Rehab Report Card

The celeb freshmen and graduates of rehab!



Some stars treat their time in re-hab as a spa getaway, while others get clean and sober and never look back. Here we take a look at some of the rehab freshmen and graduates over the years, and give them an update report.

Colin Farrell:

"[Rehab] was horrible in one way, because I went away because I was pretty sick," the Miami Vice and S.W.A.T. actor once said. "But in another way it was great, because it was a very safe environment with a bunch of people who were looking to sort out things in their life. But I don’t want to go back." The hard-partying Irish actor says he did his time in rehab [December 2005-January 2006] for his son James, 3, because after fifteen years of craziness, just wanted to be a better dad. "I wanted to be clear, be around him, and remember being with him."

Update: So far so good!

Lindsay Lohan:

"I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health," Lindsay said in the statement, released by her publicist Leslie Sloane. "I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time." That statement was released by Lohan, 20, this January, just after she entered the $1,750-a day Wonderland rehab facility on trendy yet rustic Laurel Canyon Blvd., in West Hollywood. It didn’t seem to Celebrity Babylon that the Mean Girl’s star was taking it all too seriously, however, as she was seen out clubbing just days later.

Update: Photographed out partying when you release a statement about checking into rehab – not a good omen of things to come.

Britney Spears:

Getting world peace seems like it would be easier than what it took to get the 25-year-old pop star into rehab! It took Spears’ soon-to-be ex hubby Kevin Federline, 28, threatening to take full legal custody of their sons Sean, 1, and Jayden, 5 months, before she heeded the wake up call and checked in to Promises in Malibu, on the morning of February 21. This third time may just be the charm, as the bald one hasn’t bolted yet, and it appears that family members and friends are truly gathering to support her, and not just saying that they are doing so! Update: After almost a week, there’s no signs that Britney is digging her way out of her room with a eyelash curler and a nail file.

Charlie Sheen:

"I saw [the film] 28 Days. I don't remember rehab being like a day camp or being that funny. Rehab is a dumping ground. It's a big dumping ground." Sheen, 41, should know, the notorious hooker-and-drug lovin’ bad boy entered rehab at the request of his father, actor Martin Sheen, 66, and his lawyers. I was never shut down by the drugs; that was my problem. Cocaine was an aphrodisiac. I think that was a bit of a curse." Sheen has his act enough together now to have the top sitcom Two and a Half Men on CBS, and is often seen out and about with his two daughters (Sam, 2, and Lola, 1) by ex-wife Denise Richards, 35.

Update: We see more than a glimmer of the "old Charlie" when he chain-smokes cigarettes!

Nicole Richie:

While on the show Oprah last year, Nicole opened up about how her parent’s divorce when she was 13, led to her ultimate addictions to drugs and alcohol. Her parents Lionel and Brenda Richie begged her to go into rehab. But just one week before she was supposed to check in, she was arrested [February 2003] while driving and police found a balloon of heroin. "I was extremely, extremely scared," she explains. Out on probation, the incident scared her straight into counseling. Once inside rehab, entire family participated in heavy therapy. "Everything came out," Nicole says. "I was definitely trying to mask hurt, abandonment. I had no idea I was feeling this way."

Update: Richie, 25, didn’t stay on the straight and narrow for long, getting nabbed for a DUI on December 11 and admitting to cops she had used Vicodin and marijuana.

Robert Downey Jr.:

"It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth, and I like the taste of metal," Robert Downey Jr., once said of his addictions to, well, you name it. Even jail time couldn’t sever the ties between addiction and the talented but troubled actor. His troubles began, he says, when his father offered him a "joint" at age 8! After that, it was probation, suspended licenses, jail time, rehabs, waking up at a stranger’s Malibu house, Wonder Woman costumes in a Palm Springs hotel room, and more. He famously infuriated other jail inmates when he was allowed out to shoot a movie!

Update: Good. His August 2005 marriage to film producer Susan Downey seems to have kept him on the straight and narrow, and out of the tabloids.

Ben Affleck:

"I've never been very judicious about my own behavior or choices until they had an impact on people other than me," says Affleck, 34, who was driven to Promises rehab by his pal Charlie Sheen in August 2001, at the same time as one of Robert Downey Jr’s stays, and comedienne Paula Poundstone. At the time, Affleck’s recovery wasn’t taken too seriously, after all, he was let out at the drop of a hat, to go to a sporting event, press junket, or an ice cream cone. At the cost of $48,000 for a 30-day stay at Promises, you would think Affleck would want to be getting his money's worth!

Update: There have been little glitches in his recovery over the years, but none since the birth of his daughter Violet, 1, with wife Jennifer Garner, 34.

Kate Moss:

Having her photo "Cocaine Kate" splashed across the front of London’s Mirror tabloid in September 2005, got Kate Moss into the Meadows rehab in Arizona. With a career in the modeling business, where a size-0 is considered overweight, and a drug-addicted boyfriend like British rocker Pete Doherty, 27, it was just a matter of time before Moss got caught with her nasty habit. At the time of media scandal, it was said that the supermodel would lose all of her lucrative contracts with Burberry, H&M, and Chanel. But that doesn’t seem to have had an effect on her career at all, in fact, you can’t walk down the street without seeing Moss on a Billboard, on TV, or in a magazine.

Update: Not good. Photos have emerged of Moss looking fairly out of it at Doherty’s concerts.

Josie Maran needs Work....BAD!

Family Guy - Hanson

Associated Press says NO PARIS!

