Divo's Corner

How Did the Old Guy Know About the Foot Tapping???

I'm not feeling terribly inspired right now to write a proper rant, but we can start here: How the hell did Sen. Larry Craig know about all these subtle bathroom signals? The right foot tapping, the reach under. Dirty birdie.

I'm not a huge foot tapper in general, but at the US Open last night I was in the stall and was suddenly hit with a wave of nervousness. Did I move my foot too much and send out a signal? How many other signals am I accidentally sending off in this unknown language? Was someone going to give me the reach under and try to play with my Roddick?

Don't even get me started on gym locker rooms. They scare me.

Memorial Day in the City

As the city packs en masse for a Katrina-sized exodus from New York for the Memorial Day weekend, I can't help but feel left behind. I have roomates heading to Nantucket and Fire Island, friends heading to San Francisco and Italy, heck, even my mom is going on vaca.

So what will I be left with? An empty urban barren land of the Village, sprinkled with busses of MidWesteners touring the remains of the urban landscape? Will I seek out the other few stragglers that for one reason or another choose to stay and huddle until it is all over?

F-that. Instead I feel a whole new sense of freedom with a three-day vaccume of a social life. I'll hit they gym all three days, wake up refreshed, read a book, hang out on the Christopher St. piers, make breakfast in my boxers instead of the usual brunch production. I'll experience a rare entity.... free and relaxing time.

So when people ask "where are you going this weekend," I'll now reply: I'm goign to New York for a relaxing weekend away from it all.

A Week in the Life

Love my new BlackBerry Pearl... as a result I'll give a brief week-in-review:

Leaving Cali was so sad, this was the view from outside my door. But I was eager to get back into NYC and get back "home"... as they say... home is where your stuff is.

 

Given my penchant for lasers and Icelandic things, I quickly forgot the beach and remembered why NYC is far superior. Yay Bjork!!! Yay Lasers!!!

An then there were these *stars* that came into town. Haven't I seen them somewhere? Must have been in my dreams. Despite their French-Canadianness, they were fun.

Moving on...

Ryan fisting a donkey Pinata...

Apparently someone's got some Irish that night.... Wasn't me!!

Photos are fun, more to come.

E

The Beard that Would Never Be

   

So I did a little experiment due to the sudden trendiness of this beard thing. Alone, silent for three weeks, I asked myself 'what would be the harm?' The fact that I have to shave ever 3-5 hours ensured that the way was there, but would there be the will? Was William Shakespeare right when he said, "He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." I tend to be on the side of the Greek proverb that states "A beard signifies lice, not brains."

Day 1-3 were normal... standard practice, but on the eve of day four I realized that I had never grown facial hair past this point. Half my friends look like the Geico caveman, did they receive some strange benefit from this otherwise gross concept? I had to list a few reasons why people would bother with facial hair:

1. You are stuck on an island and you talk to a volleyball. If you're crazy enough to talk to a volleyball, then obvy you don't care about keeping a close shave.

2. You are ugly. Ugly people grow beards because more beard means less visibly ugly face. It's like a paper bag that you can go swimming with and take with you in the shower... some call this the ultimate paper bag.

3. You want to be a twink magnet. Now this is just rumor, but apparently twinks like beards. Some daddy complex I'm sure. So chest hair is bad, facial hair is good? I'm confused.

4. You don't like corn on the cob and you don't have a job. People with beards can't eat corn on the cob and are outside of the realm of the corporate world. I'm not sure why I grouped these two together.

5. You look like a two year old. I love guys trying to look like they suddenly went through puberty by growing a "beard." Note the quotes, because if you look like a two year old chances are that a peach can grow a more formidable facial hair.

Day five I hated it, but perhaps my styling technique was off. I searched for the ultimate beard style.

Petit Goatee: Too gay!

The Franz-Josef: Too Austrian

Mutton Chops: Too San Francisco bear

The Hollywoodian: Just right! Love the name, love the look, but I would have to tweak it a bit. Perhaps I could morph it into the ultimate mid-20s gay beard-style: The West Hollywoodian.

Well, as the title implies, this was the beard that never was. My new record is five days, but I figure if the hotties on LOST can keep their facial hair perfectly perfect that I, firmly planted in society, should do the same.

Damn you Jack and Sawyer, I was almost a man.

E

A Green Essay, by Me

Remember Earth Day last year? Yeah, neither do I. That is what is so exciting about this year. There is a buzz about the nation and its coming from governors, businesses and every-day people. In just one year, America has found something to focus on aside from pointless debate on gay marriage, stem cells and Iraq. It isn’t like this issues are not important, but the debate consists of buckets of rhetoric and succeeds in dividing America at a time when unity is needed. Green has become trendy, and we all know how much America loves a trend.

I remember last year, looking at America's failing car industry and backward emissions policy (of course we need to give people rebates for buying Hummers) and wondering... is this really the America that led the world during the 20th century? Who the F is leading our country into the gutter? How can we lead the world again if we don’t take the higher ground and some freaking initiative?

Here are the facts: After WWII, Americans left the nations cities and fled to the suburbs. This was as a result of governmental lending policies that, at their root, encouraged segregation and the move from a city-centric nation to a highway-based organization (read: sprawl). Lured by the hopes and desires of washing machines and single-family homes as seen on Leave it to Beaver, Americans bought into the absolute ease of suburban life.

At some point there was a tipping point. Around the 80’s, affluent people moved from the suburbs to the foothills or more distant suburbs, to escape the traffic from the original suburbs. The building of highways led to, not less congestion, but rather a more unhealthy reliance on the automobile. Living in SF and LA, a car is absolutely necessary, period… and the time spent in the car is hell.

Its time to reorganize Americas’ thoughts on the city. It is time to refocus on America’s strength: innovation and perseverance. It is time to get creative and challenge the way that we live our lives. Traveling around the world definitely helps, as you see how wasteful and insane aspects of American life is. I moved to NYC because I was tired of getting in my car and idling for hours each day; now my commute involves only public transport and takes half the time. As a result, my commute emissions went from 7 tons of CO2 a year to almost zero. 7 tons!

I am still wasteful at times, but I’m excited about all the new ways that I’ll be able to tweak my activities. My agency recently started a new practice: Green Tech. My mom is reusing plastic bags at the grocery store and my grandma now recycles. I moved to NYC and now create so much less waste. These are small steps, but are nevertheless important.

