970s, one of the songs she heard over and over again, was "Poetry Man" by Phoebe Snow. "My mom played 'Poetry Man' a lot when I was a kid in the house. I mean, she played that album endlessly," says Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens.

Trav'lin' Light' is Queen Latifah's second album of popular jazz and R&B songs.

It's been about 20 years since she made a name for herself as a socially conscious rapper. But her work from that period hasn't been forgotten. The video for her 1989 song "U.N.I.T.Y." has been viewed more than 50,000 times since it was posted on YouTube just five months ago. The song is an attack on men who use expletives to address women.

Queen Latifah says people still ask her when she's going rap again. "I'm waiting in the wings with that," she says. Latifah might come back to hip hop next summer. But for now, she's gearing up for a nationwide tour to promote her new album.

"I want everyday to be life for the living, not just traipsing through it existing. I'm just interested in life and the world and exploring. "

(Source: http://www.npr.org/)

Not only was he making dogs kill each other, but he was smoking weed too

2007-09-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

For shame!

Disgraced Antlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana earlier this month, a violation of the conditions of his release as he awaits sentencing in federal court on a dogfighting charge that already jeopardizes his freedom and career.

Now, he's incurred the ire of the judge who could sentence him to up to five years in prison in the dogfighting case. On the day of Vick's guilty plea, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson warned that he wouldn't be amused by any additional trouble.

Hudson, who will sentence Vick on Dec. 10, on Wednesday ordered him confined to his Virginia home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring. He also must submit to random drug testing. If Vick fails another drug test, he likely will wind up like co-defendant Quanis Phillips -- incarcerated since his Aug. 17 plea hearing. Phillips failed a drug test when he had the electronic monitoring and random drug testing requirements.

Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin, also is representing Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, who pleaded guilty in an airport sex sting. During a press conference about Craig, Martin was asked to comment on Vick. He deflected the question, saying only, "I'm sure that in the future we'll have something to say regarding Mr. Vick, but not now."

In January, Vick was cleared by police of any wrongdoing after his water bottle was seized by security at Miami International Airport. Police said it smelled of marijuana and had a hidden compartment that contained a "small amount of dark particulate." Lab tests found no evidence of drugs, and Vick explained that he used the secret compartment to carry jewelry.

(Source: The Associated Press)

Now that's large!

2007-09-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

BARNAUL, Russia - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb).

Nadia was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17.

"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."

"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg.

The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later. The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.

Man Steals Iguanas in Fake Leg

2007-09-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

A Californian man has been charged with using his false leg to smuggle three endangered iguanas from a nature reserve in Fiji to the United States.

He is alleged to have constructed a special compartment inside his prosthetic limb to move the reptiles. Officials began investigating Mr James after receiving a tip off that he was in possession of several of the beasts.

The Fiji Island Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus), noted for its bright green skin, is threatened with extinction and protected under an international treaty regulating trade in endangered species. Mr James could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Having been informed that Mr James had several specimens at his home, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service launched an undercover investigation into his activities.

When Mr James's house was searched in July agents are said to have found a further four banded iguanas. Officials say they think Mr James was breeding the animals for sale.

(Source: www.bbcnews.com)

Polygamist Leader Convicted in Utah

2007-09-25T15:54:00.000-05:00

The leader of a polygamous Mormon splinter group was convicted Tuesday of being an accomplice to rape for performing a wedding between a 19-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl.

Warren Jeffs, 51, could get life in prison after a trial that threw a spotlight on a renegade community along the Arizona-Utah line where as many as 10,000 of Jeffs' followers practice plural marriage and revere him as a mighty prophet with dominion over their salvation.

While polygamy itself was not on trial — the couple were monogamous — the case focused attention on the practice of polygamy in Utah, where it has generally been tolerated in the half-century since a government raid in 1953 proved a public relations disaster, with children photographed being torn from their mothers' arms.

Did U Know? The mainstream Mormon Church, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, renounced polygamy more than a century ago, excommunicates members who engage in the practice, and disavows any connection to the FLDS church.

The charismatic Jeffs was captured in a traffic stop last year just outside Las Vegas after about 18 months on the run. At the time, he was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, alongside such figures as Osama bin Laden.

Jeffs was in a red Cadillac Escalade in which investigators found more than $57,000, cell phones, prepaid credit cards, wigs and sunglasses.