The Associated Press declared its plans to boldly go where few wire services would dare to go in this day and age: the no–Paris Hilton zone.

“Next week,” entertainment editor Jesse Washington wrote in an e-mail memo obtained by The Transom, “the print team is planning an unconventional experiment: We are NOT going to cover Paris Hilton.

“Barring any major, major news, we are not going to put a single word about Paris on the wire,” the memo continued. “If something does come up, big or small, we encourage discussions on whether we should write about it.”

The results of the experiment, naturally, will be fodder for a future A.P. story. “Hopefully we will be able to discuss what ‘news’ we missed,” read the memo, which could have used some stern copy-editing, “the repercussions of our blackout for AP both editorially and business-wise, and most importantly the force that cause the world to be fixated on this person who, despite her shallow frivolity, represents an epochal development in our culture.”

Reached for comment, Mr. Washington said, “There was a surprising amount of hand-wringing. A lot of people in the newsroom were saying this was tampering with the news.” One editor’s response was apparently: “This is a great idea—can we add North Korea?”

Mr. Washington said he was inspired by the fact that, in the past year, Ms. Hilton has appeared on the A.P. wire about twice a week.

“We got lucky,” he said. “Totally by accident, her birthday party was the day before we started the experiment. There really weren’t any major news stories involving Paris, so we didn’t have that many really tough decisions to make.” Though “her name did pop up in a couple stories, despite my best efforts.”

PNEUMONIA KILLED ANNA NICOLE SMITH

'Idol' chatter dominates Playboy bash

More and more, it seems, the pasts of young reality star hopefuls are threatening their shots at stardom. American Idol contestant Antonella Barba, 20, has become the latest to don the scarlet letter as photos of her with her top dropped have led to speculation that the Fox network may drop her.

Hugh Hefner, who knows a thing or two about nudity in photos, calls such condemnation "hypocritical and dumb."

At a party Tuesday night at his Playboy Mansion to celebrate the third-season premiere of his E! reality show, The Girls Next Door (Sunday, 10 p.m. ET/PT), Hefner said, "I think in America we have a very strange attitude toward sexuality and nudity, and it makes no real sense."

Hefner, 80, spoke these words while seated on a sofa next to his famous grotto, the site of many an infamous sexcapade. At his side were girlfriends Holly Madison, 27, Bridget Marquardt, 33, and Kendra Wilkinson, 21, all roped of from the riffraff and protected by security.

Hef was soon joined by Ryan Seacrest, producer of E!'s newest reality series, Paradise City, which makes its debut right after Hef's show and focuses on singles trying to make it in Las Vegas. The Idol host, along with show judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, were among the very few men allowed into Hefner's inner sanctum.

Cowell believes photos showing nudity should not be grounds for dismissal. "These people haven't done anything illegal; that's their private life," he stressed. He believes that the racy photos of Barba should "not affect her standing on the show, and if the public wants to keep her in, they'll keep her in." (Barba performs with the remaining female singers on Wednesday's show; two men and two women will be eliminated Thursday.)

"Nobody's clean in the entertainment business," seconded Jackson, recalling Frenchie Davis, who was famously booted from Idol in Season 2 when it was revealed that she had worked for an adult website. "There are definitely some moral things that go on with this show."

It is the morals of the person who leaked the Barba photos that Seacrest finds most repugnant. "It's just tacky, disgusting," said Seacrest. "You've got a girl who's trying to make it on a show where she needs a vote, and someone's trying to tear that away from her."

Though he said he had not yet seen the photos, Seacrest added that he would "absolutely let (Barba) stay on. If American Idol is a true representation of American youth, we're going to find imperfections. And it's OK to be imperfect."

Working Hard for a Living?

The Jeannie Tate Show

ManCrush

Just a note to some of the women who may be using the site for the first time. While they are are not opposed to women's suffrage, keep in mind that any entries you submit containing the words "hot", "sexy", "brooding", "delicious", "heartthrob", "cute", "gorgeous", or "smoldering" will not be approved by the Mancrush Integrity Committee.

See it HERE.

Ace Frehley is alive

Rumors of former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley’s suicide began to circulate around the Internet on Friday, Feb. 23rd, but it appears they turned out to be false. Instead, Frehley is said to be in good health and still working on a new solo studio album and even a couple of film projects.

Reports started to circulate the Internet on Friday that Frehley had committed suicide by taking pills, and was reported dead at 2 a.m., Friday, Feb. 23rd. However, there had been official report from Frehley’s people, KISS, or even a credible news agency.

Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia also listed Frehley as dead from suicide, but stated more information concerning the death had yet to be reported or confirmed. It has since removed the death information.

Frehley is said to have taken the news of his death well, reportedly responding: "I don't know how this ridiculous rumor got started."

Ace Frehley (who’s real name is Paul Daniel Frehley) was born on April 27, 1951, and was one of the original members of the iconic rock band Kiss. Frehley left the band in 1982 to pursue a solo career. He rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a reunion tour and new album, but left again in 2002 during its Farewell Tour.

Top 10 Ad's with people dressed as food

See them HERE.

College students think they're so special

Study finds alarming rise in narcissism, self-centeredness in ‘Generation Me’

NEW YORK - Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

“We need to stop endlessly repeating ‘You’re special’ and having children repeat that back,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. “Kids are self-centered enough already.”

Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.

The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as “If I ruled the world, it would be a better place,” “I think I am a special person” and “I can live my life any way I want to.”

