Tokyo Japan

Study: shampoo may cause breast growth in boys

BOSTON Researchers think scented oils that are found in some shampoos, soaps and lotions can cause temporary breast growth in young boys, but only in rare cases.

A preliminary study says the oils appeared to disrupt the boys' hormonal balance.The federally funded study comes from the University of Colorado and the National Institutes of Health and is reported in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Three boys, ages four, seven and ten, developed the condition while using products containing lavender and tea tree oils. All three were normal again when they stopped using the product with the natural oils.

Hormone experts advise parents to consider the possible risk. But because the condition appears to be rare and temporary, they're not suggesting a ban on sales.

CAT WASH.....OMG!!!!

See it HERE.

Harry Potter Horses Around

Harry Potter is officially a man.

Daniel Radcliffe, the 17-year-old actor from the "Harry Potter" films, bares his skin to show he's all grown up in the publicity photos for the play he'll star in on London's West End next month.

In Peter Shaffer's "Equus," Radcliffe gets to romp around naked with actress Joanna Christie. But for the publicity stills he's shown sans shirt in her equally bare embrace.

Other photos, taken by celebrity snapper Uli Weber, show the young Brit horsing around with a white stallion.

In "Equus," Radcliffe plays a stable hand named Alan Strang. The play opens at the Gielgud Theatre on Feb. 27 in London.

"Daniel does not want to step away from Harry Potter but he does want to show he is a rounded actor capable of very different and diverse roles," his publicist Vanessa Davies told the London Daily Mail Tuesday. "He has tremendous support from Harry Potter fans."

Happy Hump Day

Fat-fighting POT drug

GW Pharmaceuticals says it has a cannabis-derived treatment to suppress hunger; company plans to start human trials.

Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals Plc said Tuesday it plans to start human trials of an experimental treatment for obesity derived from cannabis.

Cannabis is commonly associated with stimulating hunger. Several other companies, including Sanofi-Aventis with Acomplia, are working on new drugs that try to switch off the brain circuits that make people hungry when they smoke it.
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GW Pharma, however, says it has derived a treatment from cannabis itself that could help suppress hunger.
Big Pharma's drug wish list for 2007

"The cannabis plant has 70 different cannabinoids in it, and each has a different effect on the body," GW Managing Director Justin Gover told Reuters.

"Some can stimulate your appetite, and some in the same plant can suppress your appetite. It is amazing both scientifically and commercially," he said in a telephone interview.

GW said it plans to start clinical trials of the new drug in the second half of this year. Medicines have to pass three stages of tests in humans before being assessed by regulators in a process that takes many years.

Sanofi-Aventis' (Charts) Acomplia, which it believes can achieve $3 billion in annual sales, is already on sale in Europe and it is waiting for a U.S. regulatory decision in April.

Several other big drug companies also have similar products to Acomplia already in clinical trials.

GW is best known for developing Sativex, a treatment derived from cannabis that fights spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. Sativex, an under-the-tongue spray, has been approved in Canada, but has hit delays with regulators in Britain.

GW, which competes with rivals such as AstraZeneca (Charts), submitted Sativex for assessment by several European regulators in September, and hopes to secure approval for the UK, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands in the second half of this year at the earliest, the company said Tuesday.

GW said revenue for the year ended Sept. 30 was slightly ahead of expectations at £1.98 million, £1.35 million of which came from Sativex.

The firm posted a pre-tax loss of £13.9 million, in line with forecasts. According to a poll of analysts by Reuters Estimates, the loss in 2007 will be £13.5 million.

GW's marijuana plants are grown indoors in a secret location in Southern England.

"With a U.S. partnering deal and a European approval both expected this year, we remain very comfortable with our Buy recommendation," Investec analyst Ibraheem Mahmood said.

GW shares were up almost 5.5 percent, valuing the company at £92.5 million.

Hospice helped dying man lose his virginity

Hospice helped Nick Wallis lose his virginity

A young disabled man who receives care for his life-limiting illness at a hospice run by a nun spoke yesterday of his decision to use a prostitute to experience sex before he dies.

Sister Frances Dominica gave her support to 22-year-old Nick Wallis, who was born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Sufferers usually die by their thirties.

Mr Wallis told staff at the Douglas House hospice in Oxford that he wanted to experience sexual intercourse. He explained that he had hoped to form an intimate and loving relationship with a woman, but his disability had acted as a barrier.

He told The Daily Telegraph: "It was a decision two years in the making and I discussed it with my carers and my parents. Telling my mother and father was the hardest part, but in the end they gave me their support.
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"There are many aspects of life that an able-bodied person takes for granted but from which I am excluded.

"I had hoped to form a relationship when I went to university, but it didn't happen. I had to recognise that if was to experience sex I would have to pay for it out of my savings. My mind was made up before I discussed it with anyone else."

The hospice staff, after taking advice from a solicitor, the clergy and health care professionals, decided to help him.

"I found an advert from a sex worker in a magazine for the disabled," said Mr Wallis. "The initial contact was by email and then by phone."

It was arranged for the prostitute to visit his home in Northampton. "My parents went out," he said.

"It was not emotionally fulfilling, but the lady was very pleasant and very understanding. I do not know whether I would do it again. I would much rather find a girlfriend, but I have to be realistic."

Mr Wallis has decided to talk in public about his decision as part of the BBC documentary series about life inside Douglas House and its associated hospice for children, Helen House.

"I have done so in order that people may understand the issues that face people in my situation. I suppose some people may be judgmental."

He said he did not discuss his decision directly with Sister Frances, who founded the two hospices. "But I know she gave me her support."

Sister Frances described Mr Wallis as "delightful, intelligent and aware young man".

"I know that some people will say 'You are a Christian foundation. What are you thinking about?'. But we are here for all faiths and none," she said.

"It is not our job to make moral decisions for our guests. We came to the conclusion that it was our duty of care to support Nick emotionally and to help ensure his physical safety."

Mr Wallis's story can be seen on The Children of Helen House, BBC2, 10pm Tuesday.

Bubzac

The Burkini

Get yours HERE.

Penny worth a Nickel

Talk about pennies from heaven.

A potential shortage of coins in the United States could mean all those pennies in your piggy bank could be worth five times their current value soon, says an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Sharply rising prices of metals such as copper and nickel have meant the face value of pennies and nickels are worth less than the material that they are made of, increasing the risk that speculators could melt the coins and sell them for a profit.

Such a risk spurred the U.S. Mint last month to issue regulations limiting melting and exporting of the coins.