(Source: Associated Press)

Steroid crackdown results in over 120 arrests

2007-09-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The largest crackdown in American history on illegal steroids resulted in 124 arrests and the seizure of 56 steroid labs across the United States, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced Monday.

DEA and federal law enforcement officials from the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced the arrests as part of Operation Raw Deal. The investigation targeted the global underground trade of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH) and insulin growth factor (IGF).

"The DEA successfully attacked the illegal steroid industry at every level of its distribution network - from the manufacturers in China who supply the raw materials, to the traffickers in the United States who market the deadly doses," said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. "Operation Raw Deal uncovered a clandestine web of international drug dealers who lurk on the Internet for young adults craving the artificial advantage of anabolic steroids. Today we reveal the truth behind the underground steroid market: dangerous drugs cooked up all too often in filthy conditions with no regard to safety, giving Americans who purchase them the ultimate raw deal."

"Whenever someone uses the U.S. Mail to send anything that they know is dangerous, illegal or counterfeit, postal inspectors are prepared to find them and arrest them in order to preserve the integrity of the mail," said Chief Postal Inspector Alexander Lazaroff of the United States Postal Inspection Service. "I am proud to partner in this operation to stop the suppliers of anabolic steroids and the customers who purchase them, so that the mail will not be an ingredient in this deadly recipe."

The topic of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs has run rampant in recent years. American cyclist Floyd Landis was found guilty in his doping case last week and was directed to surrender his 2006 Tour de France title. It was in August, 2006 that tests of a backup urine sample on Landis confirmed abnormally high levels of testosterone. Barry Bonds, in his final season as a San Francisco Giant, has been on the hot seat for allegedly using performance- enhancing steroids.

Former World Series MVP and four-time All-Star Troy Glaus reportedly received multiple shipments of performing-enhancing steroids between 2003 and 2004.

Sports Illustrated reported earlier this month that a source close to an Orlando-based compound pharmacy alleged that Baltimore outfielder Jay Gibbons had received multiple shipments of performance- enhancing steroids and HGH between October 2003 to July 2005.

(Source: Seattle Post-Intelligence)

Harmonious!

2007-09-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant collaborating with the princess of bluegrass, Allison Krauss.

The effect is amazing!

You will love their cover of the 1968 Everley Brothers classic 'Gone, Gone, Gone'.

The duet album, 'Raising Sand', is scheduled for release on Oct. 26th.

Hillary Clinton: Still Not Gay!

2007-09-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

News sources today are reporting that The Advocate will next week publish an interview with presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton in which she directly addresses long-percolating rumors that she is a lesbian.

According to the New York Daily News, Advocate news and features editor Sean Kennedy asked Clinton directly how she responds to "the occasional rumor that you're a lesbian."

Clinton replied, "People say a lot of things about me, so I really don't pay any attention to it ... It's not true, but it is something that I have no control over. People will say what they want to say."

WE LOVE YOU HILLARY! STAY STRONG!

A Case of Contested Ownership

2007-09-20T15:54:00.000-05:00

Romanian MPs have become embroiled in a row over the ownership of Bran Castle - the 14th-Century building famous for its links to the Count Dracula story. It was returned to New York architect Dominic Habsburg, a descendant of the country's former rulers, last year after 60 years under state control.

Some MPs say that process was illegal and want to stop the castle being sold.
Mr Habsburg has threatened legal action, saying it would be a "dreadful injustice" to strip him of ownership. The infamous Prince Vlad the Impaler, the real-life inspiration for Dracula, is reputed to have spent a night at Castle Bran. This connection has been a boon to the tourist industry in Romania, and MPs are keen to hold on to a prized asset.

Earlier this year, Mr Habsburg said he would be willing to sell it back to the Romanian authorities for $78m (£40m) - but ministers said the price was too high.

During a parliamentary debate this week, opposition MP Dumitru Ioan Puchianu said the return of the castle had been illegal because of procedural errors. He said Mr Habsburg, whose family was thrown out of the castle after World War II, should not be allowed to sell it.

In response, Mr Habsburg issued a letter through his lawyers threatening to sue for damages of some $200m if the MPs stripped him of his right to sell the castle.

"I live once more with the feeling of dread in which I once lived, as a child, when my family and I were forced out of our home and thrown out into the streets in mid-winter," the letter said.