I think that the culmination of this all will be when Al Gore enters the 2008 presidential race. His association with the Green movement is something positive and will be the way that American can regain its leadership role in the world: solving these problems with technological prowess and united motivation. We have seen what aggressive, thoughtless leadership results in… I, for one, and going to vote for hope this time around.

For all you graphic designers....

Easter has been Cancelled

Sorry guys!

Good Friday? I think not!

I know PR people are soulless bastard children, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want Good Friday off. No Passover either? Oy vey! I must admit that any employer not closed tomorrow is begging for low productivity and further damnation from You Know Who.

Alanis' April Fools joke: My Humps

This somehow justifies Jagged Little Pill being on the top of my iTunes playlist in 2007... a mere 12 years after its 1995 release. Still love her.

This is Alanis' April fools joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g

ARCHITECTURE: Ras Al-Khaimah

Oslo 05/01/2007

Sheik Saud and Rakeen of Ras Al-Khaimah has appointed Snøhetta the prestigious task of creating an iconic gateway building for the new capital city of Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

The approx. 300,000 m2 complex will contain a Congress Center, Exhibition Halls, Shopping Center, 5+ Star Hotel, 5 Star Hotel, and a 4 Star Hotel.

More information to come…

Caption Contest: Nokia Casket?

Yep, it's a coffin. Mobile phones have become such a critical part of our daily lives, and apparently they're becoming a critical part of our deaths now, too -- but if you're going to spend the rest of eternity inside a single phone, do you really want it to be a Nokia 7250? Seriously?

Create your own caption:

Eric: "My cell phone service is killing me. Damn cell phone service.... Ooooooo!!! <shake arm in air>

Eric2: Too bad I couldn't have drawn out this cancer until June with the new iPhone is out.

Chris: "Giving 'Early Termination Fee' a whole new meaning."
Ryan: "Nokia: connecting dead people."
Paul: "Of course it comes with an FM radio!"
Sean: "Though it will never pass the pocket test, the coffin does include the rarely used AG2GP (Audio Grave to Grave) Bluetooth profile."
Evan: "*Casket will only work in certain graveyards, $200 reburial fee applicable"

Please add yours!

Hell No: The skywalk over the Grand Canyon

First if was feather headdresses, then teepees, now those crazy American Indians have cooked up another crazy idea that I will take not part in (scratch that, I have used a headdress for Indian Guides as a kid and later for an ultra-original YMCA halloween outfit).

As if getting close to the edge of the 4000-foot cliff wasn't enough for the tourists. Now, they will be able to walk out into thin air, only one-inch of glass away from a Wile E Coyote-like demise. No thank you, I have seen what a 20 foot drop can do....

PHOTOGRAPHY: You have a 10 megapixel photo... whats the point???

Most of us have cameras with increasingly large megapixel capability. We take these stunning, high-resolution photos and then want to share with everyone. We then reduce the file size to near-zero, effectively removing all detail and quality. Check out the future and its called Zoomify (use your mouse ball to zoom). See Paris like you've never seen it before:

http://www.jnack.com/europa/paris_pano/index.html

DUH: Smoking wrinkles and discoloration not only on face

CHICAGO, Ilinois (Reuters) -- Smoking not only can wrinkle the face and turn it yellow -- it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported Monday.

The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body -- even skin protected from the sun.

"We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr. Yolanda Helfrich of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a statement.

"In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years," Helfrich's team added in their report.

The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers

Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person's skin was.

When skin is exposed to sunlight, notably the face, it becomes coarse, wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Helfrich's team wrote.

Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light.

The report did not discuss the mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels beneath the skin to constrict, reducing blood supply to the skin.

Smoking can also damage the connective tissue that supports both the skin and the internal organs.

Thomas Heatherwick

I have become slightly obsessed with Thomas Heatherwick since seeing his work on www.thisismattia.com (my former roomate's art and design blog). I thought I would share some photos of his work for random viewing pleasure.

 

NYT Architecture Review: SF Federal Building

More Openness in Government (Offices, That Is)

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s a good time to be Thom Mayne. A founder of the Los Angeles-based firm Morphosis, he has evolved from brash outsider into one of the country’s most celebrated architects in less than a decade by infusing his industrial-machine aesthetic with a slyly idiosyncratic sensibility. And he pulled that off while taking on an improbable mix of clients, including public school administrators and government bureaucrats.

His recently completed Federal Building in San Francisco is his most powerful government work to date, its slender form and perforated metal skin a clever play on notions of transparency in an era when the fear of terrorist attacks is prompting government agencies and corporations to turn their offices into armored compounds.

The building may one day be remembered as the crowning achievement of the General Services Administration’s Design Excellence program, founded more than a decade ago to remedy the atrocious architecture routinely commissioned for government offices. Under the leadership of Edward A. Feiner, the agency’s former chief architect, it has pushed through some of the most important civic buildings since the New Deal, including a stellar courthouse designed by Richard Meier in Islip, N.Y., and Mr. Mayne’s new federal courthouse in Eugene, Ore.

Since Mr. Feiner left the agency in 2005, some have fretted that the program may be unable to maintain that level of ambition, raising the prospect that the San Francisco building, which will be formally dedicated in July, might serve as a bookend to a heady phase of government-sponsored architecture.

Its 18-story structure rises on a choice site across from the city’s imposing federal courthouse, at the seam that divides the densely packed towers of the downtown civic center and financial district to the north, and the more rugged, horizontal landscape of the warehouse district to the south.

Playing off that contrast, the federal building offers two radically different faces to the city. On the north side, a stoical rectangular green-glass facade conjures landmarks of late Modernism like the United Nations in New York, with its conflicting messages of social progress and bureaucratic conformity. A series of delicate vertical glass fins serve as brises-soleils, adding an unexpected note of refinement.

That image of postwar Modernism turns out to be a trick, of course, and the hint is in a barely visible, uneven stainless steel screen curling just over the top of the building. As you walk toward its south end, the screen unfurls across the entire facade, finally lifting at the base of the building to create a canopy over the edge of a small public plaza.