But Francois Velde, senior economist at the Chicago Fed, argued in a recent research note that prohibitions by the Mint would unlikely deter serious speculators who already have piled up the coinage.

The best solution, Velde said, would be to "rebase" the penny by making it worth five cents rather than one cent. Doing so would increase the amount of five-cent coins in circulation and do away with the almost worthless one cent coin.

"History shows that when coins are worth melting, they disappear," Velde wrote.

"Rebasing the penny would ... debase the five-cent piece and put it safely away from its melting point," he added.

Raw material prices in general have skyrocketed in the last five years, sending copper prices to record highs of $4.16 a pound in May. Copper pennies number 154 to a pound. Prices have since come down from that peak but could still trek higher, Velde said.

Since 1982, the Mint began making copper-coated zinc pennies to prevent metals speculators from taking advantage of lofty base metal prices. Though the penny is losing its importance — it is worth only four seconds of the average American's work time, assuming a 40-hour workweek — the Mint is making more and more pennies.

Velde said that since 1982 the Mint has produced 910 pennies for every American. Last year there were 8.23 billion pennies in circulation, according to the Mint.

"These factors suggest that, sooner or later, the penny will join the farthing (one-quarter of a penny) and the hapenny (one-half of a penny) in coin museums," he said.

Moment of Zen...

"They're blaming the losses on the launch of their unpopular economy car, the Ford Federline. I guess there was a problem with them getting a whole bunch of Mini Coopers pregnant." -- Jimmy Kimmel on Ford Motors' $12.7 billion in losses in 2006.

Lovely Addition to your Truck

Get them HERE.

Escapee caught after country-song odyssey

It had all the makings of a country song: an escaped prisoner, his terminally ill mother, a Wal-Mart truck, NASCAR and a Nashville singer's tour bus.

Christopher Daniel Gay, 32, was arrested around 11 p.m. Friday near the Daytona International Speedway where he had been watching a race, said Lt. Patrick Myers, spokesman for Daytona Beach Police.

Gay escaped from a prisoner transport van Sunday in South Carolina, police said, and he evaded a five-state manhunt by stealing a pickup, a big rig and a bus that belongs to singer Crystal Gayle. No one was reported injured while Gay was on the loose. (Watch the bus take a tour of NASCAR track )

Initially, police said, his motive for fleeing was simple. "I take it he was just trying to see his mom," said Michael Douglas, the police chief in Pleasant View, Tennessee, near the home where Gay's mother is dying of cancer.

Gay, who has a history of theft involving trucks and other heavy equipment, escaped during a bathroom break in Hardeeville, South Carolina, as he was being taken from Texas to face felony theft charges in Alabama. The van was taking a route allowing it to pick up prisoners in other states.

There was no immediate indication Saturday if Gay was represented by an attorney.

He stole a pickup truck in South Carolina and made his way more than 300 miles northwest to Manchester, Tennessee, where he stole a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer filled with $300,000 worth of merchandise, police said.

On Tuesday, Gay got to within 50 yards of his mother's house, about 25 miles northwest of Nashville, but abandoned the Wal-Mart truck and fled into some woods, authorities said.

"What he done was wrong, but he knows his mama don't have long," his mother, Anna Shull, told The Tennessean this week. Efforts to contact Gay's family were unsuccessful Friday.

Authorities don't think Gay got to see his mother.

Later in the week, authorities said, Gay stole the bus belonging to Gayle -- the younger sister of Loretta Lynn, known for her long hair and hits such as "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue."

Gayle didn't know the bus was missing from a Nashville garage until speedway officials called, police said.

Gayle said she was relieved that no one was hurt.

"My heart goes out to him and his family," Gayle said. "It's a sad story, his mother is very ill. I do hope he gets to see her."

Gay was being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. He was charged with grand theft auto, and he also had three outstanding warrants from Tennessee and three from Alabama, police said.

A man believed to be Gay arrived Thursday night at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida, telling the track's manager he was there with NASCAR racer Tony Stewart and asking him for help getting a new generator for the tour bus he was driving, officials said.

The Speedfest 2007 event is being held there this week, but there are no plans for Stewart to appear.

"His story just started having a lot of inconsistencies, so we asked him for some identification," said speedway President Bill Martino in a phone interview Friday. The man, who Martino said was clean-cut and dressed nicely, refused and fled.

Track officials, suspicious of the man's story, provided authorities with the license plate number of the tour bus.

Gayle didn't know the bus was missing from the Nashville garage where it was parked until speedway officials called Thursday night, police said.

Her husband and manager, Bill Gatzimos, couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday, but he told WSMV-TV, "There's got to be a country song in having your bus stolen and taken for a joyride by a fugitive."

Wonder Woman Episodes Free Viewing

See Episodes of Wonder Woman HERE.

Bonnaroo lineup leaked...

As if the news regarding Rage Against the Machine reunion for Coachella wasn't enough, this year's Bonnaroo lineup reportedly leaked from a source within the Manchester Times!

The Police (headline)
Bob Dylan (headline)
Pearl Jam (headline)
Tom Waits
Willie Nelson
Umphrey's McGee
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Modest Mouse
The Black Crowes
Ryan Adams
My Morning Jacket
Arcade Fire
Keller WilliamsBand
Hot Chip
America
TV on the Radio
Fountains of Wayne
Les Claypool
The Shins
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Toots and the Maytals
The Roots
The Decemberists
Of Montreal
Cat Power
Ozomatli
Perpetual Groove
Band of Horses
John Butler Trio
Nickel Creek
Medeski Martin and Wood
Lily Allen
Neko Case
Keiren Hedben (Four Tet) & Steve Reid
The Hold Steady
Earl Scuggs
Charlie Louvin
Man Man
Grizzly Bear
Konono #1
The Slip
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Uncle Earl
Annuals
Beirut
M. Ward
Cold War Kids
Girl Talk

ToothTunes: A Rockin Good Idea...

Brushing your teeth is about to feel – and sound – better than ever as Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), deliveron its promise of product innovation with the revolutionary TOOTHTUNES, a brand new toothbrush featuring proprietary technology that will encourage people of all ages to brush for two full minutes – the amount of time generally recommended by dentists.

“Hasbro is focused on delivering innovative products anywhere kids and their families shop,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s Chief Operating Officer. “TOOTHTUNES is an excellent example in terms of how we can bring to market highly innovative, entertaining product that extends beyond the traditional toy and game aisle.”

TOOTHTUNES’ safe and patented technology transmits songs and music vibrations through the teeth, which are then heard in the inner ear. Users will hear two full minutes of the hottest music from today’s biggest stars which will keep them brushing. Some brushes will feature a congratulatory message upon completion.