The castle rises dramatically from the forests in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, 170km (105 miles) north of the capital Bucharest.

About 450,000 tourists are said to visit each year.

(Source: www.bbcnews.com)

Whoreaneous Fashion Alert!

2007-09-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

They're called Keen Sport Sandals, and they should be banned from Earth!

What It Do

2007-09-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

This is definitely an improvement!

You can achieve such amazing results withperoxide and some CHI products!

"We lost because American justice is distorted by race . . . corrupted by celebrity.''

De La Holy Cow!

2007-09-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Oscar De La Hoya, 34

Condi owned home, shared credit line with another woman

2007-09-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

A new book claims that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once owned a home and shared a credit line with another woman. Author Glenn Kessler, a Washington Post diplomatic correspondent, spilled the details to Michelangelo Signorile on his Sirius satellite radio show Friday, according to the Web site Raw Story.

Kessler discovered through real estate records that Rice owned the home with female documentary filmmaker Randy Bean. Bean is quoted in the book, The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy, as saying that Rice cosigned a credit line for her when medical costs drained her finances.

According to Raw Story, Kessler told Signorile that he did not know whether Rice and Bean's relationship extended beyond friendship. Kessler noted that older single women like Rice have been scrutinized with regard to their sexual orientation. The secretive official's private life has been talked about since she was thrust into the international spotlight as national security adviser to President George W. Bush during his first term. She then assumed Colin Powell's seat as secretary of state in 2005.

(Source: http://www.theadvocate.com/)

Something I like about men

2007-09-06T11:03:00.000-05:00

Orlando Bloom, from www.orlandobloom.com

Elder Wisdom Cirlce = Free Online Advice

2007-08-31T10:24:00.000-05:00

The EWC is a place for people in their teens, 20's and 30's to connect with a Cyber-Grandparent for anonymous personalized advice. Most advice-seekers are 14-35 but we reply to everyone. We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area with Elders all over North America. We are one of the largest providers of personal advice anywhere. The mission of our association is to promote and share elder know-how and accumulated wisdom. We also have a goal of elevating the perceived value and worth of our senior community.

Visit http://elderwisdomcircle.org/

JJ Oliver Contemplates the death of a friend

2007-08-31T10:12:00.000-05:00

A pensive James S. Oliver looks on as his favorite buddy is laid to rest. They had many good times together and just really had great vibes.

Tranny Trainwreck

2007-08-31T10:08:00.000-05:00

Finally, the perfect outfit to wear to _____________!

I wonder what Britney Spears is doing right now?

2007-08-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

I seen a woman in the meats aisle of H.E.B. dressed just like this. That's a shirt yo!

Sad but True

2007-08-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). Twenty-two states experienced an increase for the second year in a row; no states decreased.

Mississippi topped the list with the highest rate of adult obesity in the country for the third year in a row, and is the first state to reach a rate of over 30 percent (at 30.6 percent).

Colorado was the leanest state again this year, however, its adult obesity rate increased over the past year (from 16.9 to 17.6 percent).

This country needs to develop a plan of action right now.

I wanna see you WALK!!!

Beyond Tired

2007-08-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

Keith Richards ate a cigarette onstage while performing with The Rolling Stones in London on Sunday. Keith was critized for smoking onstage the previous week despite a ban, so he made fun of it by eating a ciggy.

Introduction to Tarot: THE HERMIT

2007-08-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

The hermit is a crusty, bearded character who has withdrawn from the company of men to live a life of seclusion and hardship. Card 9 supports this understanding. The Hermit represents the desire to turn away from the getting and spending of society to focus on the inner world. He seeks answers within and knows that they will come only with quiet and solitude.

There comes a point in life when we begin to question the obvious. We sense that there is a deeper reality and begin to search for it. This is mainly a solitary quest because answers do not lie in the external world, but in ourselves. The hermit on Card 9 reminds us of Diogenes, the Greek ascetic who is said to have gone out with a lantern in hand to search for an honest man. Diogenes is a symbol of the search for truth that the Hermit hopes to uncover by stripping away all diversions.

In readings, the Hermit often suggests a need for time alone - a period of reflection when distractions are limited. In times of action and high energy, he stands for the still center that must be created for balance. He can also indicate that withdrawal or retreat is advised for the moment. In addition, the Hermit can represent seeking of all kinds, especially for deeper understanding or the truth of a situation. "Seek, and ye shall find," we have been told, and so the Hermit stands for guidance as well. We can receive help from wise teachers, and, in turn, help others as we progress.