The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students’ NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.

We're all above average!
Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people “or auditioning on ‘American Idol.”’

“Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others,” he said.

The study asserts that narcissists “are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors.”

Twenge, the author of “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before,” said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.

The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the “self-esteem movement” that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.

‘I am special, I am special’
As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques” in preschool: “I am special, I am special. Look at me.”

“Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism,” Twenge said. “By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube.”

Some analysts have commended today’s young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications.

Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies.

“Permissiveness seems to be a component,” he said. “A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for.”

The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be “very well-off financially.” That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966.

Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don’t necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation.

Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status.

“We’re encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way,” Kader said. “I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships.”

Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered.

Enough about me, what do you think about me?
“People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they’re going to find a place in the world,” she said. “People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn’t mean they’re not concerned about the rest of the world.”

Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. “It would be more depressing if people answered, ‘No, I’m not special.”’

Bluegrass Wrecks the Music of Tenacious D

Click on a track to hear a preview

1. The History of Tenacious D
2. Fuck Her Gently
3. Kielbasa
4. Double Team
5. Karate
6. Kyle Quit the Band
7. Wonderboy
8. Explosivo
9. Jesus Ranch
10. Sasquatch

A creative approach?

Stand-in Chinese mistress sought to take wife's abuse

BEIJING - A Chinese businessman has advertised on the Internet for a stand-in mistress to be beaten up by his wife to vent her anger and to protect his real mistress, Chinese media reported on Monday.

"When the woman found out her husband had a mistress, she insisted on beating her up," the Beijing Youth Daily said, citing the advertisement posted on a popular online jobs forum on sina.com.

More than 10 people had applied for the job, the newspaper said. The "successful" candidate would be 35 and originally from northeastern China and would be paid 3,000 yuan ($400) per 10 minutes, it said.

Many Chinese businessmen keep mistresses in second homes, a trend banished after the Communists swept to power in 1949 but which has made a comeback with market reforms in recent decades.

Singer Gentry Sentenced in Bear Killing

DULUTH, Minn. -- Troy Lee Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, has been sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine for killing a captive black bear. He also must give up hunting in Minnesota for five years.

Gentry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in November. Under a plea deal, he agreed to forfeit the bear and the bow he used during the hunt near Sandstone. The 600-pound bear has been part of a taxidermy display at Gentry's home in Tennessee. He was sentenced Friday.

The bear was killed in October 2004 at the 80-acre Minnesota Wildlife Connection. Owner Lee Marvin Greenly sold the bear for $4,650 and orchestrated the hunt, which Gentry videotaped and edited to make it appear the bear had been killed in a fair chase hunt, according to authorities.

Montgomery Gentry, which includes co-singer Eddie Montgomery, are known for hits such as "My Town" and "If You Ever Stop Loving Me."

What It Will Take for Howard K. to Go Away?

Negotiations between Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead now have nothing to do with little Dannielynn. It's all about money.

Sources say that Howard K. Stern has all but conceded that Larry Birkhead is the dad.

Exhibit A: TMZ's story yesterday that Stern has already let Birkhead spend time with the baby. We're told Stern is willing to cooperate with paternity matters if the price is right. Specifically, sources say Stern has his eye on the Bahamian house Anna Nicole bought (not Horizons), and the boat she purchased just before her death. But that is not the end of Stern's financial wish list. Sources say he has set his sights on other assets as well.

Under the will and the laws of inheritance, Dannielynn would get all her mom's assets. Nonetheless, we're told the house, the boat and other assets are being discussed. It is unclear how Stern might lay claim to the items in question. Nonetheless, we're told that's precisely what he wants.

Celebrity partygoers exposed to Hepatitis A

A Sports Illustrated bash for its annual swimsuit issue has turned into a health scare for stars in Hollywood after a caterer working for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck may have exposed them to acute Hepatitis A.

The Los Angeles County health department recommended on Tuesday that anyone who ate uncooked food at the U.S. sports magazine's party on February 14 get treatment by Wednesday to avoid developing the serious liver disease.

Health officials said the risk was "quite low" and that no Wolfgang Puck pre-packaged foods or restaurants were affected.

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus spread by ingesting something contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice.

Carl Shuster, president of Wolfgang Puck Catering, said the company was working closely with health officials to contact anyone who ate food prepared in its Hollywood kitchen between February 1 and 20.

Shuster said the worker was placed on medical leave and the company has "applied exceptional procedures" to disinfect the kitchens and food processing areas.

"Our catering efforts continue and we remain confident that our guests will receive the highest standards of excellence for which Wolfgang Puck is known," the statement said.

This year's swimsuit issue features singer-actress Beyonce Knowles as the cover model, with rapper Kanye West, country star Kenny Chesney and members of the bands Aerosmith and Gnarls Barkley posing with scantily clad models.

20 New Ocean Species Found in Indonesia

Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia in a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said Wednesday.

The survey by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, or CSIRO, represents the first in-depth look at Indonesia's sharks and rays since Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker described more than 1,100 fish species from 1842-60.

Researchers said six of their discoveries have been described in peer review journals, including the Bali Catshark and Jimbaran Shovelnose Ray, found only in Bali, and the Hortle's Whipray, found only in West Papua.

Papers on the remaining 14 are being prepared.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world, with reported landings of more than 100,000 tons a year," said William White, a co-author of the study. "Before this survey, however, there were vast gaps in our knowledge of sharks and rays in this region."