The effect is mesmerizing. The texture of the screen shifts with the quality of the light, turning hard and gray as stone on bright days and more transparent when the light softens, allowing you to discern the skeletal frame underneath.

The delicacy of the composition is offset by a big, cube-shaped terrace that punctures the south facade. A narrow seam extending down one side of the cube continues across the plaza, like a tear across the building’s fabric. (As part of a permanent light installation conceived by the artist James Turrell, the cube will glow in various colors at night.)

The play between transparency and opacity plays up the porous relationship between inside and out, as if the federal bureaucracy had been pried open and reconnected to the world around it. Parts of the screen will open and close mechanically to regulate the light, further breaking down the facade’s uniformity and hinting at the busy and varied activity taking place inside.

As with all of Mr. Mayne’s work, this formal experimentation serves a heartfelt social agenda. Despite the high level of security the building demands, the architect forged a rich hierarchy of public zones. The concrete cylinder bollards that surround the plaza and protect it from car bombings are scattered in an informal pattern and double as stools; a cafe anchoring the southeast corner of the site will give government workers a chance to mingle with the masses at lunch hour.

The main entrance features a single tilting concrete column that braces one corner of the building, setting the entire composition slightly off balance. That effect is repeated in the lobby, framed by leaning columns that heighten the sense of the building’s looming weight above.

Like the plaza, the lobby is intended as a social mixing chamber. A staircase at the front descends to a day care center, a gym and a meeting room that will all be accessible to the public. A grand staircase anchoring the back draws you toward the elevator banks, which also serve as an informal seating area.

As you reach the top of the staircase and turn back toward the lobby, views of the busy lower level open up, including one of a playground. On the left side of the lobby, a long, faceted form that contains the upper-level offices shoots outward, punching through the front window and cantilevering over the street, smashing the boundary between inside and out.

Mr. Mayne’s nostalgia for Modernism reasserts itself in the elevator ride to the office floors. Modeled on the intricate skip-stop system that Le Corbusier invented for his 1952 Unité d’Habitation building in Marseilles, France, the elevators stop on alternate floors. From there, stairs lead up or down to big, loftlike spaces saturated with light.

The sense of airiness is magical. Protected by the perforated steel screen, the windows can be operated from inside, and when they are open, a cool breeze drifts through the space. Beautiful undulating concrete ceilings help channel the air from north to south, sensitizing us to the natural world waiting outside. (Unfortunately, some of this effect has been lost by the erection of a crude system of partitions and office cubicles.) Aside from the compositional inspiration, what the architect is clearly seeking to retrieve from Modernist forebears like Le Corbusier is an unflinching optimism. In a world where commercialism regularly trumps public service, Mr. Mayne seems to be telling us that the values of Old-World Modernism may not be so bad. Rather than obliterate this architectural past, he aims to imbue it with the human element that Modernism forgot, the quirks and odd delights that can root a building in personal and emotional territory.

The sad paradox is that this vision may be threatened, unless the Design Excellence program survives intact. The Federal Building was Mr. Feiner’s last major commission as director, and few architects believe that this level of ambition will survive his departure. Let’s hope they’re wrong, and that this project will inspire further daring government commissions.

MadTV Clip: the iRack

I have said for a long while that MadTV is moving well ahead of SNL in terms of writing and relevant humor. This is a great example. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to post HTML on my page yet (I'm sooooo 2003), but follow the link below and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-KWYYIY4jQ

Basic Truths About 24's Jack Bauer

Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.

Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

If it tastes like chicken, looks like chicken, and feels like chicken, but Jack Bauer says its beef. Then you better believe it's beef.

Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.

1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.

Let's get one thing straight: the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.

Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.

Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.

Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.

Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men.

Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.

When Jack Bauer was a child, he made his mother finish his vegetables.

Jack Bauer won the Tour de France on a unicycle to prove to Lance Armstrong it wasn't a big deal. He thinks yellow wristbands are gay.

Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.

When Google can't find something, it asks Jack Bauer for help.

Jack Bauer can get McDonald's breakfast after 10:30.

Jesus died and rose from the dead in 3 days. It took Jack Bauer less than an hour. And he's done it twice.

Jack Bauer killed so many terrorists that at one point, the #5 CIA Most Wanted fugitive was an 18-year-old teenager in Malaysia who downloaded the movie Dodgeball.

In kindergarten, Jack Bauer killed a terrorist for Show and Tell.

What color is Jack Bauer's blood? Trick question. Jack Bauer does not bleed.

If Jack and MacGyver were locked in a room together, Jack would make a bomb out of MacGyver and get out.

Sun Tzu once wrote, "If your enemy is weaker, conquer him. If he is stronger, join him. If he is Jack Bauer, you're f***ing dead."

Jack Bauer has been to Mars. That's why there's no life on Mars.

Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Jack Bauer laughs at Superman for having a weakness.

When Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Jack Bauer signal.

It took Jack Bauer two minutes to beat a confession out of OJ.

The bumper sticker on Jesus's car reads, "WWJBD?"

Jack Bauer was conceived by torturing the other sperm until they gave up the location of the egg.

Jack Bauer's family threw him a surprise birthday party when he was a child. Once.

REVIEW: Momofuku Ssam Bar: Killer Oysters

 

No literally, the oysters will kill you. Fishy, without any condiments, small... almost undoubtedly fished from the Hudson. They were everything that we don't want from oysters. Rant aside... let me back up.

Don't let the sleek design fool you. To the left of the photo, there is a large poster of John McEnroe. What? Exactly. If you're going for dinner expect a packed house with no bar and little place to wait for your table. Even if there was a bar, you're limited to beer, sake and wine. I prefer the hard stuff. Mrs. Momofuku.

The crowd was more representative of my days at UC Berkeley econ class rather than a hip New York eatery. And yes, flip flops are allowed.

Once you do get seated, your waiter will greet you with the up-most fratboy dilligence. He was actually quite helpful explaining the cryptic menu in layman terms. We still ended up with what I can best describe as a snail flan. It was still better than the oysters.

There were various other non-memorable dishes and one truly amazing one... which we ordered twice to please the taste buds. The price was high considering everything.

Dim Momofuku Ssam Bar... There are just so many better places to eat in the city.

6 out of 10

Reoccuring column: WHY???