The hermit is my role model right now!

Quote of the Day

2007-08-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

Former Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick on his involvement in organized dogfighting:

"I was ashamed and totally disappointed in myself, to say the least. I want to apologize to all of the young kids out there for my immature acts. What I did was very immature, which means I need to grow up. I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player. I will redeem myself. I have to."

The football star today described dogfighting as a "terrible thing," adding that his experience has helped him find religion. "Through this situation I found Jesus and I'm going to ask himself for forgiveness and turn myself over to God."

Slay your energy vampires

2007-08-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

There are people who endanger your health by draining you dry and coming back for more! NOT ALL VAMPIRES live in Anne Rice novels. There's a less romantic species of life-sucker likely lurking within your family, workplace, or circle of friends. Attacking their victims with negativity rather than fangs, these energy vampires drain their prey of good spirits--and return to strike again and again.

Orloff says the eight most common types of energy vampires are sob sister, drama queen, blamer, fixer-upper, outwardly nice socializer, go-for-the-jugular fiend, constant talker/joke-teller (aka jester), and unintentional sapper--though many other varieties may be lurking in dark shadows. Every vampire has an individual attack method, but defense strategies follow the same principle for all: Set limits, and work on enhancing your own positive energy.

"Energy is the most important commodity we have," Orloff declares. "Without it, we're nothing."

psychic garlic :

HOW DO YOU KNOW if you've been bitten? An interaction will leave you weakened and deflated, yet the energy vampire becomes reinvigorated. Orloff recommends logging vampire attacks in your journal. Once you've determined that a friend, relative, or co-worker is sapping you of strength and stamina, start plotting your defense.

I was attacked on Sunday and I can barely walk!

Texas carries out 400th execution

2007-08-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

Texas has carried out its 400th execution since the US Supreme Court reintroduced the death penalty in 1976.

Johnny Ray Conner, 32, was put to death by lethal injection for the 1998 fatal shooting of a grocery store clerk. Members of Conner's family and that of the victim, Kathyanna Nguyen, witnessed the execution through windows in the death chamber.

Before he was put to death, Conner - who had always maintained his innocence - asked for forgiveness and expressed love to his family and Ms Nguyen's family. His final words were: "I bear witness there is no God but Allah and the Prophet Muhammad. Unto Allah, I belong, unto Allah I return. I love you."

On Tuesday, the EU expressed "great regret" at the execution. "There is no evidence to suggest that the use of the death penalty serves as a deterrent against violent crime," it said.

But Texas Governor Rick Perry told the EU to mind its own business.

Robert Black, a spokesman for Mr Perry, told the BBC News website: "Two hundred and thirty years ago, our forefathers fought a war to throw off the yoke of a European monarch and gain the freedom of self-determination. Texans long ago decided the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes committed against our citizens. While we respect our friends in Europe... Texans are doing just fine governing Texas."

The Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center says the US has executed more than 1,090 prisoners since 1976. Texas carried out more than a third of those.

(Source: www.bbcnews.com)

Personals Decoded

2007-08-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to The Austin Chronicle for providing this revealing guide to the language of personal ads:

"Free spirit" = unemployable

"Vivacious" = drunk (female)

"A character" = drunk (male)

"Utterly carefree" = senile

"Fun-loving" = drinks more than works

"Down to earth" = born working class

"Spontaneous" = unstable

"Romantic" = horny
"Laid-back" = stoned

"Lonely" = unattractive
"Contented" = underachiever
"Eager" = desperate
"Homebody" = lazy
"Casual" = owns no long pants

Save Rosia Montana

2007-08-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

Rosia Montana, Romania.

Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) which is 80% owned by Canadian-based Gabriel Resources (TSX: GBU) intends to build Europe's largest open cast gold mining project in Rosia Montana, entailing amongst other things the involuntary resettlement of over 2000 people.

From its onset the development has been beleaguered with scandals and operational problems, including local, national and international opposition by both civil society and expert institutions.

The project proposal is that by blasting and pulverising the landscape, the invisible gold and silver could be exposed to hazardous cyanide compounds that would separate them from the rock.

The scenery would be devastated, hills transformed into massive craters in a toxic, sterile desert.

