2 Down, 8 to Go

Bettie Page, Queen of the Pin-Ups, Dead

Pinup queen led a sexual revolution

Louis Sahagun, Sahagun is a NY Times staff writer.

Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died Thursday night at Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had been on life support since suffering a heart attack Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler.

A cult figure, Page was most famous for the estimated 20,000 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 to 1957. The photos showed her in high heels and bikinis or negligees, bondage apparel -- or nothing at all.

Decades later, those images inspired biographies, comic books, fan clubs, websites, commercial products -- Bettie Page playing cards, dress-up magnet sets, action figures, Zippo lighters, shot glasses -- and, in 2005, a film about her life and times, "The Notorious Bettie Page."

Read more here.

Cute Video...

After Months of Nothing - NY goes into Overdrive!

I've been frustrated for months now.

While I've managed to put aside a nice little bundle of NY moolah, I haven't made any other progress towards the BIG MOVE.

Well, that drought is over.

We've been asked to vacate our current property. Not evicted - but the landlord is anxious to bulldoze the area and build nice condos. So we have till the end of the month to be out.

How does this affect my NYC plans?

Simple: instead of looking for a new apartment, a new lease, a new 12 month contract to sign, I'm looking for a short term room only. So next year, instead of looking for another short term room, I'll be packing up and heading for the Big Apple.

Ah, life is good....

Pic(k) of the Day

I Love Tina Fey!

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Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades has died after a long battle with cancer, a spokesman said on Saturday.

He was 83, and he died on Friday night, said his Los Angeles-based spokesman Jeff Sanderson.

Newman appeared in some 60 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Hustler," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Sting." He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor honor for 1986's "The Color of Money."

Famed for his philanthropy as well as his acting, Newman was married to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward for more than 50 years, and had successful side careers as an auto racing driver and creator of a line of food products, Newman's Own, that bore his name and face on their labels.

The "Newman's Own Foundation," took profits from that company and sponsored numerous charitable organizations. Newman also founded his "Hole in the Wall" Camps, which provided fun summer breaks for children around the world suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

"Paul's Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all," Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of the Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Newman was born in a Cleveland suburb on Jan. 26, 1925, and was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War Two. Afterward, he went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship but took up acting after being cut from the team because of a barroom brawl.

After his father's death, Newman helped run the family sporting goods store before heading to the Yale Drama School.

He ended up in New York, finding bit parts in TV and a Broadway role in "Picnic" in 1953. His first major movie role was portraying boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me." (Writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)

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Sex & the City - Coming to DVD tomorrow!!

Pic(k) of the Day

Progress!

So I keep getting very irritated recently. I'm not savong money as fast as I would like. I feel like my progress to New York is stunted at the moment.

Then I try to remember that I've already come a long way. For example, I've been walking back and forth to work every day for the past few weeks. Now the bus only costs $1.60 for a one way trip, so it seems silly to avoid the bus to save money...until:

Cost of one bus ride: $1.60
Cost of trip (to and from work): $3.20
Cost of bus trips to work, one week: $16.00
Cost of bus trips, to work only, for one year: $832!!!

That's a chunk of change!

I also have quit smoking. This for me is a big shock. I didn't think I've ever be able to do it. And yet my last cigarette was Sunday. So let's see what I'm saving with quitting:

Average cigs smoked in one day: One pack
Average cost of pack: $4.50
Cost of smoking for one week: $31.50
Cost of smoking for one year: $1638.00

And that's low balling how much I spend - not counting lighters.

So I'm actually saving $2500 bucks a year this way, money that will go towards New York City.

I like that total a whole lot better.