From 2001 to 2006, researchers photographed and sampled more than 130 species on 22 survey trips to 11 ports across Indonesia. More than 800 specimens were lodged in reference collections at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense at Cibinong, Java, and the Australian National Fish Collection at Hobart.

The survey was part of a broader project working toward improved management of sharks and rays in Indonesia and Australia, researchers said.

"Good taxonomic information is critical to managing shark and ray species, which reproduce relatively slowly and are extremely vulnerable to overfishing," White said in a statement. "It provides the foundation for estimating population sizes, assessing the effects of fishing and developing plans for fisheries management and conservation."

A MR SHOW Classic...

Printable Cold Sores

Nowhere in advertising is the gap between natural beauty and manufactured perfection more apparent than on subway posters. As we wait for transportation, we are unwillingly assaulted by larger-than-life representations of supposedly beautiful salespeople. The large scale of these ads and their extremely close proximity to the viewer offer up more than perceived intimacy, however... they give us the chance to see the mechanical flaws designed to correct their physical flaws.

Why don't we just see them for what they are? They are regular people just like us, they just have a team of retouchers waiting at the ready.

Printable cold sores allow us to take action! Bring these people back down to our level, and tell advertisers that you don't agree with their message. How can you help? It's easy...

1. Download the printable cold sore sheet. This is optimized for use with 1" x 2 5/8" Avery Easy Peel Clear Mailing Labels, #18660.



2. Print it out on a transparency sticker sheet.



3. Tag an subway poster that seems appropriate.



4. Document and submit to printablecoldsores@gmail.com

5. Repeat.

*NOTE: Tagging subway ads is illegal! You can make your point simply by documenting your work, removing your stickers, and submitting an image. I am in no way responsible for your actions, I am merely presenting a theoretical solution to a real-world problem.

Elizabeth Taylor Celebrates Her 75th Birthday in Vegas

GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD

Nashville Electric Service/Gore House

2006

High 22619 kWh Aug – Sept
Low 12541 kWh Jan - Feb
Average: 18,414 kWh per month

2005

High 20532 Sept - October
Low 12955 Feb - March
Average: 16,200 kWh per month

Bill amounts

2006 – $895.60 (low) $1738.52 (high)
2005 – $853.91 (low) $1461 (high)

Nashville Gas Company

Main House
2006 – $990(high) $170 (low) $536 (average)
2005 – $1080 (high) $200 (low) $640 (average)

Guest House/Pool House

2006 – $820 (high) $70 (low) $544 (average)
2005 – $1025 (high) $25 (low) $525 (average)

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, issued a press release late Monday:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

Rap-Cat in trouble with "THE MAN".

The Rap-Cat Website HERE.

TAMPA– Some local animal control workers have a beef with a popular fast food chain. They say Tampa-based Checkers Restaurants is encouraging customers to stick cats inside paper bags. While it's supposed to be part of a humorous ad campaign, some people aren't laughing.

All the controversy started with a commercial, and it turned into something weird on the internet. People began shooting videos of their cats wearing the Checkers paper bags, which led the restaurant to start a "cat-in-a-bag" contest.

The company printed instructions on the side of their hamburger bags so customers would know how to make the bags into attire for their felines.

The bags instructed customers to cut holes for the paws and tail, push the cat in backwards, and then take a picture for their restaurant's website. It does include a disclaimer advising people not to harm or endanger any cats, but Animal Services employees say there's no safe way to put a cat into a paper bag.

"If you are knowingly trying to put a domestic cat into a paper bag, it's patently ridiculous," said Marti Ryan of Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Experts say it's also dangerous. Some cats get so upset during the process, they could hurt someone. Even trained handlers have trouble putting some cats in places they don't want to go.

Animal workers claim the contest has led to cat abuse, meaning they could arrest the animals' owners, and even go after Checkers.

"I'm told the county attorney may seek an injunction," said Ryan.

Managers at Checkers' headquarters would not talk on camera, but they issued a statement. It reads:

"We received dozens of letters...requesting Rap Cat merchandise...our new Web site...and carry-out bags are...intended only as a creative extension of our television campaign."

That does not address the county's concerns.

"At issue here is the idea that you're asking a pet to do something against its will and forcing it into a bag," said Ryan.

That's why the county may challenge Checkers to a cat fight in court.

Mother of the Year

In a zoo in California , a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of
triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the
pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size,
they died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started
to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The
veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a
depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate
another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.

After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing
news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to
the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that
had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one
species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans"
that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo
keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the
babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops??
Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!

Chong to Raise Money for 'Guru of Ganja'

Comedian Tommy Chong will help raise money to defend the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja," who is charged with growing hundreds of marijuana plants for a dispensary.

Chong, who starred with Cheech Marin in stoner movie classics "Up in Smoke" and "Nice Dreams," will appear at a $125-per-person event for Ed Rosenthal.

Rosenthal, 62, famed for his marijuana cultivation books and the "Ask Ed" column he wrote for High Times magazine, will host the event at his Piedmont home on March 4.

"The party will celebrate how far we've come in legalizing medical marijuana as well as provide me with the money I need to fund my current trial that is defending all of our rights," Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal, who's scheduled to appear in federal court March 19, estimates his trial and related expenses could cost more than $300,000.

Federal prosecutors accused Rosenthal of growing marijuana, laundering money and falsifying tax returns from October 2001 through February 2002.