The revolutionary toothbrush uses a micro-chip that provides hit music from the industry’s hottest artists, including Black Eyed Peas, Hilary Duff, Destiny’s Child, KISS, Kelly Clarkson and The Cheetah Girls, among others. To launch TOOTHTUNES, Hasbro has formed a strategic relationship with today’s top record labels including Interscope Records, Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, EMI-Capital Records, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group.

TOOTHTUNES is more than incredibly innovative – it is also very practical. Kids will enjoy brushing their teeth and parents will be thrilled that their child is developing good dental hygiene habits.

What the entertainment industry is saying about TOOTHTUNES …

“TOOTHTUNES is wildly innovative, and we are thrilled that ‘Wake Up,’ the hit song by Hilary Duff, will help tween kids literally wake up with a smile every morning,” said Rob Souriall, Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Promotions, Hollywood Records (Part of the Buena Vista Music Group). “TOOTHTUNES is pure magic…and our company is known to believe in magic.”

“Everyone in the music industry who experiences TOOTHTUNES ‘gets’ it immediately,” said Fred Goldring, a prominent entertainment attorney whose firm represents Will Smith, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and Gwen Stefani. “There is a real ‘wow’ factor in everyone’s reaction the first time they try it.”

What dentists are saying about TOOTHTUNES…

Members of the dental community are equally enthused. “I was so impressed when I heard about TOOTHTUNES that I wanted to be part of its development,” said Dr. Ed McLaren. “It’s difficult to get kids to brush – they think it’s boring. But with popular music from the artists that kids love, this is the brush that will finally get them brushing for the two minutes that dentists recommend.”

McLaren’s wife, Dr. Sandy McLaren, who has been practicing dentistry for over 20 years with adults and children, feels this could change how people brush. “As a dentist and a mother of three, I’m excited to see this much needed innovation. I let some of my patients try TOOTHTUNES and they flipped. This is clearly the most entertaining product to ever enter the oral care industry.”

“The most important thing we can do for our teeth is to simply brush longer, TOOTHTUNES encourages kids to do just that, helping them to establish good brushing habits early in life,” she continued.

Hasbro will introduce up to twenty different versions of TOOTHTUNES this , each featuring a hit song. Kids can choose from a variety of their favorite tunes, the first wave to hit store shelves includes: Let’s Get It Started, Black Eyed Peas; Wake Up, Hilary Duff; Walk Away, Kelly Clarkson; Shake A Tail Feather, The Cheetah Girls; Beautiful Soul, Jesse McCartney; Survivor, Destiny’s Child; Rock & Roll All Night, KISS and Fun, Fun, Fun, The Beach Boys. For updates on new TOOTHTUNES releases visit www.toothtunes.com.

Malcolm Made Me a Mogul

We know him as Reese, the bullying dimwit older brother on Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," but it seems Justin Berfield is no dummy. He's now on the fast track to become a Hollywood mogul.
The 21-year-old is stepping behind the camera to produce feature films and television projects through his own production company, J2TV/J2 Pictures. He's got two films slated, "Captain Trips: A Biography of Jerry Garcia," the first authorized biography of the legendary Grateful Dead guitarist, and the Jessica Simpson vehicle, "Blonde Ambition."

Berfield is also developing a challenge-based reality series featuring legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty. Justin also owns ten residential and commercial properties in the Los Angeles area, including Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's former home from MTV's "Newlyweds."

Weird Al interviews Kevin Federline

Super Bowl Ticket Options

We took the liberty of scouring craigslist (in Chicago, Indianapolis and Miami) for all the latest proposals. Here's a primer on what appear to be the guiding principles if you want to land some coveted Super Bowl seats:

1. Sex sells: Doesn't it always? One young woman calling herself "Miami bound girl" is offering what she coyly bills as "Indecent Proposal: a night with ME for SuperBowl Tickets." (OK, that's not really coy.) She says that she wants tickets to surprise her fiancé, and stresses that she is "not selling sex!" Then again, she adds hopefully: "Hell, if I am drunk enough ... and you are cute enough ... maybe we will hit it off and be romantic." Don't worry, fellas, there's a picture included. The only catch is that this has to be a "secret" because her fiancé "would be upset if he knew how I got the tickets." Don't worry, we'll keep this just between us.

2. Is that a ticket in my pocket, or am I just glad to see you?: While "Miami-bound girl" is willing to trade companionship for tickets, at least two gentlemen (?) are hoping to do the reverse. One sums up his situation succinctly: "Here's the deal. I'm a 21-year-old guy that lives in Miami. I had 2 tickets and a girlfriend. Now I only have 2 tickets." Ladies, be forewarned; he's only looking for a "BEAUTIFUL, HOT GIRL." On the plus side, he has no criminal record, "not even a speeding ticket." A second fellow recently broke up with his fiancée (let's hope it wasn't "Miami-bound girl"!) and already has his tickets, plane tickets and hotel -- but, alas, no date. He's hoping that "another young lady" can take her place. Evidently, you'll have to check whether he has a record on your own.

3. Selling skin: Specifically, the skin on the swollen belly of a pregnant woman for advertising purposes. Bears fan Jennifer Gordon made such an offer -- but no Colts ads, please -- in a craiglist ad posted on Monday with the catchy headline: "My Body for your Super Bowl tickets." (She's a PR manager, natch.) Gordon's ad drew some 45 inquiries through Wednesday and was picked up by the Chicago Sun-Times. It also seems to have inspired a copycat, a woman offering a "Pregnant belly for advertising" in exchange for three (why not?) Super Bowl tickets. She says she's willing to put an ad on her stretch-mark free, 30-week-pregnant belly because her husband and dad are huge Bears fans, though she will consider "any advertising including the Colts." Sellout! Given these proposals, though, offers by guys to advertise on a bald head or by painting a body waist-up or even with a "permanent" tattoo might not get the desired attention.

4. Selling more skin: One unnamed chap (we assume it's a he) is willing to trade his lifetime gold VIP membership at a Wisconsin strip club for two tickets. He claims the membership is worth $1,000 a year, though it's unclear how many trips one has to make to reach that "value." We recommend, though, that this gentleman also place his ad on the NFL Players Association site to reach the ideal target audience, i.e. guys who both have Super Bowl tickets and love strip clubs.