So I don't want to be too Jerry Seinfield about this, but I do have pressing questions about human behaviour that I need help answering. This is why I have started a reoccuring blog column called WHY????... and I'm relying on my oh-so-smart friends to answer.

WHY ???? #1

I ride the subway every day... I admit it. Why the hell do people walk between the cars. It isn't only the musicians and beggers that do so... perfectly respectable, correct that, semi-non-dangerous  people partake in this strange subway migration from back to front and vice-versa. What is the point of this? Are they insane and can't sit still? Are they dealing drugs?

There are times where the subway train migration is warranted:

1. Homeless person takes of shoes and cleans toes on the train (has happened to me).

2. Someone spills rubbing alcohol, making the train smell like a terrorist attack has just occured with a caustic chemical (has happened to me).

3. General subway funk... we've all experienced this.

iPhone- doubts and desires

At first I thought this was kinda lame... touchscreen and all. I'm also afraid that the battery life could be about 12 seconds with a large screen, iPod, phone and video playback.

A colleague suggested the following: "I’m going to wait for the iPhone Shuffle. You just clip it to your ear and call people at random."

There are a few features worth the $500 bucks:

#1 Google Maps on your phone (especially for the lame just-moved-to NYC New Yorker)

#2 Visual Voicemail. No longer do we have to wait for the retardedly slow lady to talk and waste our minutes going through all of the messages I didn't really want to hear in the first place (or i wouldn't have screened the call).

I guess I'll have a few months to bat around this idea in my head (or on my Wii). It sure is pretty though. :)

The Wii... your guide

I am a gamer... Apparently this is shocking to many. I got far lets response to coming out. When I say I bought a Wii people say things such as "I never knew," or "I didn't imagine you as the type." Whatever the F that means.

Anywho... the Wii is fun for everyone. I recommend drunken blowling and tennis. Zelda is amazing, but that is an entirely different post once it gets too cold to go outside and I don't want to call out my nerdom all at once... baby steps. In the meantime, everyone who is hip to the Wii needs to Wiivamp their vocabularWii to know what is up. Here is a crashcourse:

Wiimote control: the new controler you play with, accompanied by the nun chuck

InjurWii: when your arm hurts or you hurt someone while playing. I have been both punched by my roomate and been sore the next day from play. Its a workout; I cancelled my gym.

Wiischedule: this is when you'd rather play Wii than hang out with your friends. Simply Wiischedule and tell them "work" came up.

Wiiarrange: you need space for this mo-fo. Wiiarange your apartment before trying to play Wii Sports.

That's it for now... if anyone can think of anything else I've left off let me know. All NYers you're welcome to come and test it out, as long as your bring the drinks.

E

A Time of Political Correctness...

Christmas Party December 1...To All Employees I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will be held on December 23rd at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. There will be lots of spiked eggnog and a small band will play traditional carols...feel free to sing-along. And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus to light the Christmas tree. Exchanging gifts among employees can be done at this time. Please remember to keep gifts to the agreed $10 limit. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 2...To All Employees In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday and often coincides with Christmas (although not this year). However, from now on we're calling this party our Holiday Party. The same policy also applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. There will be no tree or Christmas carols sung. Happy holidays to you and yours. Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director ----------------------------------------------------------------------- December 3...To All Employees Regarding the anonymous note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table, I'm happy to accommodate your request but please remember that if I put a sign on the table that reads "AA Only" you won't be anonymous any more. In addition, we'll no longer be having a gift exchange because union members feel that $10 is too much money. Patti Lewis, Human Resources Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 7...To All Employees I have arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest away from the dessert table and for pregnant members to sit closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with gays; each group will have its own table. And, yes, there will be a flower arrangement for the gay men's table. Happy now? Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 9...To All Employees People! People! Nothing sinister was intended by wanting our CEO to play Santa Claus. Even if the anagram for "Santa" does happen to be "Satan." There is no evil connation to our own little "man in a red suit." Patti Lewis, Human Resources Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 10...To All Employees Vegetarians! I've had it with you people. We're holding this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue whether you like it or not. You can just sit at the table farthest from the "Grill of Death" as you call it, and you'll get salad bar only including hydroponics tomatoes. Tomatoes have feelings too, you know. They scream when you slice them. I can hear them now. I hope you have a rotten holiday. Drive drunk and die, you hear me? The Bitch from Hell ------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 14...To All Employees I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patty Lewis a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness. I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the sanitarium. In the meantime management has decided to cancel the Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay. Terri Bishop, Acting Human Resources Director

Are You a Video Game Fan?

This is NOT me... I actually am goign to hold off to get mine filled because I can't stand 2 weeks without working out. Whats the use of a tattoo if I'm fat and lacking endorphins? This is a full back piece and measures at least 2 feet tall and a foot wide. INSANE!

This is turning into Project Runway Blog

How sweet... mother and son.




















Another use for Photoshop :)

Another Project Runway supplement

Gay men unite and get rid of Vincent! Why Allison, why now? Anyone else  tired of Angela or is she tired enough on her own? Can you believe Robert's boring blimp design last episode that got him Auf'ed?

This is a great supplement to Tim Gunn's podcast (Not that Tim's amazing work isn't enough, don't get me wrong if I were stranded on an island I'd want a gun, some food and Tim's podcast).

http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/

Random HOT photo

I wish here were still on LOST!

My Tattoo

ANTM: 'Next Top Model' Writers Threaten Strike

I couldn't have made this one up if I tried... reality TV writers on strike. Hold up... back that up. Reality TV show writers? Hmmm. I want to be a ANTM 'writer' and write Tyra's next great outburst. "I have never yelled at someone like this before! NEVER! <finger shake, neck roll-around> Genius.

Full text from LA Times:

"America's Next Top Model" is getting ugly.

Writers of the hit reality show walked off the job for an hour Thursday and threatened to strike today, alleging that the show's producers had snubbed their request to join the Writers Guild of America, West.
The dispute comes at a delicate time for the new CW network, which is relying on the hit reality show created by supermodel Tyra Banks to dress up its inaugural lineup.

The series debuts Sept. 20 on the CW, forged by CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Television from the remnants of the WB and UPN networks. Only the first few episodes have been completed for the series' seventh cycle.