In a post to his Web log, The Blog of Chong, on Saturday, Chong urged his readers to attend the benefit for Rosenthal and donate to his defense. "Ed is being dogged by the feds for his marijuana work with sick people," Chong wrote. "It is the feds who are sick."

Mr Chong's web presense HERE.

Britney Shears - BID NOW !!!

BID LINK HERE.

Hummmm.....

Take a look HERE.

James Brown's DNA dispute settled

A lawyer for James Brown's partner says an agreement has been reached over obtaining DNA samples from the late soul singer's body.

Lawyers for Brown's trustees wanted DNA samples to help sort out several paternity claims made against the singer since he died two months ago.

Brown's partner, Tomi Rae Hynie, originally didn't like the way the trustees wanted the DNA collected, her lawyer, Robert Rosen, said.

But both sides have reached an agreement on how to collect the samples, leading to the cancellation of a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Rosen told The Augusta Chronicle.

Instead, the lawyers plan to present an order for the judge to sign, Rosen said.

Rosen did not return a phone message from The Associated Press left at his office Tuesday.

Brown, who died on December 25 at the age of 73, has yet to be buried. His trustees have said it would be easier to collect the DNA samples before he is entombed in his final resting place.

Representatives of Hynie and Brown's six adult children have said they reached an agreement on where to bury the singer, but have not made the arrangements public.

Hynie says she is the singer's fourth wife and has a child with Brown. She says she wants a paternity test to prove it.

Attorneys for the singer have said Brown and Hynie weren't legally married when he died because she was married to another man when they said their vows.

IT'S COMING ....TODAY....

Go HERE.

Top 10 Reno 911 Moments

See them HERE.

Mice get smarter with drug

Down syndrome researchers see promise in PTZ, or pentylenetetrazole.

Lab mice with the mental retardation of Down syndrome got smarter after being fed a drug that strengthened brain circuits involved in learning and memory, researchers reported Sunday.

After receiving once-daily doses of pentylenetetrazole, or PTZ, for 17 days, the mice could recognize objects and navigate mazes as well as normal mice did, researchers said. The improvements lasted up to two months after the drug was discontinued, according to the report in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Scientists said the study opened a promising avenue for research in a field that had seen little success.

"These mice are essentially restored to normal, which I haven't seen before," said David Patterson, a Down syndrome researcher at the University of Denver, who was not involved in the study. "And the treatment seems to be long-lasting, which is a pretty surprising observation all by itself."

Senior study author Craig C. Garner, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, said his lab was preparing to conduct human trials of the drug, although he said it would take time to complete more preliminary studies and procure a supply of purified PTZ.

People with Down syndrome should not be given the drug until it has been studied further, he cautioned, because PTZ can induce seizures at high doses and might have other serious side effects.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. The syndrome occurs in one of 660 births and usually causes cognitive deficits, cardiac problems and physical abnormalities, such as low muscle tone, short stature and an upward slant to the eyes. More than 300,000 Americans have Down syndrome, making it the leading cause of mental retardation. There is no approved drug to improve cognition in people with Down syndrome.

PTZ blocks a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid, researchers said. GABA, as it is called, passes messages between neurons along specific brain pathways. Normal brains have a balance of neurotransmitters that excite neurons and make learning possible, and of GABA, which slows neurons down so they do not become overly stimulated. It is believed that people with Down syndrome have too much GABA, inhibiting brain circuits involved in learning and memory.

The drug was used until 1982 to enhance cognition in the elderly and mentally impaired people, but was removed from the market by the Food and Drug Administration because studies showed no clear benefits. Garner said he believed the drug failed in part because the dosing schedule then was different from the one his team used in mice.

The mice were genetically altered to possess cognitive impairments similar to those of Down syndrome patients.

Tests compared the mental abilities of mice fed PTZ against healthy mice and untreated altered mice.

Researchers said the drug took effect after several days. Once established, the improvements were long-lasting, although after three months the circuits in the brain showed a decline in activity, Garner said.

Scientists also fed PTZ to normal mice, but the drug had no effect on the animals' mental skills.

Stanford graduate student Fabian Fernandez, who designed the experiment, said the 17-day dose in mice was equivalent to a two- to three-year daily regimen in people. If the drug worked in humans as it did in mice — and there was no assurance it would — PTZ could produce cognitive improvements lasting up to 10 years, he said.

Professor Lynn Nadel, a Down syndrome researcher at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the research, said: "These results are very encouraging that it will ultimately be possible to do something to improve outcomes in Down syndrome."

Fernandez said the effect of PTZ on the mice prompted his Stanford colleagues to tease him that he was recreating the popular 1966 book "Flowers for Algernon," in which a fictional mouse masters mazes after an experimental surgery, then reverts when the effect wears off. Fernandez said researchers almost referred to the book in their study, but decided against it because their mice fared better than Algernon.

The book was adapted into the 1968 movie "Charly," for which Cliff Robertson won a best actor Oscar.

The research was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and several foundations, including the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation, which was started in Silicon Valley by parents of children with Down syndrome.

Patricia A. O'Brien White, a co-founder of the foundation, said medical advances since the 1980s had more than doubled the life span of people with Down syndrome, to 56, increasing the likelihood that they would outlive the parents who cared for them. A small gain in cognition would allow a significant number of people with Down syndrome to hold jobs and live independently, she said.

"Typically the message that parents receive when the child is born is that nothing can be done," White said. "I think this study offers a different perspective."

Duct Tape Bandages

The nice thing about 3M owning so many lines of products, is that they can cross the brands to make some interesting hybrids.