5. Old-fashioned barter: Do you need $5,000 of dental work or, perhaps, Invisalign braces for you and four friends? Would you like a cement driveway installed? Have a hankering for a professional fireworks display? How about a high-def videographer for your wedding, or a DJ for said nuptials? Need some plumbing done, or a general contractor? Selling your home? There's not one but two offers from real-estate agents to take care of that on the arm. All you need to give in exchange for any of these freebies, of course, is a pair of Super Bowl tickets. If goods rather than services tickle your fancy, you might be interested in a 2001 Mitsibushi Galant (two tickets) or a used car or truck of your choice from a car dealer (up to $15,000 in vakue for four seats) or a new 50" plasma HDTV (for two seats).

6. Trading on sentiment: Some hopefuls try to pull the heartstrings. This category includes "Super Bowl tickets needed for dying family member," "I Made a Promise to My Son -- Now I Need Two Super Bowl Tickets", "Hardworking single mothers looking for Bears Superbowl Tickets" and "I Bleed Blue and White and I need a miracle." The last chap also helpfully offers that he spends his time "rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals and sea turtles." (Awwww!) But does that make him any more deserving than, say, "Decent guys trying to buy tickets [to] the Super Bowl"? You be the judge. If you're looking to help the next generation of fans, a12-year-old "huge" Colts fan "wants2go2superbowl" since he's worked hard and "gotten good grades." (Be forewarned that he'll need a second ducat for his mom, who must come "for supervioson," and perhaps for spelling help.) A slew of posters try to establish their bona fides as loyal supporters of either the Bears or Colts, hoping that other fans with extra tickets might give them a price break while ensuring that the seats don't end up in the grubby hands of a scalper. Then there's one poster who, curiously, lists himself (or herself) as a "DIE hard Colts & Bears fan." Way to play to both sides of the aisle.

7. Sign of the times: The Super Bowl itself will only last about 3 1/2 hours, but a piece of signed memorabilia is forever. At least that seems to be the thinking behind those fishing for tickets with collectibles as bait. One poster is offering a signed Walter Payton helmet in exchange for two tickets, though he rather crassly hypes his product's value by adding about the late Sweetness: "HE CANT SIGN ANYMORE." Another poster is offering a Payton-signed game jersey for either two prime seats or four in the upper level. Still another offers your pick of a Payton-signed football, a Brian Urlacher-signed mini-helmet or a Michael Jordan-signed rookie jersey. If you prefer psychedelia to pigskin, perhaps you'd unload your two tickets for a signed lithograph by the Grateful Dead's late lead singer, Jerry Garcia, which was supposedly appraised at $7,000. The seller will also toss in some old backstage passes from 1995 in case you own a time machine.

8. Tickets for tickets: Some are looking to swap somebody's bird in the hand -- as long as the bird is Super Bowl tickets -- for many more in the bush. Two Bears fans and one Colts supporter are offering their season tickets for the entire 2007 season in exchange for Super Bowl seats. One curious offer, perhaps from someone who has misjudged the type of people selling Super Bowl tickets, wants to swap four tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show for two seats to the big game. One poster who already has a pair of (lower level) Super Bowl seats, though, is looking to drive a much harder bargain. He/she wants to trade the two seats for permanent rights to a pair of Cubs season tickets. And hey, only respond if you're serious, because "it's not very hard to find out if you actually own the seats you're offering and the language in the contract will ensure extreme financial penalties should you back out of the agreement at any time." Easy, counselor.

9. Location, location, location: Maybe what you really want is to get away for longer than just a weekend in Miami. How about trading two seats for a week in a condo in Hawaii (with airfare) or at a timeshare in the Caribbean? Maybe winter sports are more your speed. Then turn those seats into a rent-free week at a "$2 million condo" in Aspen or a ski lodge near Deer Valley, Utah. Hey, you can see the game just as well on TV anyway.

10. When all else fails, go for shock value: Perhaps the most eye-catching, if groan-inducing, headline is, "My right nut for Superbowl tickets." Now that he (and we hope it's a he) has your attention, he goes on to say, "You don't really want to take it, but I can't miss this game." Hey, if I had some extra seats, I would definitely help this earnest fellow. And I wouldn't charge him more than, oh, four or five times face.

My Box in a Box...

Ms Clinton Sings...

The Paris Hilton Storage Locker

Remember that storage unit that Paris Hilton had way back? She didn’t pay the bill, yadda yadda wonk eye yadda. Anyway, that is not as nearly as interesting or entertaining as what was in the storage unit. Let’s run down the list:

* Prescription bottles of the painkiller Hydrocodone
* Valtrex herpes medication
* Sleep aid Ambien
* A medical bill from a Los Angeles clinic, billing an “Amber Taylor” (same birth date as Paris) for a miscarriage in March 2003
* A journal of her alcohol-induced dreams
* Nicole Richie’s University of Arizona ID card
* Nicky Hilton’s Nevada marriage certificate
* Several bank statements, including one with an monthly balance of $9.26

The list speaks for itself. Paris Hilton is a troglodyte with not one drop of talent, class, or intelligence. Though it seems she has a few drops of STDs and sperm. This is why modern science is fucking horrible, if this was the dark ages the body of Paris Hilton would have already rotted through from letting horses, sheep, and the local mob give her a good rogering. Plus, we probably would have burned her at the steak for being a witch. The only way someone with no talent can get so popular is by being a witch! BURN HER!

Those dark age peoples might have just been pure genius.

One item to share from the booty can be seen below. After seeing that picture I just don’t understand how Mischa Barton can date Cisco Adler and why he would pose nude. Ewwww.

The Flintstones Theme Song

Britney's "Hooker look"

Dave and Tommy share a moment

THE ART OF FROG FARMING

Most business-minded farmers can figure on making about $69 gross income on an acre of wheat . . . approximately $160 from the same amount of corn.. . and around $175 with an acre of soybeans. Then there's Leonard Slabaugh, a Missouri farmer with a completely different approach. For Leonard swears that his highly unusual crop—LIVE BULLFROGS—returns a full $10,000 profit . . . per acre . . . and requires only one hour of his time each day!

"Why, I can harvest 6,000 frogs a year on this two-acre farm . . . and I realize anywhere from $2.50 a pound to $25 per frog!" Leonard Slabaugh—against a background of grunts and croaks—was telling me his success story with as much enthusiasm as a gold prospector who's suddenly struck it rich. "Yep, you can make big money with these little rascals. Come on out to the breeder pond and I'll tell you all about it."

PLOP, PLOP, PLOP

As we walked up to the mini-lake, I saw hundreds of startled giant bullfrogs jump into the water. Then, half a minute later, pairs of marble-sized eyes began peeping above the surface of the pond like submarine periscopes searching for the enemy.