Beauty and Intelligence all Mish-Mashed into One

The End of the World

Pic(k) of the Day

7 Years Tribulation: 9117YL

Track listing:

1. Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins
3. My City of Ruins - Bruce Springsteen
4. Give Me Tired, Your Poor - James Horner
5. I Can't See New York - Tori Amos
6. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
7. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen - Louis Armstrong
8. I Love New York - Madonna
9. The Long Road - Eddie Vedder
10. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Bessie Smith
12. Self Evident - Ani Difranco
13. Leaving On a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul, and Mary
14. See You In September - The Happenings
15. Fragile - Sting
16. Lost - Annie Lennox
17. Song For the Lonely - Cher
18. We'll Meet Again - Johnny Cash

http://rapidshare.com/files/141071681/7_Years_Tribulation-_9117YL.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/141076075/7_Years_Tribulation-_9117YL.part2.rar

Pic(k) of the Day

Brooke Shields

Some Disappointing Initial Figures

Total Amount Currenly raised: $31.48

Hmmmmm......

Sarah Palin is so hot....

1 Done - 9 to Go

I Deserve It

This guy was meant for me
And I was meant for him
This guy was dreamt for me
And I was dreamt for him

This guy has danced for me
And I have danced for him
This guy has cried for me
And I have cried for him

Many miles, many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts, many years have unraveled
Leading up to today

This guy has prayed for me
And I have prayed for him
This guy was made for me
And I was made for him

Many miles, many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts, many years have unraveled
Leading up to today

I have no regrets
There's nothing to forget
All the pain was worth it

Not running from the past
I tried to do what's best
I know that I deserve it

Many miles, many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts, many years have unraveled
Leading up to today

Many miles, many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts, many years have unraveled
Leading up to today

And I thank you

Pic(k) of the Day

Anita Page (1910 - 2008)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anita Page, an MGM actress who appeared in films with Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton during the transition from silent movies to talkies, has died. She was 98.

Page died in her sleep early Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles, said actor Randal Malone, her longtime friend and companion.

Page's career, which spanned 84 years, began in 1924 when she started as an extra.

Her big break came in 1928 when she won a major role — as the doomed bad girl — in "Our Dancing Daughters," a film that featured a wild Charleston by Crawford and propelled them both to stardom. It spawned two sequels, "Our Modern Maidens" and "Our Blushing Brides." Page and Crawford were in all three films.

Read more here.

Pic(k) of the Day

Welcome...to my bathroom

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I'm gonna go sleep on top of the dog house...

By Mike Barnes

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Bill Melendez, best known for bringing the Peanuts characters to life with such classics as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," died Tuesday at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica. He was 91.

Melendez, the only animator permitted by Charles M. Schulz to work with the Peanuts characters, earned eight Emmy Awards, 17 Emmy nominations, one Oscar nomination and two Peabody Awards. He began his career at Disney and Warner Bros., working on classic characters at those studios, and spent more than 70 years in the entertainment industry.

Read more here.

Movie Trailers Will Never Sound the Same

Voiceover Master Don LaFontaine has died. He was 68.

LaFontaine, known as the "King of Voiceovers," died Monday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. LaFontaine's agent, Vanessa Gilbert, tells ET that he passed away following complications from Pneumothorax, the presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity, the result of a collapsed lung. The official cause of death has not yet been released.

Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the "King of Voiceovers." Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer industry, Don also worked as the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. By conservative estimates, he voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors.

He recently parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for Geico. At last count, he has worked on nearly 5000 films, including appearances as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards. Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of SAG. Don is survived by his wife -- singer/actress Nita Whitaker, and three children: Christine, Skye and Elyse.

Madonna - I Love New York

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Palin daughter has learned the truth at 17

From Dana Bash
CNN

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, dealt with two startling disclosures Monday. She announced that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant and plans to keep the baby. And Palin has hired a lawyer as Alaska investigates the firing of her public safety commissioner.

Palin hired a lawyer three weeks ago to act on her behalf as state legislators investigate whether she may have abused her power in firing the state public safety commisioner for refusing to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper, CNN confirmed.

A report of findings of a legislative inquiry that began several weeks ago is expected to be released just days before Election Day.

Palin also revealed that her daughter Bristol is pregnant and will marry the baby's father.

John McCain was aware of Bristol Palin's pregnancy before he chose her mother for his running mate, a top adviser to the Republican presidential candidate said.

The adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, said Monday that Palin "was completely vetted by the campaign" before she was chosen.