In a low-key protest outside their West Los Angeles offices, the writers wore red "United We Stand" T-shirts with the writers guild's logo and handed out fliers titled "Free to Be Union? Not at the CW's America's Next Top Model," a play on the network's motto, "Free to Be."

The writers contend that they are key to the show's success and should get benefits and protections similar to those enjoyed by their peers in movies and scripted television.

"They want a guild contract, but their employer won't give it to them," said writers guild President Patric M. Verrone, "This is how they are showing their solidarity."

A spokesman for the CW declined to comment. Ken Mok, president of Anisa Productions Inc., the show's producer, said in a statement that the writers guild was seeking to circumvent federal rules that allow secret ballot elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.

"There is absolutely no ill will or rancor from anyone in 'America's Next Top Model' toward the employees in their activities with their WGA," Mok said. "All of us respect their legal rights to pursue a path that they feel best serves them."

Even though reality shows purport to capture events as they happen, many employ writers to feed lines to participants, plot out story lines and edit interviews. With the "America's Next Top Model" walkout, the writers guild signaled that it was stepping up its campaign to organize workers in the burgeoning genre.

"This will be the first of many actions like it," Verrone said.

Last year, the writers guild backed two lawsuits that accused producers of exploiting workers in reality TV.

Reality producers dispute allegations that writers are mistreated. They say writing for a reality show isn't the same as working on a scripted program.

The "America's Next Top Model" dispute began this month when 12 writers on the show signed cards seeking to be represented by the writers guild. The writers affirmed their support in a letter to Mok.

But attorneys for the production company disputed the guild's claim and suggested that the guild hold a secret ballot election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.

"If the NLRB decides that the WGA has the exclusive representation of the employees, we would be happy to sit down and negotiate with them," Mok said.

Guild officials allege, however, that the production company's goal is to buy time and intimidate employees.

PR3: Tim Gunn's Podcast

I'm shocked in my Project Runway discussions how few people are aware of Tim Gunn's podcast (available free from iTunes) and the insight that it provides into the show and the judging process. Things that I've learned from the podcast in the past:

*Santino was not considered as a possible winner because of personality, not design. Gunn says, "Imagine the season 3 applicants if Jay Carrol and Santino were the past winners." For that reason they wanted someone a little more presentable and, because of Daniel V's attitude and design meltdown in the finale, Chloe was the only choice as winner.

*The judges and designers talk for HOURS not seconds as the show implies. Gunn references one discussion between Santino and Nina/Michael that lasted for over 2 hours.

There is also a great story about Tim Gunn in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (the one with Colin Farrell and Jaime Foxx on the cover). Did you know that after his last breakup years ago he swore never to date again? He's an interesting guy and funny as hell so listen to the Podcast and, of course, TUNE IN TONIGHT!

For all you without Bravo, they are playing rerun episodes on CBS or NBC late-night and episodes are also available to download on iTunes for $2. Enjoy!

Lance Bass of `N Sync Reveals He's Gay. Eric's response... DUH!

This is no shocker to me. I saw Lance cruising down the street with his man Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of Amazing Race, during SF pride. Coincidence? I didn't think so. I bet this is Lance's effort to marry into money after spending his N'Sync saving on his "blast a fag into space" campaign.

AP Story

N'Sync Singer to be N'Space

PR3 Super Shocker (Who gets asked to leave)

So all of you Project Runway fans are aware that this year someone is asked to leave. The teasers hint that it has to do with sabotage, but this site has very strong evidence to the contrary. If you want it to be a surprise, then wait because I don't think that it happens for a while. If you want to disect the evidence go to this site:

Updated Link Here... works now

Here is a hint:

 

Auf Wiedersehen!

From CNET: Murdoch taking MySpace down the tubes

This is such Crap! I wanted to post this on my MySpace, but I would probably get deleted. FOX News is bad enough, but buying myspace and then editing out the political views that oppose him on online community sites makes MySpace almost useless. Myspace is useful to connect with people, keep in contact with friends... but its not the only way to do so. I'm tempted to delete my account as a result of this, but will need to think more before I do. These are the subtle ways that Fox is trying to delete opinions, edit facts and "educate" the mass of Americans that don't know better. Shame on them! Its sad that MySpace had to fall into such horrible hands.

Murdoch taking MySpace down the tubes

Most of us bore witness this week to a rickety, nonsensical politician explaining to Congress how the InterWeb is a series of "tubes." Unfortunately, dear Senator Stevens is a key decision maker on Net neutrality, and has what one blogger called a "Flintstonian" understanding of the Internet. The silliness escalated when a MySpacer let us listen to the Stevens ramblings again, this time in B minor with a backbeat. But media king Rupert Murdoch interrupted our uncomfortable laughter as the musical MySpacer's page was cancelled. Poof. Enter some inquiry from a Web news reporter as to why the political parody-making MySpacer found himself now without a space, and the News Corp. flacks responded: The deletion was an inadvertent "error." Controlling information is a formidable goal, afterall, but even massive media conglomerates aren't always up to the task. The missing MySpace account was quickly reinstated. Unpoof. Blog community response: "You knew that Rupert Murdoch couldn't keep his reality-altering efforts off of MySpace...In this case, 'error' equals 'damage control.'" --Daily Kos "And that, my friends, is why I won't touch MySpace with a 10-foot pole. No matter how convenient it might be to have a MySpace (account), I simply am not going to support something that is owned by the people who own Fox News. Of course, since I buy gas, I suppose that is unavoidable." --Chris Fairfield's Life...From Blammo! "Frankly, though, it boggles the mind to think that of all the material posted on MySpace, one complaint against one semi-obscure song, is enough to get tossed off the site. It had to be more than a simple complaint filed by the complaint form on the site, because MySpace 'will not honor delete requests' sent with the form...Raff?s song apparently hit the wrong notes with someone." --Public Knowledge

Introducing a Blog of Art and Design

Sometimes bloggers blog about others' blogs. My former roomate in Berkeley, Mattia, majored in Art History at Berkeley and sparked my own personal interest in architecture and design. Luckily for us, his choice of major leaves him plenty of time to ramble on about gorgeous, well designed things... some architecture... and I'm sure eventually scantily clad men (I give him 2 weeks tops). 

Until the site degrades to a cheap porn site I recommend you visit for some thought provoking discussions:

http://thisismattia.com/

Bjork and Timberland?