True bullfrogs (Rana catesbiana)—the webfooted livestock that Slabaugh specializes in—are not difficult to identify since they're the largest frog native to the continental United States. Although their natural habitat centers around the woodland lakes and ponds of the eastern and southern U.S., these profitable amphibians have been known to thrive in cultivated waters as far west as the Pacific coast and as far north as southern Canada.

"The demand is greater than the supply . . . it always has been," Leonard Slabaugh continued. "I sell all that I can produce and still have people backed up on waiting lists: Supermarket chains and wholesale outlets buy 'em in enormous quantities. Big restaurants want 'em shipped out on ice. People come by here and pick'em up by the buckets full. High schools and colleges need bullfrogs for their biology classes, and laboratories use 'em for medical experiments. Why, the market is growing continuously all the time."

As I soon learned from Mr. Slabaugh, there are even scientists at NASA (the space agency) who want to launch some of his frogs into orbit! They'll pay him $25 each-for 30 of his best stock a month—until the contract ends in 1982. That's $750 in addition to the estimated $1,500 to $2,000 of monthly income that Leonard now makes raising his giant croakers!

SECRET INDUSTRY

If frog farming is so profitable, then, why aren't more people doing it? "This is a secretive business," Mr. Slabaugh admits. "I tried to raise frogs when I was 18 years old, but—back then—I didn't know how to keep enough of each hatch alive all the way up to salable size to make it worthwhile. Oh, I talked with other farmers all right, but they made frog breeding sound like the worst occupation in the world and wouldn't give me any help. I even looked for printed material about the subject, but there simply wasn't any available."

Why such secrecy? Leonard now believes he knows the answer. "Successful farmers just don't want to talk about the business. The fewer of us in it, the better. It's like the magician who won't explain any of his secrets. No matter how hard you try, you just can't do a magic trick unless someone else shows you how it's done. Oh, you might figure some of 'em out by yourself . . . if you spend twenty years tryin' . . . but it's not worth the trouble. Well, frog farming is the same way."

Slabaugh then went on to tell me that a female Rana catesbiana—wild or domesticated—will lay as many as 20,000 eggs along the edge of a pond. If left to shift for themselves, about 90% of those eggs will either sink to the bottom and die or will be eaten by predators before they hatch into tadpoles a few days later. And, out of the few lucky ones which make it that far, all but 6 to 10 of the vulnerable little tads will somehow fall prey to nature (and to each other, because they're cannibalistic) during the nearly two years which it takes for them to grow legs and become adult frogs. In other words, the odds against survival for the species are only a mere 20,000 to 10!

The magic secret of making Big Money in this business, then, boils down to a single golden commandment: Find some way to increase the egg-to-frog survival ratio in your ponds. Inexperienced farmers—the ones who start from scratch without consulting old hands like Leonard Slabaugh—find out, the hard way, that it can take several years to learn everything that Leonard told me in just a few hours.

Even if you have to dig out the "tricks of the trade" on your own the hard way, though, the effort can still be worth it. Because—once armed with those secret—seven a beginner can start producing 5,000 to 10,000 marketable bullfrogsfrom each pair of breeders on his or her farm during his or her first two years of efficient operation!

Now that can quickly add up to serious money, so you're quite obviously way ahead of the game if you can pick the brain of a sly ol successful frog raiser (like Leonard Slabaugh) before you plunge into the business . . . rather than after. I was lucky enough to do just that . . . and here's what I learned:

THE SECRETS EXPOSED!

Over the years, Slabaugh has found that a five-pond breeding, hatching, and maturing system (one BREEDER, one HOLDING, and three GROWING pools) works the best for his two-acre enterprise.

The first of these bodies of water is the BREEDER POND. This permanent "home" for Leonard's mature male and female stock (which range from 4 to 25 years in age!)-is 20' X 100' X 4' deep and contains approximately 100 of the amphibians (half male, half female).

Naturally, this is Slabaugh's "key" mini-lake, and he has taken steps to protect it. Several years ago, Leonard installed a tall corrugated aluminum fence all the way around the pond to keep out dogs, cats, raccoons, and other predators. Later he added wire fencing buried about 18 inches deep to discourage burrowing animals from digging their way in. (Eventually he installed this same kind of protection around all his ponds.)

"My breeding stock is now safe and they frolic around out there all during late spring and early summer," Leonard says. "When each female lays her eggs, they look just like tiny black seeds suspended in a clear jelly. These masses of eggs are called spawn and it clings to the grass and water plants all around the pond's edge for a little while, until I can get out to collect it. And I make it my business to do that as soon as possible so all these eggs won't sink to the bottom and get away from me!

"I generally harvest a couple of buckets full of the eggs at a time. Then I take 'em over to the incubator tray." This container—a wooden frame measuring 2' X 2' X 4" deep, with plastic wire screen nailed across its bottom—protects the delicate spawn (while it's suspended in a HOLDING POND) until it can hatch.

Since large tadpoles tend to feed on smaller ones—and on frog eggs—Leonard is quick to transfer each day's wiggly hatch from the incubator tray directly into the 50' X 20' X 4' deep holding pond. By the time all the new tads are removed from the tray, they've grown to about the same size and no longer seem much interested in bothering each other.

"I get about an 85% survival rate—nearly 17,000 tadpoles from each 20,000-egg hatch—and, believe me, that's hard to beat!" This "secret" hatching technique is one of the reasons Leonard Slabaugh makes such a profit from his frog farming operation.

Slabaugh believes that another reason is his special GROWING POND design. After just 4 to 5 months in Leonard's holding pool, his tadpoles have made the metamorphic change into frogs and are ready to spend the next couple of years fattening up in his three "U"-shaped mini-lakes. The arm of each "U" is about 150' X 15' X 4' deep and—because of their unusual shape—the bodies of water have more bank area in relation to their volume than do ordinary round or oblong lakes. From a bird's-eye view, in fact, this "growing area" on the Slabaugh farm looks like a long winding canal, rather than a series of three ponds.

HAPPINESS IS A CLEAN HOME

Although some farmers have experimented with giant plastic-lined or concrete pools, Leonard has found that earth ponds—with natural plant growth on their banks—produce greater numbers of healthier frogs. Furthermore, he has encouraged this growth by sowing a permanent "pasture mix" of wild seeds and clover around his mini-lakes. (A couple of goats on the outside of the fences keep everything nicely trimmed where passersby can see it.) A few local Missouri water plants in the pools themselves add a final touch.