"Sen. McCain knew this and felt in no way did it disqualify her from being vice president," said an aide who asked not to be named. "Families have difficulties sometimes and lucky for her she has a supportive family."

Read more here.

Ben Popken's Guide to Moving to NYC

First, ask yourself...

DO I REALLY NEED TO MOVE TO NEW YORK? Answering no to this is the easiest way to avoid the inevitable hassle and heartache of. New York City is a glittering emerald slut, full of potential and promise, but it can also be a total bitch. Nightlife is down ever since they enacted that cabaret law. The city's conduits of power are increasingly rusty and incestuous. Parts of the city are becoming, or already are, Disney versions of themselves, like the Lower East Side and Times Square, respectively. There's lots of other great cities in the world. The Bay Area has nicer weather. Philadelphia has dirt cheap rents. Even so, New York is awesome and is still the capital of the world for many a human endeavor. Let's move!



TAP PERSONAL CONTACTS. The easiest way to move to NYC is to have a friend, or a friend of a friend, who will let you crash in their apartment until you get your shit together. Be cool and offer to help out with rent as much as you can. If you're broke, maybe offer to clean up the apartment really nice all the time.



SCOPE OUT THE RENTAL MARKET. Determine where you would like to live and how much you can pay. Personal finance gurus recommend spending no more than 25% of your expected salary on rent. Realistically, you may have to spend up to 50%. But if you lock yourself into a high rent so you can live in "the cool spot" you may end up spending all your time inside your stupid little apartment cause you can never afford to go out. Think smaller and cheaper.



On this note, Brooklyn is a nice, cheaper-than-Manhattan place. Fort Greene and Carrol Gardens are good spots to look at in Brooklyn. Rents are relatively affordable, amenities are there, it's not too far from Manhattan, and they're fairly safe. Living near but not next to housing projects is a sure way to get more apartment for your money.



If you must live in Manhattan, Upper Upper West Side (past the 100's) has become affordable. There's places to be found on the more easternly points of the Lower East Side.



Cruise Craiglist for the going rates in your desired area(s) for 2+ roomies. Hone in what rent you think you're going to be paying each month. This number will rule your life.

SAVE Five times your expected monthly rent. To move into a lease, you will probably have to put up two month's rent + security deposit (usually another month's rent). There may even be a broker's fee, which is at least another month's rent. You will need the rest of the money to feed yourself and not feel like a loser. Stuff it in a high-yield online savings account, like HSBC or INGDirect.

DUMP YOUR JUNK. You probably don't need about 90% off what you own. Hold a yard sale. Donate. Digitize everything you don't need a real-world copy of. Put stuff in local storage. Throw it away. Whatever you do, just get rid of it. A good goal is reducing your belongings to an essential wardrobe, books, and your "tools of the trade." For most people this means a computer. For you it may be a welding torch. Shipping costs. Space in NYC is at a premium. Less stuff means less stuff you don't have room for.

LINE UP JOB PROSPECTS. Send out feelers and resumes before you arrive. Tap those personal connections. Let people know you're coming. If you went to college, call up the alumni office and see if they can hook you up with former students in New York. Monster.com has never done anything for us. Craigslist has. Don't get discouraged if people don't initially seem that interested in you. Tons of people say they're going to move to New York but never do, so NYC veterans learn to take a policy of, "I'll see it when I see it." That's okay, just start cranking the wheel on getting a cash flow going as early as possible.

MOVE. Go Greyhound. Fly coach. Drive yourself. U-Hauls and the like can be expensive over long distances, so its cheaper to ship your stuff freight with a trucking company like ROADWAY and then get to NYC by other means. If you've already reduced everything to two pieces of luggage, bonus.

Once you're here...

DO MASLOW. Take care of your pyramid of needs, working from the bottom up. If you have a choice between doing something at the top of this pyramid, versus something at the bottom, do the thing at the bottom. Not taking care of your needs at the bottom will thwart your attempts to do the ones at the top.



At the same time, maybe you will have to eat only one box of pasta a day so you can afford to go out for social drinks. That's fine, just don't make it a habit, or you may end up begging for quarters in Union Square.