This is a populated area. The illegal process of forced resettlement has already begun.Will these unique historical and archaeological remains be obliterated and people forced to leave their homes?

People are more important than gold! Visit http://www.rosiamontana.ro/index_en.shtml

Hot Slut of the Day

2007-08-23T09:44:00.000-05:00

When Vladimir Putin stripped down to the waist for the cameras, his muscled torso made headlines around the world.

The paper reported that women who visited its website posted comments on Putin's "vigorous torso" and said they "were screaming with delight and showering him with compliments."

Russian gay chatrooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the photos.
Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist, was pleading for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia - where gays and lesbians are for the most part forced to remain closeted.

Political commentators have been trying to guess what kind of message these latest pictures might send, given that he has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second presidential term next year - as required by the constitution.

One Russian radio talk show host speculated that the photos were meant to enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters - a strong signal that he does not plan to relinquish power. But Stanislav Belkovsky, head of the country's National Strategy Institute think-tank, said the images were nothing more than an effort to reassure Russians that their leader can relax, and really is preparing for retirement.

Yevgeny Volk, who heads the Heritage Foundation's Moscow office, said the political elite increasingly views Mr Putin as a lame-duck leader and that half-naked photos only strengthen the impression that he should not be taken seriously.

(Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Feds target gay Iowan senator

2007-08-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

Iowa’s highest ranking openly gay elected official has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for extortion, facing fines up to $250,000 and 20 years in prison.

State Senator Matt McCoy, 41, allegedly attempted to obtain $100 for each installation of a home security system from an ADT dealership in Des Moines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Since coming out as an openly gay man,” McCoy said, “I have been a continuous target of groups targeting gays to advance their own agendas of intolerance and hate. Clearly, there is significant speculation about what has motivated federal officials to take this action against me.”

I heard he loves to party at Studio 13.

(Source: http://www.theadvocate.com/)

Track the whereabouts of your favorite celebs!

2007-08-22T12:28:00.000-05:00

A new technology called 'star map' allows you to stalk celebrities in nyc from the comfort of your personal residence.

Thanks so much to page six for providing this incredible service!

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/sightings/sightings.htm

Sleepover

2007-08-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

It was so much fun and the photos are finally in! We ate popcorn, painted our toenails, and watched movies on HBO until 3 am!

RIP: Joseph Englessia, a.k.a. "Joybubbles" dies at 58.

2007-08-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

Joybubbles (the legal name of the former Joe Engressia since 1991), a blind genius with perfect pitch who accidentally found he could make free phone calls by whistling tones and went on to play a pivotal role in the 1970s subculture of “phone phreaks,” died on Aug. 8 in Minneapolis.

He was 58, though he had chosen in 1988 to remain 5 forever, and had the toys and teddy bears to prove it. The cause of death has not been determined, said Steven Gibb, a friend and the executor of the Joybubbles estate.

Joybubbles, who was blind at birth, was a famous part of what began as a scattered, socially awkward group of precocious teens and post-teens fascinated with exploring the phone system. It could then be seen as the world’s biggest, most complex, most interesting computer, and foiling the phone system passed for high-tech high jinks in the ’70s.

“It was the only game in town if you wanted to play with a computer,” said Phil Lapsley, who is writing a book on the phone phreaks. Later, other blind whistlers appeared, but in 1957, Joybubbles may have been the first person to whistle his way into the heart of Ma Bell.

Phreaks were precursors of today’s computer hackers, and, like some of them, Joybubbles ran afoul of the law. Not a few phreaks were computer pioneers, including Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple.
Joybubbles felt that being abused at a school for the blind and being pushed by his mother to live up to his 172 I.Q. had robbed him of childhood. So he amassed piles of toys, Jack and Jill magazines and imaginary friends, and he took a name he said made people smile.

But he never lost his ardor for phones, and old phone phreaks and younger would-have-beens kept calling. Joybubbles loved the phone company, reported problems he had illegally discovered and even said he had planned his own arrest on fraud charges to get a phone job. And so he did, twice.

Well before the mid-1970s, when digitalization ended the tone-based system, Joybubbles had stopped stealing calls. But he was already a legend: he had phoned around the world, talking into one phone and listening to himself on another.

In an article in Esquire in 1971, the writer Ron Rosenbaum called Joybubbles the catalyst uniting disparate phreaks. Particularly after news accounts of his suspension from college in 1968 and conviction in 1971 for phone violations, he became a nerve center of the movement.