(A little further south in Arkansas, frog farmer Vol Brashears keeps the banks of his vest-pocket lakes thriving with watercress, peppermint, iris, lilies, cane, and other native bog plants. Vol also believes a natural setting is better for his aquatic livestock and that it sets up an "eco-balance" that keeps frog ponds naturally clean and pure.)

As a final self-cleansing touch, Slabaugh leaves a trickle of water flowing through his ponds at all times. Wirescreen filters at each end of the chain of pools keeps out foreign matter and frogeating snakes.

FEEDING TIME

The natural diet of adult bullfrogs consists mainly of live flying insects, but Leonard has a "secret" food supplement which-he swears-dramatically increases his livestock's rate of growth.

He wouldn't tell me what this supplement is . . . but I did notice thousands of tiny crawfish flipping around in Slabaugh's ponds with both his tadpoles and mature stock. Leonard didn't want to talk much about the crawfish, however, so we dropped the subject.

(In Arkansas, Vol Brashears says his frogs love crawfish and eat them almost exclusively. Vol adds a few flying insects to the amphibians' diet by hanging a series of light bulbs around the frogs' watery homes. The lights-which are left on a couple of hours each night-attract thousands of flying snacks for his ever-hungry but fat bullfrogs.)

Since tadpoles are largely vegetarian - except for all-too-frequent nibbles at their brothers and sisters-they need a lot of natural pond greenery to eat while they're growing. A healthy algae bloom can provide both phytoplankton and zooplankton for the baby amphibians . . . which also relish common "pond moss" or Spirogyra. These natural foods, obviously, should be encouraged.

Bear in mind, though, that you can get too much of a good thing . . . in this case, weed and algae growth. That is: While it's true that mature frogs breathe air, tadpoles must get their oxygen from the water in which they swim . . . and weeds and algae sometimes can draw so much oxygen from a pool of water that there's nothing left for anything else. If you ever see your tads coming up to the surface and trying to breathe (just the way fish occasionally do in a stagnant lake), skim off or otherwise cut back the plant growth in that pond . . . immediately.

DISEASES

Although bullfrogs seem to be fairly disease-resistant—Slabaugh has never had an epidemic in his stock—two illnesses can strike your aquatic crop if you allow your ponds to become overcrowded or dirty.

Saprolegnia is an ugly fungus that sometimes grows on a bullfrog's skin and the disease is very contagious. No cure is known and infected amphibians should be separated from their healthy brothers and sisters and destroyed as soon as possible.

Another—equally ugly—disorder is caused by bacillus hydrophillus fascus and is commonly known as "red leg". The slang name comes from the fact that the bacteria cause the blood vessels in a frog's legs to congest, swell, and turn red. This condition can be fatal . . . but it is often cured merely by keeping the infected amphibians out of water and in a cool place for several days.

As with most of the disorders which attack any livestock on a farm, the two diseases mentioned above are best "cured" by preventing them in the first place. And cleanliness is the best preventative of all. (This is the principal reason Slabaugh keeps a trickle of water circulating through his ponds . . . it has the same natural cleansing action of a slow-moving stream in nature.)

HIBERNATION

The bullfrog growing season in southern Missouri extends from early spring to late fall. As might be expected, however, the amphibians slow down considerably as cool weather approaches and eventually—when the temperature drops to about 40°F—go into hibernation. (That is: All the fat a croakers swim down to the muddy bottoms of their ponds, burrow in, and go a to sleep until the following spring.)

"Winter is the best part of the year for a me," Leonard says. "It's a vacation. All I 'have to do during the cold months is keep the bottoms of the ponds from freezing. The tops I don't care about . . . even if ice freezes down a foot or two -from the surface. That ice won't bother a my snoozing brood at all as long as they're surrounded by water and mud that's 32° or warmer."

TERRITORIAL DISPUTES

As spring again creeps back across the land, Slabaugh's sleepy bullfrogs dig themselves out of their muddy beds, swim to the tops of their ponds, and crawl onto the. mini-lakes' grassy banks.

Although Leonard's growing ponds are usually crowded, the frogs don't mind as long as each male has a threeto-four-foot patch of shore to call his own. And that—of course—is where the disputes sometimes arise ... as a young male squabbles with an old croaker over a choice piece of territory. Because bullfrogs have no teeth or claws, however, the contenders rarely actually hurt each other . . . but the battles sometimes become quite heated nonetheless.

"Why, they wrestle just like boys," says Slabaugh. "They'll jump up on their hind flippers and grab each other 'round the chest with their front legs and throw each other to the ground with a thunk! Then after a while the loser just gives up and hops away to look for another place in the sun. And the winner! Why he takes a seat on his property, puffs up, and begins to sing an amorous frog song about what a fine fellow he is. And believe me, that soon has a bunch of females poking their heads out of the water and batting their eyes in his direction."

THE HARVEST

If you don't know better, you've probably envisioned a frog farmer's "roundup" of marketable livestock rather in terms of an old Keystone Kops movie . . . with herdsman and amphibians all running, jumping, and splashing back and forth through their man-made swamp until one side or the other finally "gives". Not at all. The operation is really much more refined than that.

As Leonard points out: "Wild frogs do spook easy, but domesticated ones—which soon become accustomed to seeing their owner puttering around every day—get to be just like pets. Mine usually jump into the water when they see me comin' . . . but pretty soon they crawl up on the shore again to find out what doin'. I have to be careful not to step on'em."

This herdsman/livestock relationship explains why Slabaugh's harvesting technique may not be exactly sporting . . . but why it surely is quick: Leonard simply walks around at night with a flashlight and plucks his amphibians off the ground with no more difficulty than a gardener collecting cucumbers. That's for the small orders. When Leonard wants to gather several hundred of the frogs at a time, he just scoops them up in a fish net.

CLEANING THE CATCH

Although some people (the inexperienced among us) tend to lump frog legs into the same category as escargot (Ugh! Snails), that comparison is really a mistake. Bullfrogs may be a little short on beauty, but they're extremely clean animals. And they're definitely not (how should I say this?) . . . slimy . . . like trout (and most other widely eaten pan fish) are when they're taken fresh from the water.

"Frogs are easier to clean than any other animal," says Leonard Slabaugh (and he ought to know, because he's cleaned a passel of 'em in his day). As a matter of fact, cleanin' a frog is a whole lot easier than cleanin' a fish: Just remove the head and the insides and then skin it. That's all. Every bit of the meat makes for good eatin' . . . even if the fancy restaurants do just serve the hind legs."