GET A JOB. Even if it sucks. You need to make money just to tread water. Our first job was as a bike messenger. In winter. Saner folk go the temping route. Atrium is a fantastic temping agency. Tell them Ben Popken sent you. If you refer people to them who stay on for a few months, you get a small finder's fee.

LEARN TO ENJOY SOLITUDE. It's easy to feel lonely in a city of a gazillion people. That's because you are alone and no one wants to talk to you. Be prepared to have no new friends for at least a year. Be prepared for people who say, "Oh, we'll totally hang out once you're here," and then stand you up even after you set a date. Everyone's got crazy schedules here so "hang out with the new guy" may rank pretty low. Be glad people do this, so you can scratch 'em off your list before they have time to really disappoint you.

BECOME AWESOME. Whatever your deal is, be it your job or your hobby, get really good at it. You will have lots of free time to work on this because you have no friends. Socializing is often centered around people who have "your thing" in common, so it helps to be dedicated and skilled in it. This is for both personal satisfaction, and that other people will take you seriously if you're taking your thing seriously.

TUNNEL. Use the resources of your current crappy job to get you your next, better job. With the money from bike messengering, we bought clothes that made us look presentable for the temp agency. Between directing phone calls at the temp job, we blasted out hundreds of resumes that eventually landed us a job at an online marketing firm. While at the online marketing firm, we started an advertising blog on the company's behalf that ended up getting us a job with Gawker. Now we're tunneling towards building a six-month emergency cushion and doing more personal creative projects.

DON'T MOVE BACK. A lot of people quit New York less than a year after moving. That's a personal choice, but if you're trying to be in New York, obviously leaving it is not a viable solution. If things get so hard you want to move back, ask for help from family and friends. Evaluate the choices you're making, the things you're buying, and see where you can cut back. Realize you're not going to get that super-star job right off the bat (see: BECOME AWESOME). Stiffen that upper lip. Or cry. Whatever you need to do, just don't move back. Life is hard. Welcome to it.

— BEN POPKEN

Oh my...

The massive failure of the US media to report truthfully is sobering. As former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts says, Americans have no awareness of the calamity that their government’s pursuit of hegemony is bringing to themselves and to life on earth. What is wrong with Americans?

Pic(k) of the Day

Interesting Times Revisited

from Wiki:

On 31 August 1997, Diana died after a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris along with Dodi Al-Fayed and the acting security manager of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, Henri Paul, who was instructed to drive the hired Mercedes-Benz through Paris secretly eluding the paparazzi. Their black 1994 Mercedes-Benz S280 (registration no. 688 LTV 75) crashed into the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel. The two-lane tunnel was built without metal barriers in front of the pillars. None of the four occupants wore seat belts.


The paparazzi, who had been trailing the car, arrived at the Alma underpass at different stages. Serge Arnal, Christian Martinez and Stéphane Darmon appear to have arrived first, quickly followed by Serge Benhamou. Records supplied by mobile telephone operators Itinéris and SFR support Serge Arnal's claim that he attempted to call the emergency services. Film seized from the cameras of Christian Martinez and Serge Arnal showed that they were taking photographs of the car and/or the occupants almost immediately after arrival at the scene – there were no emergency services near the car visible in their photographs.

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Powerful Gustav hits Cuba; New Orleans evacuates

WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) - Hurricane Gustav roared into the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico on Sunday after destroying homes and roads in Cuba, and the mayor of New Orleans ordered residents to flee the ''storm of the century'' by morning.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gustav weakened slightly but was expected to regain strength as it moves over warm waters toward the U.S. coast, possibly becoming a top-scale Category 5 hurricane later Sunday.

Forecasters upgraded a hurricane watch to a warning for over 500 miles (800 kilometers) of U.S. Gulf coast from Cameron, Louisiana, near the Texas border to the Alabama-Florida state line, meaning hurricane conditions are expected there within 24 hours.

Even after slowing to Category 3 status before sunrise Sunday, Gustav packed top winds near 120 mph (195 kph).

Gustav was just short of Category 5 strength when it made landfall Saturday on mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio - a region that produces much of the tobacco used to make the nation's famed cigars.