Bjork and Timbaland spent some time in Studio 4 writing and tracking for Bjork's new CD. New news to me. Will be a nice change from Medulla... something perhaps we can dance to without tambourines?

...this is supposed to drop in December. Should be fun.

Rumor has it she's also working w/ Antony from Antony & the Johnsons. I haven't looked into this yet.

A BFD Review

Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (aside from her fu&king screaming song) were amazing. My favorite new band is definitely Every Move a Picture. The guys from Echo and the Bunnymen looked like they put motors in dead corpses and made them sing. They had too much tude for being walking zombies. They were the disappointment for the night... just get the Donnie Darko soundtrack and you can watch Jake G while listening... much more visually appealing.

DIVO, the male diva. The overview.

How to be a male diva (“the divo”)  

If there’s one thing we can learn from the image of oily scion Brandon Davis yelling “firecrotch!” 13 times in that video making the web rounds, it’s that the male diva, a.k.a the divo—that impatient, demanding, entitled he-beast—is enjoying a cultural moment. Especially in New York, men who wield the threat of creating a scene are multiplying. They’re the ones strutting to the front of a nightclub line while you wait meekly. At the finest restaurants, they’re sending bottles back with a dismissive flick of the wrist while you worry over which fork to use. At the hottest openings, premieres and parties, they’re the ones improbably mixing with the boldface names (or they are the boldface names). The divo doesn’t so much gain access as take it.

The true mark of a divo isn’t bad behavior, though. It’s attitude. The divo takes himself very seriously; his core is a roiling soup of narcissism peppered with dashes of insecurity, ambition and competitiveness. In some measure, these traits aren’t all bad. But the divo’s inner makeup is out of balance (see “The divo: inside,” page 24). He’s constantly suspicious that he’s not getting his due, so he stands sentinel for himself, ready to crack open a can of verbal whoop-ass on the poor schmuck fitting him for shoes or handing out gift bags. We civilians can learn from the divo. Because he decided he can, he’s living the high life while we’re waiting for permission. Screw that: It’s cultural looting time. Are you just gonna grab some Band-Aids and toilet paper? Hell no! Follow “The divo rules” (see page 23) and shake the place down for everything it’s worth.—

The divo: inside

 

• 10% Insecurity

• 10% Envy

• 10% Brushed Cotton

• 30% Self-importance

• 40% Narcissism

“Do you know who I am?”

A writer takes a divo test-drive, swanning about town to see what the timeless question will get him. By Bill Schulz

The place: Bungalow 8 The plan: To ignore both velvet rope and doorman-misanthrope as I sashay through the unmarked entrance The persona: Fabian Basabe. He of old Ecuadorian money and convenient new wife recently wrote an advice column in TheMiami Herald for aspiring affluent assholes. The nugget I’m embracing: “Flatter, charm, demand, push, threaten (in this order)…if that fails, a stack of twenties should do the trick.” According to my inside source, whom I’ll refer to as Google McGoogleheim, Bungalow’s curbside king goes by the name of Armin Amiri and professes to be an actor of Iranian descent. This info would’ve served me well were it not for the fact that when I arrived after midnight, the mothership was being helmed by a large African-American fellow instead. Perhaps I’ve been listening to too much ABBA, but the crowd seemed to refer to him as Fernando. After making Fern check a guest list that didn’t have my name, I started off with flattery. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a very handsome man?” No response, aside from a slight smirk. I didn’t have a stack of twenties, but I was carrying a roll of singles. “These three dollars say you’re going to let me in.” A cold stare. “That’s three American dollars, Fernando. Okay, how about four?” Now Fernie was visibly pissed. But before I could threaten to throw my patent-leather shoes at his fat face, an influx of tube-topped Bensonhurst chicks took my place. Upshot: How could my Basabe strategy be so wrong? Perhaps I’d picked the wrong rich boy to emulate.

The place: A Glenlivet/Edelman Leather launch at Studio 450 The plan: If loathsome behavior ensures that swag-obsessed divas walk away with two gratis BlackBerries rather than one, why wouldn’t it work for me? The persona: Brandon Davis with a splash of Jann Wenner. A belligerent billion-heir and a bisexual megalomaniac are two great tastes that taste drunk together. If divos have taught me anything, it’s that the worse they behave the more times they’ll be invited back. So, at a rooftop party devoted to something called “the Glenlivet Chair,” I guzzled 21-year-old blends like they were jello shots and began flitting about like the superhigh son of an oil baron (cheers Brandon!) whilst my plus-one—an art-director buddy—gave every indication that he was my personal assistant/longtime companion (all you, Jann!). After obnoxiously wedging myself into several private photo shoots, I stumbled over to the exit and demanded three gift bags. The beleaguered publicist hesitated for a moment, but when I threw out an “I’m not to be trifled with!,” she acquiesced and I left with my extra ill-gotten goods. Upshot: The behaving-like-an-ass racket worked surprising well. But after stumbling ten blocks with my armfuls of goodies, I decided to unwrap what I didn’t earn. The tally? Three copies of Architectural Digest, three Edelman catalogs and three teensy-tiny airplane bottles of Glenlivet. Fuck!

The place: The Stanton Social The plan: To score a same-day Friday night reservation at a terribly trendy eatery The persona: Christina Aguilera. Stanton’s staff recently reacted with a stiff upper lip and a “No problem!” to Aguilera’s insistence on trying three separate tables before she settled on an area she liked. Stanton Social: This is Yvette, can I help you? Me: I’d like to make a reservation for ten people at 9pm. For ten people? I’m sorry, we’re completely booked. Oh, I apologize. I neglected to mention this is Bill Schulz. Yeah, I’m afraid we can’t accommodate you. You do know who I am, don’t you? Okay…uh, would you hold a minute? [Merengue “hold” music plays] Hi, this is Abby. How may I help you? Yeah, Bill Schulz, party of ten, for 9pm. Um…Bill Schulz from where? Bill Schulz of the Chicago Schulzes. We ask that our customers make a reservation a month in advance. Although I may be able to get you in later in the evening. Nope. I can only do 9pm. I don’t think we can squeeze you in. Abby, don’t make me come over there and throw my cell phone at you. Yeah, goodbye. [Dial tone] Upshot: The fact that my elitist, threatening tone was able to garner a “later in the evening” possibility was mildly impressive. I’d give this scenario a 5 out of 10 in my Bill-as-a-bitch experiment.