“Every night he sits like a sightless spider in his little apartment receiving messages from every tendril of its web,” Mr. Rosenbaum wrote.

Josef Carl Engressia Jr. was born May 25, 1949, and moved often because his father was a school-picture photographer. At 4 or 5, he learned to dial by using the hookswitch like a telegraph key. Four years later, he discovered that he could disconnect a call by whistling. He found this out when he imitated a sound in the background on a long-distance call and the line cut off. It turned out that his whistle precisely replicated a crucial phone company signal, a 2,600-cycles-per-second tone.

Joybubbles’s parents had no phone for five years because of their son’s obsession. Later, his mother encouraged it by reading him technical books. His high school yearbook photo showed him in a phone booth.

By the time he was a student at the University of South Florida, Joybubbles was dialing toll-free or nonworking numbers to reach a distant switching point. Unbeknownst to telephone operators, he could use sounds to dial another number, free. He could then jump anywhere in the phone system. He was disconnected from college after being caught making calls for friends at $1 a call. In 1971, he moved to Memphis, where he was convicted of phone fraud. In Millington, Tenn., he was hired to clean phones, a job he hated. In 1975, he moved to Denver to ferret out problems in Mountain Bell’s network.

He tired of that and moved to Minneapolis on June 12, 1982, partly because that date’s numerical representation of 6-12 is the same as the city’s area code. He advertised for people yearning to discuss things telephonic and weaved a web of phone lines to accommodate them. He lived on Social Security disability payments and part-time jobs like letting university agriculture researchers use his superb sense of smell to investigate how to control the odor of hog excrement.

Joybubbles is survived by his mother, Esther Engressia, and his sister, Toni Engressia, both of Homestead, Fla.
His second life as a youngster included becoming a minister in his own Church of Eternal Childhood and collecting tapes of every “Mr. Rogers” episode. When asked why Mr. Rogers mattered, he said: “When you’re playing and you’re just you, powerful things happen.”

(Source: www.nytimes.com)

Like the mythical phoenix, risen from the ashes...

2007-08-21T09:38:00.000-05:00

I have returned to my home!

Let my arrival be proclaimed in verse!

The Phoenix

Sun beams dance off golden feathers

My head raised to the skyI spread my wings

Sending shadows across the ground

Like clouds hugging the light

My cry is heard

But only by those

Who have not wounded me

For those who have

Should not hear

And as I burst into flames

Releasing life into the air

I breath once more

New and pure

For I am alive

Only I can choose to die

So now I take flight

To the whispering wind

I am reminded what I am

The Phoenix

"A Soulful Homage to the Secular Slow Jam"

2007-07-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

New artist of the day = Keite Young.

You can listen to him here

I wonder if we're related?

Buildings like this really inspire me to ____________.

2007-07-27T12:25:00.001-05:00

Another downtown Austin condo building has begun it's unstoppable climb to the sky. Over the last few weeks, construction has begun on the Spring condo development in the Austin Market District, just south of Whole Foods. The $70 million project will be 42-stories high. The 260-unit project at 3rd & Bowie will have units starting in the low $200s.

Y'all drink too much coffee!

2007-07-27T12:15:00.001-05:00

Fatal Overdose

2007-07-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

.....(Source).....

Wow!

2007-07-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

The remains of a mastodon--a prehistoric mammal similar to the mammoth--have been found in northern Greece. Scientists have also found several intact long tusks.

The tusks measure 5m and 4m. A scientist on site confirmed that these are the longest tusks ever found on a prehistoric elephant-like animal.

The mastodon was similar to the woolly mammoth, but had tusks that pointed forwards, rather than spiralling upwards. The teeth were also different.

The mastodon feasted on leaves, unlike the woolly mammoth, which grazed.

Source: www.bbcnews.com

Sad News from Britain

2007-07-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

The number of prescriptions handed out to children under 16 for depression and mental health disorders has quadrupled in a decade, official figures indicate.

But at the same time, figures suggest the rate of mental health problems in the young has not changed markedly.

This is a major concern and it horrifies me!

(Source: www.bbcnews.com)

Busted!