At least 300,000 Cubans were evacuated from Gustav's path as screaming 140 mph (220 kph) winds toppled telephone poles and fruit trees, shattered windows and tore off the tin roofs of homes.

Cuban Civil defense chief Ana Isla said there were ''many people injured'' on Isla de la Juventud, an island of 87,000 people south of the mainland, but no reports of deaths. She said nearly all the island's roads were washed out and some regions were heavily flooded.

Read more here.

Pic(k) of the Day

Georgia, Russia sever diplomatic ties

The Georgian government broke off diplomatic relations with Russia on Friday, and Russia responded by doing the same.


It marks the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union that Russia had severed formal diplomatic ties with one of the 14 other autonomous republics that became independent states in 1991.

It was also a sign of ripples still being felt in post-Soviet politics after the war earlier this month over the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Adding to the tension, a lawmaker in South Ossetia said Friday that Russia intended to eventually absorb the province at the center of the war that broke out August 7 when Georgia sent troops into South Ossetia to wrest back control from separatists, prompting Russia to send in hundreds of tanks and troops.

The countries will retain consular offices on each other's territories, handling such matters as issuing passports and assisting their citizens with legal affairs, but the political ties will now be handled through intermediaries, a spokeswoman for the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

Georgia is now in talks with several countries that may assume the role of representing Georgia in Moscow, the spokeswoman said, as, for example, the Swiss Embassy in Tehran represents US interests in Iran, a country the United States has no diplomatic relations with.

Read more here.

New Orleans begins evacuation as Gustav gains strength

Tropical Storm Gustav has regained hurricane strength as it churned toward Cuba, leaving 78 people dead in its wake, as New Orleans began voluntary evacuations ahead of the storm's projected arrival next week.

Jamaica awoke to a trail of devastation and reports that the storm killed as many as 11 people on the mountainous island, as people on the US Gulf Coast hurried storm preparations, exactly three years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region.

The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said in a special bulletin that Gustav had regained hurricane force.

"Data from an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Gustav has again become a hurricane, with maximum winds near 120 kilometres per hour," the Centre said.

The system ripped through the Dominican Republic and Haiti earlier this week, then thrashed Jamaica, beginning its rampage as a Category One hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale before weakening to a tropical storm.

Streets in the normally bustling capital city of Kingston were soaked and quiet, except for howling winds as Gustav's powerful gusts sent metal roofs flying, and threatened to wreak havoc on Jamaica's banana industry, officials said.

A few people in raincoats and boots tried to help motorists get stranded cars freed, as hundreds crowded into shelters.

"On this track the centre of Gustav will pass near or over the Cayman Islands later Friday, over the western portions of Cuba on Saturday and into the southern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday," the Hurricane Centre said.

With more than 11 million people, Cuba is extremely vulnerable to hurricanes, with most of its housing stock aged and in fragile condition.

Over 2 million people live in the capital, Havana, where many colonial era buildings, crowded with families, are prone to cave-in after heavy rains.

Authorities in Cuba, the Americas' only communist country, are famed for well organised evacuation operations but acknowledge the dangers precarious homes pose.

Anxiety also was mounting on the hurricane-ravaged US Gulf Coast on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Authorities in New Orleans began bussing out residents on a voluntary basis, and considered ordering mandatory evacuations to prevent a repeat of the devastation and deaths of 2005.

Louisiana and Mississippi have already declared states of emergency before Gustav's expected landfall late Monday, when it could strike as a major storm of Category Three of higher.

Katrina killed some 1,800 on the US Gulf Coast, most of them in New Orleans.

Read more here

Can't be gloom and doom all the time :)

An elderly man was walking through the French countryside, admiring the beautiful spring day, when over a hedgerow he spotted a young couple making love in a field. Getting over his initial shock he said to himself: "Ah,young love... ze spring time, ze air, ze flowers...
C'est magnifique!", and continued to watch, remembering the good old day's that he'd once enjoyed.

Suddenly he gasped and said: "Mais... Sacre bleu! Ze woman she is dead!," before heading off as fast as he could to the town to tell Jean, the police chief.