DIVO, the male diva. Types throughout history.

Famed architect in line to design new S.F. tower

Famed architect in line to design new S.F. tower

San Francisco Business Times - June 2, 2006

by J.K. Dineen and Emily Fancher

Superstar architect Renzo Piano has tentatively agreed to design an 850-foot tower at First and Mission streets, a significant coup for city planners as they build support for a denser, taller neighborhood around the Transbay Terminal.

The building would be constructed on a development site that has been quietly assembled by David Choo, the president of commercial mortgage lender California Mortgage and Realty. In the past three months, Choo's company has paid about $50 million for three buildings on the northwest corner of Mission and First streets.

Supervisor Chris Daly, whose district includes the site, raised the possibility of Piano's involvement at Transbay Joint Powers Authority meeting Friday morning. He later told the San Francisco Business Times that he had met Thursday with Choo and Planning Director Dean Macris to discuss the project. Other sources confirmed that Piano had agreed to design a building for the site, but that no contract had been signed. Daly said he does not have a problem with great height and density, but that negative impacts need to be offset. In Rincon Hill, Daly convinced developers to pay fees to support affordable housing and community groups.

"I'm interested in ensuring an open process and that the public has ample opportunity to participate," Daly said.

If Piano signs on, it could be the first glamorous project in what city officials hope will be a new era of architectural distinction. Several months ago, Planning Director Dean Macris and Mayor Gavin Newsom announced an initiative to encourage more modern, innovative, high-quality design in San Francisco. Macris said Piano and Choo are in conversation, and expressed his admiration for the architect.

"The idea that we would have an opportunity for one of the world's leading architects to do a building at this location is great," said Macris. "We're looking forward to that possibility."

A global heavyweight

Piano, who designed the rebuild of the California Academy of Sciences now under way in Golden Gate Park, is known as an international superstar. He's behind the expansion of both the Whitney in New York and the High Museum in Atlanta and has public and private projects around the world in Sydney, Tokyo and Paris, but recent American commissions have made him a familiar and golden name in the United States.

"He's certainly one of a very short list of preeminent architects in the world that have a significant body of work," said David Meckel, director research and planning and former dean of architecture at California College of the Arts. "He's done a lot of buildings, and almost every one of those buildings responds to place. No two look alike."

Meckel said Piano's work is rooted in the geography, climate and culture of a place.

"This is a very important project in heart of San Francisco that should be matched in importance with the talent chosen to design it," he added.

Plan approved

The news of Piano's interest in the First and Mission site comes as the Transbay Joint Powers Authority board Friday agreed to a plan to build a trio of soaring towers that would help fund a new Transbay Terminal as well as a funding and phasing plan for the transit hub. After 30 years of planning -- and political wrangling -- over rebuilding the worn-out bus terminal, the approval was a historic moment.

"We've taken a significant step forward," said Nathaniel Ford, chair of the TJPA. "I see this as one of the most important projects in the country."

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority's approval creates a two-step process to build a terminal that connects BART, Muni and regional bus services, as well as extend Caltrain from Fourth and King Streets, and could eventually bring in high-speed rail to Los Angeles.

The TJPA also endorsed increasing some building heights in the 40-acre redevelopment area, embracing a vision for a 1,000-foot tower next to the terminal and two 800-foot skyscrapers nearby, including the Piano tower. The new heights will also need environmental review and approval by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The zoning changes could bring as much as $250 million in new funding to the terminal project.

The approval also kicks off an international competition to choose an architect and development team to design the 1,000-foot tower and the terminal -- sure to attract high-caliber big-name architects on par with Piano. Construction on the terminal could begin as early as 2010 and wrap up in 2013, said Emilio Cruz, the program manager for the TJPA.

A new player

In assembling the four parcels, the relatively low-profile California Mortgage and Realty becomes a central player in the long Transbay Terminal debate, one that is sure to heat up in the coming months.

In the last three months, the company has bought 76-80 First St., and 88 First St., and 50 First St., an acquisition that closed in late May for $26 million. In 2004, Choo bought 62 First St. for $10 million and moved his company headquarters there from Oakland.

In an interview on Tuesday, company CEO James Gala said that real estate investment was an "adjunct" part of the company's core business of arranging short-term commercial real estate loans funded by the lending capital of the company and its private investment clients.

Gala declined to elaborate on plans for the parcels.

"We're good investors, it is a stretch to refer to us as developers," Gala said. "We have real estate investment activities."

Gala said the decision to buy the properties was driven by "location, opportunity, and timing" and that the firm has developed a sharp eye for value through its lending practice. With office rents rising and approximately 3 million square feet of commercial space being converted into residential condos, he said the company was bullish on office development.

"There is no plan, there are many ideas being presented," he said. "The discourse has begun and it's very, very early in the process."

Gala said the Macris' vision of a neighborhood anchored by slender skyscraper, similar to the Rincon Hill plan, is "one of several ideas that have been discussed." He declined to say whether CMR have been involved in the new Transbay planning process, but said, "because of his stature, we listen intently when Dean speaks."

From The Onion: Scientists Still Seeking Cure For Obesity

July 14, 2004 | Issue 40•28

CHICAGO, IL—In spite of billions of dollars spent and decades of research, scientists at the University of Chicago said Monday that the scientific community is no closer to finding a cure for the potentially fatal disease of obesity.

Our Health

"The obesity epidemic in this country has public-health authorities panicking, and with good reason," said Dr. Seong-Hun Kim, a research associate at the university's department of neurobiology, pharmacology, and physiology. "According to the latest government statistics, 30.6 percent of the adult population and 16.5 percent of children under 19 are obese. As researchers, we feel the same sort of helplessness that many victims of obesity feel."

"Basically, the clock continues to tick as we search for that golden key that will give every American a chance at a healthy, normal life," Kim added.

Many obesity sufferers have expressed frustration over the medical community's inability to cure them.

"I came down with obesity two years after I got married," 41-year-old Oklahoma City resident Fran Torley said. "I know it was hard for my husband to watch me suffer from this disease. When he caught obesity a year later, he got so depressed, he couldn't do anything but sit on the couch. Some days, we sit and watch television from dawn till dusk, hoping for news of a breakthrough."