Nexcare 3M Duct Tape Bandages are bandages made to look and feel like real duct tape. The packaging says they provide "heavy-duty protection for minor cuts and scrapes", and are longer in length to accomodate the meatier fingers of a workin' man.

oh...skinny models, now i get it...

Phone Fun : It was only a matter of time....

We all send romantic, suggestive text messages to our partners, often deliberately to get them going. Imagine if these texts could touch the body as well as the mind. Thanks to new technology, now they can. Mental images and physical sensations are one with The Toy. Your text fantasies are no longer confined to the imagination. With The Toy you can unite, wherever you are...

What is The Toy?

The Toy is a hi-tech vibrating bullet. Connected to a mobile phone with Bluetooth it becomes an intimate, silent connection between two lovers, regardless of distance. Custom designed for your pleasure, it is intelligent, sophisticated and invented for bliss.

The Toy is worn internally, linked to a mobile phone and controlled by sms text messages sent to the phone. Once read, the message is transported automatically to The Toy, which turns it into vibrations - with a huge range of movements, depending on what you have written. Just say what you feel, The Toy will do the rest.

In VMax mode, The Toy is also a manual vibrator with powerful and varied motions. A rechargeable battery gives sufficient energy to play all day. When you're apart, The Toy is all you need.

The Toy can enhance your relationship! Regardless of where you are, shopping in town, at your place of work, or across an ocean, as long as you can get a signal on your mobiles, you can intimately connect. Imagine that fantasy...

Order it HERE.

Johnny Sings Bonanza

Broke Jackson Family to Tour Again

Jacko, Janet Will Tour

It had to happen eventually: With no work coming his way, Michael Jackson, sources say, has agreed to do a tour with sister Janet and his brothers.

I'm told that Michael reluctantly met with his siblings on Monday in Las Vegas. Sisters Janet and Rebbie, as well as Jermaine, Randy, Marlon, Tito and Jackie, all knocked on Jackson's Las Vegas door around 7:30 p.m. Nanny Grace Rwaramba, who runs the door, made them wait between 30 and 60 minutes before allowing the brood in.

What was discussed was the family's financial situation and the fact that Jackson has so far been unable to get work in Vegas. Sources say concert promoter Leonard Rowe of Atlanta, who worked with the Jacksons in the 1980s, was there and made a proposal: a family tour with all members.

The weird thing is, Michael seemed to understand what was happening.

That's good, too, because Jackson is still "radioactive," according to those familiar with the casino business. For example: The owner of one big casino hotel in the Caribbean recently told his chief executive to make sure Jackson was not invited to a big music event being arranged there this summer.

A successful Jackson family tour could change all that for Michael. It would also be a financial boon to a family that needs cash in a hurry. Jackson recently took a new mortgage on his parents' home, and his own home — the Neverland Valley Ranch — is in hoc to the tune of $25 million. Jackson himself relies on cash from royalties on his own songs. But that only comes to a maximum of $7 million a year. As described in court testimony, Jackson could go through that kind of money in just a couple of weeks.

The tour idea also works for Janet Jackson, whose last two albums have been huge duds. The idea of Michael and Janet performing a couple of duets, or Janet's brothers backing her on her own hits, would be a tantalizing notion to any promoter.

Nuts in Space: Nasa's Plan?

Our Three Presidents

Tenga Onacup Hole Warmer

Buy HERE.

Tenga, the brand that brought us a huge line of masturbation toys (also called onacups) that can simulate nearly any act or (blush) orifice, has come up with a very handy tool to couple with their stylish designer “cups”.

The Tenga Hole Warmer is a microwavable and REUSABLE insert that warms the toys to the perfect temperature for realistic body warmth. Simply put it in the microwave for 20 seconds, shake it up, pop it in for another 20 seconds and insert in one of your favorite designer self-pleasure onacups. The warmer is small, reusable, and easy to use: When the liquid inside crystallizes and it “clicks” up, it’s ready. Real women can’t warm up this easily!

Habanos Festival 2007

See the Festival HERE.

Cigar aficionados should not expect to see ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro strut out to greet them at the annual Habanos festival, but they will be able to bid for humidors signed by him.

The maker of Cuba’s famous hand-rolled cigars said on Tuesday that five elaborate humidors to be signed by Castro will be auctioned for charity at the closing gala dinner on March 2.

“There’ll be five humidors signed by the Comandante,” said Enrique Babot, marketing director for Habanos S.A., a joint venture between Cuba’s communist state and Spanish-French tobacco group Altadis.

The chance to meet Castro has drawn well-heeled cigar smokers from across the world to the lavish banquets each year, but the ageing revolutionary has missed the last three.

Emergency intestinal surgery forced him to relinquished power to his brother Raul Castro on July 31. He has not reappeared in public since. A video clip released two weeks ago showed the 80-year-old leader had put on weight but still looked frail.

Humidors signed by Castro and filled with Cuban cigars were auctioned for 610,000 euros ($730,000) last year. The proceeds go to cancer research in Cuba.

Castro, once a cigar-chomping guerrilla, gave up cigars in 1986 and has said tobacco is a poison and boxes of cigars are best given to one’s enemies.

Some 1,300 aficionados and retailers are expected for the Habanos festival starting Feb 26.

For five days they will puff away at the world’s finest cigars, tour factories to see the cigars being rolled by hand and visit tobacco plantations outside Havana.