He arrived at the Police Station, out of breath, and shouted:
"Jean...Jean...zere is zis man, zis woman ... naked in farmer Gaston's field making love."

The police chief smiled and said: "Come, come, Henri you are not so old; remember ze young love, ze spring time, ze air, ze flowers?
Ah,L'amour! Zis is OK."

"Mais non! You do not understand; ze woman, she is dead!"

Upon hearing this, Jean, leapt up from his seat, rushed out of the station, jumped on his push-bike, pedalled down to the field, confirmed Henri's story, and pedalled all the way back (non-stop) to call the doctor.

He picked up the telephone and screamed: "Pierre, Pierre, ... this is Jean, I was in Gaston's field; zere is a young couple naked having sex."

To which Pierre replied,"Jean, I am a man of science. You must remember...it's spring, ze air, ze flowers, Ah, L'amour! Zis is very natural.

"Jean, still out of breath, grasped in reply: "NON, you do not understand; ze woman, she is dead!"

Hearing this, Pierre exclaimed: "Mon dieu!," grabbed his black medicine bag; stuffed in his thermometer, stethoscope, and other tools; jumped in his car; and drove like a madman down to Gaston's field.

After carefully examining the participants he drove calmly back to Henri and Jean, who were waiting at the station.
When he got there, went inside, smiled patiently, and said: "Ah, mes amis, do not worry. Ze woman, she is not dead, she is British"

Comedy Producer Geoffrey Perkins Killed In Accident

The former BBC TV head of comedy has died in a road accident in London.

Geoffrey Perkins, 55, worked for many years for BBC Radio, where he created the game Mornington Crescent in I'm Sorry Haven't a Clue.

He also produced the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of the most successful radio shows ever made.

He became head of comedy for BBC TV with highlights of his TV career including The Catherine Tate Show, The Fast Show and Channel 4's, Father Ted.

BBC director of vision Jana Bennett said she was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the news.

"Geoffrey Perkins was an outstanding creator of countless comedy hits on the BBC and elsewhere, and a very distinguished former BBC head of comedy.

"He embraced comedy talent to create unique programmes which will be enjoyed for a very long time to come. All of our thoughts are with Geoffrey's family at this very sad time."

He left his role as a BBC radio producer to work at Thames TV for a brief period.

His many television credits include Spitting Image, Saturday Night Live and Friday Night Live, The Harry Enfield Television Programme, which he also co-wrote, and Ben Elton - The Man From Auntie.

He produced the topical drama A Very Open Prison for BBC Two and the first series of the BAFTA award-winning Father Ted for Channel 4.

A writer, producer and performer, Mr Perkins became BBC TV's head of comedy in May 1995.

More Gay Zombies: Otto; or Up With Dead People

Visit the website.

When I See Kitties Fly

By Daily Mail Reporter

While most cats are renowned for having nine lives, these moggies are clearly living on a wing and a prayer.

The cute little devils began sprouting bumps on their backs, which later turned into wing-like growths, during a recent spell of hot weather in China's Sichuan province.

One cat owner, known only as Feng, claims her cat's wings are a result of stress after he was 'harassed' by females looking to mate.

'At first, they were just two bumps, but they started to grow quickly, and after a month there were two wings,' she told Huashang News.



'Many female cats in heat came to harass him, and then the wings started to grow.'

And while she says her lovable Tom is no devil, his wings, which contain bones, make him look more like a 'cat angel'.

But genetic experts claim there is nothing angelic or magical about the condition, which doesn't hinder the cat's quality of life.

They say the wings can form through poor grooming, a genetic defect or a hereditary skin condition.

McCain picks running mate

By Andrew Ward in Denver

John McCain sprung a surprise on Friday by picking Sarah Palin, the 44 year-old reform-minded governor of Alaska, as his vice-presidential running mate.

Ms Palin is a rising star among Republicans because of her solid conservative record but she could also help Mr McCain reach out to women and restore his maverick reputation.

She appeared alongside Mr McCain at a rally in the swing state of Ohio at noon on Friday before launching a tour of swing states ahead of next week’s Republican convention in Minnesota.