Slabaugh's marketable frogs weigh in at about a pound live . . . and a halfpound dressed. Which means—at prices currently ranging from $2.50 to $4.50 a dressed-out pound—that Leonard is realizing a minimum gross income of $1.25 to $2.25 from every frog he sells. (And he makes even more, of course, on the smaller animals purchased live at higher prices by schools, colleges, and research labs.)

At that, Slabaugh stands in awe of another grower he knows who lives near Las Vegas, Nevada. "Those restaurants out there charge $18 a plate for just two fried frog legs," Leonard says. "And that of boy is gettin' eight dollars a pound for the meat he sells. Why, he's sittin' on top of a gold mine."

And why would anybody pay $18 for two frog legs . . . or even half that much (as is more common) for three or four of the drumsticks? Because the meat is pure white and tastes very much like chicken . . . a very tender and very delicate chicken. If you've never eaten frog legs, you've missed a rare treat.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Raising bullfrogs—then—can be fun, profitable, and easy . . . if you've got a couple of acres to work with, have just a little bit of common sense, and are willing to let an "old-timer" in the business help you get off on the right foot.

"You don't need as elaborate a setup as I've got when you're just startin' out," Slabaugh advises. "Forget about breeding stock and havin' five ponds and all the other extras, at least in the beginnin'. Just buy live tads—they can be shipped cross country—and keep 'em clean and healthy in one pond. Then, as they start sproutin' legs, move 'em over to a second pool and let 'em grow. The hardest part will be waitin' two years until your first batch reaches market size but, after that, you've got it made. Then you can start plowin' money back into the operation until it's as big as you want to make it."

And if that route into the frog business doesn't appeal to you, Leonard suggests another approach: "Dabble" your way in. "Catch a coupla wild bullfrogs or buy a pair of breeders for about $30 from someone already well established in the game. Then just let nature take its course and see how well you do experimenting with your amphibians' whole life cycle on a small scale for a couple of years. After that—if you like the business—you can start building ponds and go into this thing in a big way."

And how will you know if the fellow you purchase your original breeding stock from really does sell you both a male and a female frog? Easy. Look at the eardrums (the black circles just behind the eyes on each of your critters). The male's eardrums will be larger in diameter than his eyes are (or about twice as wide as the space between his nostrils). The female's eardrum, by contrast, will be just about the same size as her eye (or slightly smaller than the space between her nostrils).

And you probably are better advised to purchase that first pair of breeders, rather than trying to catch them in the wild. Bullfrogs are classified as game animals in some sections of the country and their capture is subject to regulation. In Missouri, for example, a bill of sale from a licensed frog raiser must accompany every shipment of brood stock. In many areas, it's even illegal to transport a wild bullfrog across a state line for any purpose!

THE SHORT CUT

Of course, if you really want to get into the frog business right now and with the fewest missteps possible, there's always Leonard Slabaugh. After 35 years of trial and error and profitable operations, he stands as about as good an authority on the subject as anyone . . . and, as this article has already demonstrated, of Leonard truly enjoys introducing others to the many mysteries of his profession.

Of course you can't expect Slabaugh just to give away all the knowledge he's worked so hard to acquire. But the onetime fee of $1,500 which he charges for his "complete course" of bullfrog farming trade secrets seems to be reasonable enough . . . especially since it does contain all those secrets, a list of proven markets for the animals (both live and dressed out), and a followup consulting service (just in case you run into snags in your venture later on).

You can contact this "Wizard of Frog Hollow" by writing to Leonard Slabaugh, Route 3, Box 59, Poplar Bluff, Missouri 63901. Or call him by dialing (314) 785-7517. Or just drive on down to Poplar Bluff and visit the farm (parts of it are open to the public). You won't have any trouble finding the place, especially at night: It'll be the one that's filling the air with more croaks and groans than The Great Dismal Swamp.

Doesn't all that noise bother Leonard Slabaugh? Would it bother you . . . if you knew that each one of the 20,000 or so bullfrogs you own was worth up to $25 apiece?

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Presidential Intelligence

A report published Monday, by the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania, detailed its findings of a four month study of the intelligence quotient of President George W. Bush. Since 1973, the Lovenstein Institute has published its research to the educational community on each new president, which includes the famous "IQ" report among others.

There have been twelve presidents over the past 50 years, from F.D. Roosevelt to G.W. Bush, who were rated based on scholarly achievements:
1. Writings that they produced without aid of staff.
2. Their ability to speak with clarity, and several other psychological factors, which were then scored using the Swanson/Crain System of intelligence ranking.

The study determined the following IQs of each president as accurate to within five percentage points. In order by presidential term:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt [D] 142,
Harry S Truman [D] 132,
Dwight David Eisenhower [R] 122
John Fitzgerald Kennedy [D] 174,
Lyndon Baines Johnson [D] 126,
Richard Milhous Nixon [R] 155,
Gerald R. Ford [R] 121,
James Earle Carter [D] 175,
Ronald Wilson Reagan [R] 105
George Herbert Walker Bush [R] 98,
William Jefferson Clinton [D] 182,
George Walker Bush [R] 91

In order of IQ rating:

182 . . William Jefferson Clinton [D]
175 . . James Earle Carter [D]
174 . . John Fitzgerald Kennedy [D]
155 . . Richard Milhous Nixon [R]
147 . . Franklin Delano Roosevelt [D]
132 . . Harry S Truman [D]
126 . . Lyndon Baines Johnson [D]
122 . . Dwight David Eisenhower [R]
121 . . Gerald R. Ford [R]
105 . . Ronald Wilson Reagan [R]
098 . . George Herbert Walker Bush [R]
091 . . George Walker Bush [R]

The six Republican presidents of the past 50 years had an average IQ of 115.5, with President Nixon having the highest at 155.

President George W. Bush rated the lowest of all the Republicans with an IQ of 91.

The six Democratic presidents of the past 50 years had an average IQ of 156, with President Clinton having the highest IQ, at 182.

President Lyndon B. Johnson was rated the lowest of all the Democrats with an IQ of 126. No president other than Carter [D] has released his actual IQ (176). Note the institute measured him at 175.

Among comments made concerning the specific testing of President G.W. Bush, his low ratings are due to his apparently difficult command of the English language in public statements, his limited use of vocabulary [6,500 words for Bush versus an average of 11,000 words for other presidents], his lack of scholarly achievements other than a basic MBA, and an absence of any body of work which could be studied on an intellectual basis The complete report documents the methods and procedures used to arrive at these ratings, including depth of sentence structure and voice stress confidence analysis.