2007-07-24T10:57:00.000-05:00

July 24, 2007 · U.S. authorities have arrested an alleged chemical broker who they say helped manufacture huge quantities of methamphetamines. Zhenli Ye Gon, who was born in China, managed last month to elude Mexican authorities when they raided his mansion in Mexico City. That raid did turn up bulging suitcases of Euro$, dollar$, pe$o$ — and pistols with silencers. Mexican police say he was importing ingredients to make crystal meth, and then selling them to a drug cartel. Much of that meth is suspected of being sold in the United States. But Zhenli Ye Gon was surprised by Drug Enforcement Administration agents at a restaurant in Maryland last night. He was meeting with his lawyers. Now, Mexican officials want him extradited.

I wonder what they were eating?

(Source: www.npr.org, "Morning Edition")

Rest in Peace

2007-07-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner has died at age 65.

She died peacefully and at home.

This Just In: Harry Potter = Legal!

2007-07-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

Daniel Radcliffe turns 18 today!!

What a way to make a livin

2007-07-20T13:34:00.000-05:00

There's pretty good buzz coming out of last week's hush-hush staged reading of "Nine to Five," a musical based on the perennially popular 1980 movie about three secretaries who stick it to their boss.

Theater executives who attended the presentation were impressed with Dolly Parton's upbeat and witty score, which includes the famous title song.

Insiders praise the three actresses who played the secretaries: "West Wing" alum Allison Janney, scoring big laughs in the Lily Tomlin role; Megan Hilty, doing a first-rate impersonation of Dolly (who's not in the show); and Stephanie J. Block, bouncing back spectacularly from the "Pirate Queen" debacle in the Jane Fonda part.

Produced by Bob Greenblatt, who runs the Showtime network, "Nine to Five" is expected to open on Broadway in the 2008-2009 season.

(Source: www.pagesix.com)

Badgirl Backlash

2007-07-20T10:25:00.000-05:00

July 23, 2007

According to Newsweek, there is a growing movement of modesty among young women.

"Girls Gone Mild" is the title of a recently published book by an Orthodox Jew named Wendy Shalit. Shalit calls her text a "welcome corrective to our licentious, oversexed times"

Modesty has begun to infiltrate our culture in numerous ways:

1. Newly launched Eliza magazine bills itself as a "modest fashion" magazine for the 17-to 34-year-old demographic.

2. Macy's has begun carrying garments by Shade clothing, which was founded by two Mormon women wanting trendy, but not-revealing, clothes.

3. Miss Utah strode the runway of the 2007 Miss America pageant in a modestly cut one-piece swimsuit.

She did not win the crown.

Backstage Broadway

2007-07-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

July 18, 2007 -- ACCEPTING the Tony Award last month for her landmark performance in "Grey Gardens," Christine Ebersole managed to thank nearly a dozen people, including her lawyer, publicist, secretary and nanny.

She did not, however, thank two people who were instrumental in getting her to Broadway - Kelly and Lou Gonda, the producers of "Grey Gardens."

This was not an oversight.

Ebersole, sources say, can't stand the Gondas and blames them for mismanaging a show that, with its strong reviews and three Tonys, should run a lot longer than it is. "Grey Gardens" wraps up its money-losing run on July 29.

Ebersole isn't alone in her contempt for the producers.

Production sources describe them as dilettantes who spent lavishly on parties and gifts but were clueless about marketing and advertising.

Sources say they ignored the advice of theater professionals (some of whom were fired during the run of the show) and alienated not only their leading lady but also most of the creative team.
"They tried to control everything without having the slightest idea what they were doing," one source says.

Another calls them "benevolent despots. They showered us with gifts, like we were peasants living on their land, and then they turned around and butted heads with us over stupid things."

The Gondas declined to comment.

(Source: www.pagesix.com)

Prostitution: Should It Be Legal?

2007-07-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

It is a question that has haunted many for decades.

Where do U stand?

Chinese Go Online in Record Numbers

2007-07-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

The number of Chinese Internet users hit 162 million at the end of June, growing at the fastest rate since 2004, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) said Wednesday.

The latest numbers bring China's Internet penetration rate to 12.3 percent, slightly below the global penetration rate of 17.6 percent, CNNIC said.

(Source: www.pcworld.com)

Down and Out

2007-07-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

Nick Nolte takes a load off in a Kauai, Hawaii airport.

Sad!

[Source:www.dlisted.com]

Gucci owner takes control of Puma

2007-07-18T16:02:00.000-05:00

French luxury goods maker PPR has taken effective control of German sportswear maker Puma.