She was chosen ahead of several better-known contenders, including Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, and Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

The choice was bold and high-risk because of Ms Palin’s relative obscurity and inexperience, threatening to undermine Mr McCain’s strength on national security.

A spokesman for Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, said Mr McCain’s decision meant the issue of experience was now ”off the table”.

Bush Declares State Of Emergecy In Louisiana Ahead Of Gustav

By Darrell A. Hughes, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, days ahead of Tropical Storm Gustav's projected arrival in the Gulf Coast as a likely hurricane.

The president mandated that federal agencies assist and supplement state and local response efforts. Coordination efforts will be controlled via the Federal Emergency Management Agency and are set to begin from this point on until necessary, according to the White House.

"FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impact of the emergency," a White House statement read.

FEMA Administrator David Paulison named Michael J. Hall as the Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA operations in the affected regions.

Michael Jackson turns 50, shadow of a superstar

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Michael Jackson turned 50 on Friday, a shadow of the superstar once known as the "King of Pop" whose records thrilled millions before his bizarre personal life eclipsed his musical brilliance.

Unlike Madonna's 50th birthday bash and launch of another world tour earlier this month, the singer who wishes he was Peter Pan appears to have no special celebrations planned and a much-touted musical comeback has so far come to nothing.

A semi-recluse since his harrowing 2005 trial and acquittal on child sex abuse, Jackson has been living out of the spotlight for the past few months.

In a telephone interview with ABC television program "Good Morning America," Jackson said he will "just have a little cake with my children and watch some cartoons," and he added that he feels "very wise and sage, but at the same time very young.

Recent pictures of Jackson in Las Vegas showed him dressed in pajamas and slippers, and one had him sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a surgical mask.

Interesting Times Revisited

On this date in 2005, Category 3 storm Hurricane Katrina attacks the Gulf coast with 145-mph winds. Cities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are declared disaster areas. Parts of New Orleans are submerged, some residents are left to scramble to their rooftops awaiting rescue. News organizations report widespread panic and looting, crowds abandoned on elevated freeways, and rumors of rape in the Superdome.

Russian-backed militias looted and burnt Georgian villages

By Damien McElroy in Gori

Russian-backed paramilitaries have systematically burned and looted Georgian villages inside South Ossetia, according to victims and satellite pictures released by the United Nations.

The images, obtained by Human Rights Watch, show the wholesale destruction of five villages near the breakaway region's capital, Tskhinvali. But witnesses have told the Daily Telegraph that South Ossetian militias are conducting a much wider campaign, targeted on the local Georgian population.

People who have fled the five villages, where a total of 606 buildings were burned to the ground or severely damaged, say the area was being cleared to create an airstrip. "I don't think I will ever return," said Makvala Mindiashvili from Tamarasheni village, where satellite images show that 177 homes and other buildings were burned down. "They told me the villages, not five but nine in all, would be destroyed to create an airstrip for the Russians."

A Russian news agency yesterday reported that Moscow will sign a deal to position military bases in South Ossetia, perhaps as soon as Tuesday. The aim is to establish a buffer zone around the enclave's southern border. According to the UN High Commission for Refugees, 2,300 Georgians have been forced to flee this area.

"Recent returnees have told us that there is intimidation, beating and house burning by irregular militias," said Peter Kessler, a UNHCR spokesman. "In the buffer zone clearly there is a lack of policing at the very least. Ethnic Georgians are fleeing because they fear for their lives."

The lush valleys are most terrifying at night when armed men roam the villages. The groups are led by South Ossetian fighters loyal to the Moscow-backed regime. Victims say they include Russians along with Chechen and Cossack mercenaries.

Nicholoz and Sonia Choladze lived in the village of Zemoachbeti until it was raided and largely destroyed on Aug 22. Seven men burst through the vine trellis into their home. They stroked Mr Choladze's neck with the blunt end of a machete before vandalising the family's possessions.

Read more here.

Fritzl facing 3,000 rape charges

by John Dunne

Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who committed incest and locked up members of his family in a dungeon, is to face up to 3,000 rape charges at his three-day trial, it was ­revealed today.