"All the Presidents prior to George W. Bush had a least one book under their belt, and most had written several white papers during their education or early careers. Not so with President Bush," Dr. Lovenstein said.

"He has no published works or writings, which made it more difficult to arrive at an assessment. We relied more heavily on transcripts of his unscripted public speaking."

The Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania think tank includes high caliber historians, psychiatrists, sociologists, scientists in human behavior, and psychologists. Among their ranks are Dr. Werner R. Lovenstein, world-renowned sociologist, and Professor Patricia F. Dilliams, a world-respected psychiatrist For more information on the Lovenstein Institute, go to http://lovenstein.org//

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If you're looking for a new home and have $155 million to spare, you could be the proud owner of the world's most expensive abodes.

Forbes.com, the online site of Forbes magazine, on Thursday said timber and real estate baron Tim Blixseth has just upped the ante in the price of the world's most expensive home, planning to build and sell a home for $155 million.

The 53,000-square-foot stone and wood mansion will be built at the Yellowstone Club, a members-only, residential ski and golf resort near Bozeman, Montana developed by Blixseth.

That tops the $139 million asking price for Updown Court in Windlesham, England, which was listed No. 1 in the Forbes.com list of the world's most expensive homes in 2006.

It also exceeds the $125 million that U.S. media mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump is asking for the renovated estate he owns in Palm Beach, Florida.

Blixseth, who ranks No. 322 in the 2006 Forbes 400 list with a $1.2 billion fortune, said he had already received interest in the home.

"Some of (the world's richest) just have to have the best. Price is not an issue," he told Forbes.com.

The 10-bedroom mansion will sit on 160 acres and will come with a private gondola-like chairlift that will carry residents to the Yellowstone Club's private ski slopes, an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, and a home movie theater, and it is fully furnished.

GPS Shoes

Good news for worried parents. These GTX GPS Xplorer Smart Shoes will let you keep track of your kids no matter where you are. Here's how it works.

Define a "safe" area around your house or school that it's safe for your kids to wander around. When the GPS signal goes outside of the area, an SMS will be sent to your phone alerting you of the situation. Then you're free to call your wife, the police, or Chloe from 24.

The shoes last several days on one charge, which means they may or may not be juiced when you need them most.

Rabbi Yells "Cut!" Over Porn Flick

The producer of an all-Israeli porn flick is under attack from rabbis who say his use of a food-certification symbol ain't kosher.

Yesterday, Tight Fit Productions of Van Nuys, Calif., the purveyors of "Assraelis," which was shot entirely in Israel with all-local talent, and in Hebrew (with, uh, English subtitles), received a cease-and-desist order letter from a lawyer representing Rabbi Yehuda Rosenbaum of KOF-K Kosher Certification, a New Jersey company that puts its stamp of approval on Kosher goods. Tight Fit's DVD-cover claim of Israeli authenticity is accompanied by a Hebrew letter normally reserved for rabbi-ordained meats, grains, and other foodstuffs.

KOF-K's lawyer says that Tight Fit is using the symbol "illegally" in violation of State and Federal Law, and plans to sue "if the situation is not rectified as quickly as possible." Oren Cohen, the owner of Tight Fit, finds the action "funny," but will modify the cover art before the film's release next week -- to satisfy what he calls the "very nice" rabbis.

No word from Cohen, who himself does not observe the Kashrut, on whether, despite their Kosher claims, meat and milk products were mixed during the making of "Assraelis."

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Hendrix image used on energy drink

A new energy drink has come under fire from Jimi Hendrix fans by using the music legend's image on its packaging.

California-based Beverage Concepts is due to release the non-alcoholic drink Liquid Experience this coming April.

The image of Jimi Hendrix has also been licensed for a range of other products including baby clothing, an air freshener and a lava lamp.

According to the BBC, some of the profits from Liquid Experience - named after the 1967 Hendrix album Are You Experienced - will go to an unidentified music education foundation.

Red Hot CHili Peppers bassist Flea told the BBC, "To see his image and the beautiful feelings it has created in me cheapened by advertising is very disappointing."
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Nude jogger `not a pretty sight'

One of the strangest wildlife sightings in the Cupertino-Saratoga foothills has yet to be identified: a naked jogger, wearing only shoes, glasses and a black tam hat.

He's cordial and polite, not threatening. He doesn't do anything obscene. He avoids confrontations. A white middle-aged man with a paunch, he isn't much to look at.

But his frequent appearances in the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve are startling hikers, equestrians, runners and cyclists, whose idea of sightseeing usually involves something more scenic.

``He passed me and said `Good evening,' '' said equestrian Sue Bowdoin, while riding her horse Randy last summer on the Wedding Tree Trail in the south end of the park. ``I thought: Ugh!''

``I think he has a screw loose,'' said Bowdoin, of Santa Clara.

The recent cold snap seemed to keep him indoors, or at least more fully clothed. But for the past year and a half, there have been consistent reports of his nude workouts on Maisie's Peak, Vista Loop trail and others.

On warm days, the tam stays home.

Many sightings come from horseback riders at nearby Garrod Farms Stable who exercise their animals in the 739-acre preserve. One rider says that she chased, cornered and confronted him, yelling that he should not expose himself to children, women and the elderly.

He acted worried, she said, and backed away from her.

Bowdoin recalled a second sighting last fall. ``He was running behind me, then started to cough and make noises so I wouldn't be startled,'' Bowdoin said. ``I pulled over and he went right by. He never did or said anything.''

And he maintained a steady pace throughout.

``I think he is not one of those guys who is deliberately trying to offend you,'' she said.

Park rangers have never seen him and his identity is still unknown, although efforts are under way to identify and apprehend him, said Gordon Baillie, a management analyst with the district.

Nor have his clothes or car keys been found, leading some to suspect that he's a neighbor.

Jogging au naturel is risky, given the abundance of poison oak in the park.

It's also illegal. Open Space District Ordinance Section 412 states: ``No person shall expose any part of the pubic or anal region or genitalia while on District Lands in Public View.'' If they catch him, rangers have to identify him -- a tricky proposition, given that he has no pockets to hold a driver's license. Suspects who don't have IDs are asked for their name and address, which is then verified by phone against driver's license records at the dispatch center, Baillie said.

How would he be picked out of a police lineup?

His skin is pale, turning red and sweaty with exertion. His hair is dark. So are the frames of his glasses. There isn't much body hair.

``He's frumpy. Plain. Not in good physical shape,'' Bowdoin said. ``It's not a pretty sight.''