The Gucci owner now holds a 62.1% stake in Puma following its extended share offer for the group.

(Source: www.bbcnews.com)

Hot Slut of the Day

2007-07-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

ADAM CULVER aka DJ GONZO

Whole Foods CEO Spams Under Anagram

2007-07-13T10:59:00.000-05:00

The head of the organic food giant Whole Foods has been caught touting his company and trashing a competitor in anonymous writings on the Internet.

Using a pseudonym, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said a competitor's stock price was too high and that it had no future. Now he's trying to buy the company.

Legal and business experts say Mackey's behavior is unethical and embarrassing.

Mackey wrote under the screen name Rahodeb, an anagram for the name of his wife, Deborah. And he posted to a chat group on Yahoo's financial Web site.

TBAEGSAO!

(Source: www.npr.org All Things Considered, July 12, 2007 )

World's Tallest Man No Longer Single :(

2007-07-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

At 56 years of age, Bao Xishun, 7'9'' has married Xia Shujian, 5'6''. She is 28 years old. They married in a traditional Mongolian ceremony at the tomb of Kublai Khan.

They are my favorite couple right now!

New from Versace!

2007-07-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Still loves Kate Moss!

A Mystery in SE Utah: Anasazi

2007-07-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

Craig Childs is author of a new book, 'House of Rain' that tries to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Anasazi Indians, who once lived in what is now the Southwestern United States.

It's a mystery. The answer lies deep within the canyon... and it has something to do with water.

I dedicate the following exerpt from 'House of Rain' to James Oliver as he prepares for departure. Go west, young man!

"I've been in this desert when the springs were dry. I know what it's like to not have enough water. I've sucked on balls of damp clay scrounged from a dried mud pit. I've filtered water through my teeth, drinking out of sun-warmed pools that taste like dirty aquariums".

Desperate!

Source: www.npr.org

Sad News!

2007-07-12T09:28:00.001-05:00

LadyBird Johnson, 94, dies of natural causes in her Austin, TX home.

Described by her husband as "a woman of ideals, principles, intelligence, and refinement", the beloved first lady will be remembered as a champion for the environment and the preservation of native plants and wildflowers.

As first lady, she was perhaps best known as the determined environmentalist who wanted roadside billboards and junkyards replaced with trees and wildflowers. She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to beautify Washington. The $320 million Highway Beautification Bill, passed in 1965

"I'm optimistic that the world of native plants will not only survive, but will thrive for environmental and economic reasons, and for reasons of the heart. Beauty in nature nourishes us and brings joy to the human spirit," she once wrote.

Source: www.npr.org

Addiction a "Disease" of the Brain?

2007-07-11T16:32:00.000-05:00

Volkow says YES.

Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, ranks as one of the U.S.'s leading addiction researchers.

She's helped demonstrate that addiction is in fact a disease — a disease of the brain — and that all addictions, whether it's to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, gambling or even food, are more alike than was previously thought.

Volkow, who's the great-granddaughter of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, grew up in Mexico City — in the house where her famous ancestor was assassinated.

Inneresting!

Source: http://www.npr.org/

ROLL OUT THE DREAMLINER!

2007-07-09T16:10:00.000-05:00

"For a bunch of years Boeing had sort of rested on its laurels and then all of sudden it came roaring back with the plans for this new plane.

If this plane works out as promised, then I don't think airlines are going to have a whole lot of choice. If they fly international routes they are either going to need a 787 or its equivalent pretty quickly because it offers a real step change in costs."

-Aerospace expert Richard Aboulafia

The (New) Seven Wonders of the World 070707

2007-07-09T15:55:00.000-05:00

Nearly 100 million Internet and phone voters have selected seven new Wonders of the World. The new sites are (from top left) the Great Wall of China, the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the centuries-old pink ruins of Petra in Jordan, India's Taj Mahal, the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the Colosseum in Rome and the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru.

AFP/Getty Images www.npr.org

Favorite Couple Right Now

2007-07-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

Urban cowboy seeks 20th Century bard for meaningful relationship

(Thanks to CelebrityBabylon for the pic)

Inaugural Posting

2007-07-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

COUGAR

Muscles rippling, free on the mountains, Great cat of cunning, hunting and seeking, Teach me quietness and stealth of purpose. Show me the secrets of quiet magic.

Keep coming back... blog under construction!