Kim said he sees no cure on the horizon.

"Each year that we don't have a cure for this dreaded condition, another 300,000 Americans die of obesity-related health problems—hypertension, stroke, heart attack, diabetes," Kim said. "I wish to God there were something I could give these people that would make the obesity go away, but so far, there is no pill that can do that safely and effectively."

Kim said the prescription drugs currently indicated in the treatment of obesity, as well as a host of over-the-counter products, have been shown to produce limited results.

"Even when individuals find success with a certain drug or plan, it often fails to work in the long term," Kim said. "Sometimes, a treatment plan that works for a handful of people will fail to help anyone else. It's very frustrating. As evinced by the widespread nature of the problem, scientists aren't doing enough for these poor overweight people."

Kim's research group has tried to pinpoint the genetic, environmental, and psychological factors that might indicate a susceptibility to obesity.

Obesity sufferer Tammy Bledsoe shops at an Atlanta, GA grocery store.

"For example, we know that obesity tends to run in families," Kim said. "But we have yet to pinpoint exactly what it is that causes, say, the Smith family to splash about their backyard pool blissfully unaffected while, just over the fence, the Jones family languishes 30 percent overweight on their barbecue deck."

Marge Hampton is an obese American who has responded to the epidemic by trying to raise awareness and money for obesity research. In May, Hampton coordinated the Obesity Awareness Five-Mile Fun Ride, which led participants on a motor tour of Chicago's waterfront parks, and she orchestrated an obesity-awareness bake sale last month.

"We used to think obesity was a condition that only affected people with glandular problems, but health officials are now seeing just how widespread the epidemic is," Hampton said. "There's a myth that obese people don't want to change. They do—they just lack the information about how to do it quickly and easily."

Kim's research team has explored preventative measures.

"It would be wonderful if we could find some way to prevent individuals from getting this horrible condition in the first place, perhaps with something akin to a vaccine or a flu shot," Kim said. "We've pursued every avenue—pills, topical creams, nutritional shakes, even holistic cures like vitamin regimens and massage—but nothing has worked."

While others might have been discouraged by failure, Kim has intensified his efforts.

"I'm in the lab day and night," Kim said. "The other researchers will say 'Come have dinner with us,' but I'm so busy that I have to just grab some yogurt from the vending machine. I'm just too busy running over to the research facility on the west side of campus or carrying samples to the lab up on the fourth floor. I've lost 20 pounds since starting this project in January."

Even though he expressed concern about his recent weight loss, Kim said he will continue his work unabated.

"I can't worry about me right now; finding a cure for obesity is far too important," Kim said. "And, honestly, I feel better than I've felt in years. My work, although difficult, is energizing. I can't turn my back on my research while, all around me, Americans are dropping like enormous flies."

Gold Coast Skyscrapers

I just love my skyscrapers.... big cities in general. Check out these new buildings in the Gold Coast of Australia. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=78267

It looks really amazing. If you want to see other skyscrapers from around the world go to

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com

Hey Coxwain, did we just hit something?

Commercial- balls, bouncy ones at that

http://www.bravia-advert.com/

Nothing says high-def like 250,000 balls flying down the street in SF. And no I'm not talking Folsom.

worth1000.com

Great site, and some of the pictures on here were done by majorly skilled Photoshoppers. www.worth1000.com

Prince, the hip op star

From Daily News....

At a mere 5ft 3in, Prince has always relied on the highest of heels to give him a lift.

But his penchant for platforms could have stacked the odds against him. At 47, he has been told he needs a hip replacement.

The singer believes years of strutting on stage (and energetic dance routines) have taken a toll on his joints. "He used to wear high-heeled boots every day and doctors told him that may have contributed to his condition," a source told U.S. magazine the National Enquirer.

"Over the years he has battered his body so much that his joints, especially his hips, are causing him a lot of discomfort."

The singer has been told that only a full hip replacement will alleviate the pain and ensure he can keep dancing. "Over time his condition will get worse and he'll have to have the surgery," another source told the magazine. "He's causing more damage by continuing to walk."

Prince, a Jehovah's Witness, is thought to be against having surgery because the religion does not allow blood transfusions.

He has been prescribed antiinflammatory drugs to help him cope with the condition. He and his wife Manuela married in a Jehovah's Witness ceremony in Hawaii on New Year's Eve 2001.

A year later, they were formally baptised into their faith in a private ceremony in Minnesota.

Prince's career spans 30 years and includes the hit albums Purple Rain, Diamonds and Pearls and Musicology. In 2000, he adopted a symbol as his name and insisted on being referred to as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince in a bizarre act of rebellion against his record company. As a Jehovah's Witness he has joined the faith's recruiting ranks, knocking on doors to spread the word. In a recent TV interview in the U.S. he refused to answer any questions not about the faith.

"Jesus is more important than anything," he declared. "If we can focus on that, all of us, this chaos will cease."

2,000 Dead? Who Cares?

2,000 dead? Who cares?

Why is the country so oblivious to the Iraq war's casualties?

By Mark Benjamin Oct. 10, 2005 |

Sometime soon the war in Iraq will claim the life of the 2,000th G.I., a gut-wrenching milestone in the bloodiest conflict for the United States since Vietnam. Reports of deaths, particularly recently, have been coming in at a frightening clip. On Oct. 6, six Marines were killed by roadside bombs in attacks near Qaim and Karmah, bringing the total of American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq to 1,951.

FULL TEXT at this link... http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/10/10/2_000/print.html

awful plastic surgery (on the superficial trend)

Awful Plastic Surgery.com

Kinda weird. Also very addictive.

evil bitches and bad fashion

Go Fug Yourself

So I have been known to be an evil bitch at times. I really do start off with kindness, but people do at time force me to revert to the darkside and give a dose of what I like to call honesty.

When I first took a look at this site I was somewhat disgusted. Why do we need a site devoted to cutting people down because of their fashion sense. I started off with Jessica Simpson's page of insults and found them somewhat petty. Then I saw the page on Mischa Barton from the OC and realized why a site like this is necessary.

Click at your own risk, its quite addictive. I particularly like the "go FAQ yourself" section.
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