The Cuban cigar industry will unveil an entirely aged version of the Montecristo No. 4, perhaps the top-selling cigar ever, Babot said. The Reserva de Montecristo will have binder and filler leaves, not just the wrapper, that have been fermented and aged for three years, as Cuba moves to add value to its sales.

Habanos’ sales rose 10 percent last year to $370 million, despite the fact that Cuban cigars are barred from the United States, the world’s largest market for cigars.

“U.S. trade sanctions have not affected our sales. On the contrary, there is more and more demand for Habanos in other places,” Babot said.

More than 400 million cigars are sold each year worldwide, half of them in the United States. Cuba sells 60 percent of its cigar output to Europe where smoking restrictions have begun to hurt sales, and is looking to Asia for sales growth.

Penelope Cruz: The Oscar dress

Daniel Baldwin: Britney Doing "Great" in Rehab

Britney Spears seems “a little fearful” but is “doing the do,” according to Spears' rehab compatriot Daniel Baldwin, 46, who says he’s 97 days sober and recently ran into the pop princess in Malibu.

“I told her if she needed anything or if she wanted me to bring anything to her where she’s at, I’d be happy to come see her,” Baldwin said Sunday at the "Night of 100 Stars" pre-Oscar party at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“She’s doing great; she looks great,” added Baldwin, saying he gave Brit his number after running into her two days ago in Malibu.

“She seemed like she was a little fearful,” he continued. “I mean, she’s a young girl – I have kids older than her. I think that she knows that she needs some help, and God bless her. All we can do is pray. That’s what I want people to do: Pray for her.”

Baldwin, who was arrested in April on charges of being under the influence and carrying cocaine paraphernalia, said he left Brit with simple advice: “Don’t drink. Don’t use.”

“It’s really simple,” he said. “One thing I mentioned to her is if you took a look at how much effort you put into going out – at least for me – going out and using and doing the things we do, compared to how much effort you need to do to stay sober, it’s infinitesimal on a comparison basis.”

I hope Britney understands what that means, because Idon’t.

Another thing I don't understand: Isn't it a violation of the Anonymous part AA to blab about THE BRITNEYS mental well-being in rehab?

Pakistan Kite Festival

At least 11 people died and more than 100 people were injured at an annual spring festival in eastern Pakistan celebrated with the flying of thousands of colourful kites, officials said today.

The deaths and injuries were caused by stray bullets, sharpened kite-strings, electrocution and people falling off rooftops yesterday at the conclusion of the two-day Basant festival, said Ruqia Bano, spokeswoman for emergency service in the city of Lahore.

The festival is regularly marred by casualties caused by sharp kite strings or celebratory gunshots fired into the air.

Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to cross and cut a rival’s string or damage the other kite, often after betting on the outcome.

Lahore Mayor Mian Amier Mahmood said that the two-day permission to fly kites ended yesterday and the ban has been re-imposed.

Police arrested more than 700 people for using sharpened kite strings or firing guns and seized 282 illegally held weapons during this year’s festival, said Aftab Cheema, a senior Lahore police officer.

Sharpton's Kin were Slaves to Thurmond's

Geneaologists have found that civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton is a descendent of a slave owned by relatives of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Daily News said professional genealogists, working at the newspaper's behest, recently uncovered the ancestral ties between one of the nation's best known black leaders and a man who was once a prominent defender of segregation.

``I have always wondered what was the background of my family,'' the newspaper quoted Sharpton as saying. ``But nothing, nothing could prepare me for this.''

``It's chilling. It's amazing.''

Sharpton's office said Sunday morning that he planned to discuss the findings further at a news conference later in the day, but would not comment before then.

Some of Thurmond's relatives said the connection also came as a surprise to them. A niece, Ellen Senter, said she would speak with Sharpton if he were interested.

``I doubt you can find many native South Carolinians today whose family, if you traced them back far enough, didn't own slaves,'' said Senter, 61, of Columbia, S.C. She added: ``And it is wonderful that (Sharpton) was able to become what he is in spite of what his forefather was.''

One of the late senator's sons, Paul Thurmond, and a nephew, Barry Bishop, declined to comment, the Daily News said.

According to the Daily News, the genealogists found documents establishing that Sharpton's great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather. Coleman Sharpton was later freed.

The newspaper said the lead researcher was Megan Smolenyak, the chief family historian for Ancestry.com and an author of several published books on genealogy. Another researcher on the project was Tony Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State University.

Strom Thurmond, of South Carolina, was once considered a symbol of segregation. During his 1948 bid for president, he promised to preserve racial segregation. In 1957, he filibustered for more than

24 hours against a civil rights bill.

But Thurmond was seen as softening his stance later in his long life. He died in 2003, at 100. The longest-serving senator in history, he was originally a Democrat but became a Republican in
1964.

His children have acknowledged that Thurmond fathered a biracial daughter. Essie Mae Washington-Williams' mother was a housekeeper in the home of Thurmond's parents.

The Coffin of Jesus 2.0

A Hollywood director will today unveil three coffins he claims were those of Jesus, his mother Mary and his 'wife' Mary Magdalene.

James Cameron says he has proof that Jesus married Mary and that she bore him a son, Judah, who was buried alongside them.

The Titanic director has produced a documentary telling the story of ten stone coffins found in a 2,000-year-old tomb in Jerusalem by Israeli builders.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus, made for the Discovery Channel, will be shown in the U.S. this week and later in Britain by Channel 4.

Today, Cameron is holding a press conference on what he describes as 'one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time'.

Crucially, he is not denying the resurrection - as there were no bones in the caskets.

But the £2million film still strikes at the foundation of Christianity in the same manner as the novel The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, in claiming that Jesus married and had a family.

His theory, which has already met with derision from experts, centres on a tomb found in the Talpiot suburb in 1980. Inside, archaeologists found ten coffins, or caskets for bones, and three skulls.

Six had names etched into them, which were translated as Jesus son of Joseph, Judah son of Jesus, Maria, Mariamne (thought to be Mary Magdalene's real name), Joseph and Matthew.

At the time the inscriptions provoked little interest. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the names were common at the time.

A connection to the holy family was not made until 15 years later, when a film crew stumbled across the collection in a storeroom.

Though the bones had long since been reburied elsewhere, as was the custom, tiny traces of DNA left in the caskets were tested.

The results for the coffins labelled Jesus and Mariamne showed the two were not related by blood, leading Cameron and his team to conclude they were married.

The film's Israeli director, Simcha Jacobovici, said: 'Either this cluster-of names represents the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.

'Or some other family, with this very same constellation of names, existed at precisely the same time in history in Jerusalem.'

The idea that Mary Magdalene had a child with Jesus was the main theme of The Da Vinci Code. The book claimed their union was kept secret in a church conspiracy.

The location of Cameron's conference is being kept secret until the last moment to stop crowds trying to see the artefacts. The cave in which they were found has also been put under armed guard.

However, the archaeologist who oversaw the work at the tomb described the theory as 'nonsense'.

Amos Kloner said the names found on the coffins had been found in tombs before, adding: 'It makes a great story for a TV film, but it's impossible.

'Jesus and his relatives were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the first century.'

Moment of Zen

Fake Private Parts Are No Joke, Myers Says

Delegate Wants to Ban Vehicle Displays of Plastic Genitals
Get yours HERE.

Maryland Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. to truckers: If you've got 'em, you don't need to flaunt 'em.

As the General Assembly debates global warming and the death penalty, Myers (R-Washington) has something else on his mind: the outsized plastic testicles that truckers dangle from the trailer hitches of their pickups.

To some truckers, they are manly expressions of rural chic. But Myers, who says his Western Maryland district is brimming with giant fakes on the roadways, calls them vulgar and immoral -- and filed legislation this week to outlaw them.

"People are making a joke out of it," Myers said yesterday. "But I think it's a pretty serious problem. You have body parts hanging from the hitches of cars. We've crossed a line."

His bill would prohibit motorists from displaying anything resembling or depicting "anatomically correct" or "less than completely and opaquely covered" human or animal genitals, human buttocks or female breasts. The offense would carry a penalty.

A hunter could still throw a freshly killed and uncovered deer in the back of his pickup, though, because the deer's body parts would be real, Myers said.

Myers, 56, said he's trying to match the standards of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who has pledged to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. "We have a governor whose agenda is, 'Let's make us the best,' " the delegate said. "So let's clean up what our children are seeing on our roads."

Myers, a general contractor with four grown children, represents Washington and Alleghany counties in Maryland's most rural corner. He said he acted at the request of a constituent who was distressed by what he saw as he drove down a highway.

Since Myers submitted the bill Tuesday, it has been the brunt of jokes from radio and TV interviewers. "But my office has gotten 100 phone calls from grateful parents," he said.

Civil libertarians say the bill is misplaced. "The solution to speech we don't like is more speech," said Meredith Curtis of the Maryland American Civil Liberties Union. A sticker of the Venus de Milo statue would be illegal if the legislation passes, she said.

Myers's fellow lawmakers seemed bemused. "Hmmm. Is this what the framers had in mind?" Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery) asked jokingly.

The truck ornament industry is not amused. "It's not a perverted sexual thing at all," said David Ham, founder of Your Nutz, a San Diego-based business that sells more than 200 kinds of fake testicles. "It's a sense of humor. This lawmaker is looking out for two or three old women in tennis shoes. He's got too much time on his hands."

Ham said he shipped about 100 orders last year to customers in Maryland and Virginia. He said those who support a ban would do well to recall that 50 years ago, many people in the nation lived on farms. "Did all the little donkeys and sheep walk around with their panties on so children wouldn't see their bodies?" he asked.

The bill is now in the House Rules Committee. "I think it's a terrible bill," Chairman Hattie N. Harrison (D-Baltimore) said yesterday, but she agreed to defer to her colleagues on whether to let it die a quick death in committee or assign it to another one for a full debate.

Well it is Sunday After all....

Peter Pan Peanut Butter Lid

See it HERE.

PETER PAN PEANUT BUTTER

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, IT SENT ME STRAIGHT TO THE BATHROOM!!

You are bidding on a empty, steralized Peter Pan Peanut Butter Lid marked with product code, 21116350001846a, that may have contained Salmonella.

The story is in all the headlines. Symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal pain leading to possible hospitalization. And I suffered through it all and endured much anguish, just to bring you this listing.

Yes, I did it . . . I ate that ENTIRE jar of peanut butter only to end up sick as a dog and even had to miss one day of work. But, I'd suffer through it all again, just to bring you this WACKY, TOTALLY BIZARRE OPPORTUNITY.

Many people have filed suit against ConAgra Food or are cashing their jars in for a full refund, but I've chosen to list it right here, so you have a chance to own a piece of EBAY and PETER PAN HISTORY. These lids are officially being called collectibles.

Where's Nick Cage?

See more photos HERE.