Senior legal sources have revealed that he has admitted having sex with his daughter Elisabeth “two or three times a week” during the 24 years he kept her locked in a basement prison.

Fritzl, 74, could face a court as early as December under the ­Austrian legal system. Last week state prosecutors announced Fritzl’s trial would be heard in private, apart from opening formalities and sentencing. They expect to officially file formal charges by the end of October. Austrian newspaper Kurier said court officials believed it might be impossible to find enough jurors who have not already made up their minds about Fritzl’s guilt.

Read more here.

China wins race for Iraqi oil contracts

Simon Webb, Reuters

DUBAI - China crossed the line first in the race for big oil contracts in post-Saddam Iraq and has gained a head start over Western oil majors in the competition for future energy deals.

China's biggest oil company, state-run CNPC, agreed to a US$3-billion service contract with Iraq on Wednesday. The deal could set a precedent for terms that fall far short of the lucrative contracts the oil majors had hoped for as they jostled for access to the world's third-largest oil reserves.

Starved of investment since the Gulf War of 1990-91 and the subsquent U. S.-led invasion of 2003 that removed former President Saddam Hussein, Iraq holds some of the world's last large, cheap, untapped oil reservoirs.

"The biggest significance of this deal is that CNPC will benefit as the first international oil company to be developing one of the giant discovered oil fields in Iraq in the new era," said Alex Munton, an analyst at global consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Read more here.

Gay Zombies!

Barack Obama at the 2008 DNC

7 Years Tribulation: 9117YL

Track listing:

1. Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins
3. My City of Ruins - Bruce Springsteen
4. Give Me Tired, Your Poor - James Horner
5. I Can't See New York - Tori Amos
6. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
7. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen - Louis Armstrong
8. I Love New York - Madonna
9. The Long Road - Eddie Vedder
10. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Bessie Smith
12. Self Evident - Ani Difranco
13. Leaving On a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul, and Mary
14. See You In September - The Happenings
15. Fragile - Sting
16. Lost - Annie Lennox
17. Song For the Lonely - Cher
18. We'll Meet Again - Johnny Cash

http://rapidshare.com/files/141071681/7_Years_Tribulation-_9117YL.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/141076075/7_Years_Tribulation-_9117YL.part2.rar

Pic(k) of the Day

Afghan spider forces Army family out of home

By Stephen Adams

Days after Rodney Griffiths returned home from a four-month tour of Helmand province with 16 Air Assault Brigade, the family's pet dog Bella mysteriously died.

Son Ricky, 16, then spotted the giant spider, prompting the soldier's wife Lorraine to move the family out of their four-bedroom army home in Colchester, Essex.

Mother-of-four Mrs Griffiths, 37, said: "Ricky saw a huge spider and screamed to his sister Cassie. They tried to put a pint-glass over it but it was too big, they poked it with a coat hanger and the spider bit it. The dog came in, jumped on the bed and barked at it. The spider hissed and Bella went running out whimpering."

Days later the family took Bella to the vet with a high temperature and swollen stomach. She had to be put down. Mrs Griffiths said she thought her death "too much of a coincidence" although the vet could not say why the dog died.

After scouring the internet for spider descriptions they decided the culprit was a camel spider.

She said: "I think it must have hitched a lift back with my husband in June."

Read more here

US coast gets set amid storm fear

Fears of a major storm have prompted New Orleans to prepare evacuation plans, three years after the US city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Tropical storm Gustav, downgraded from a hurricane, has resulted in more than 20 deaths in Haiti, and is now heading towards Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Residents there have boarded up homes as forecasters warn the storm could return to hurricane strength by Friday.

Obama Sued in Philadelphia Federal Court on Grounds he is Constitutionally Ineligible for the Presidency

by Jeff Schreiber

A prominent Philadelphia attorney and Hillary Clinton supporter filed suit this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic National Committee and the Federal Election Commission. The action seeks an injunction preventing the senator from continuing his candidacy and a court order enjoining the DNC from nominating him next week, all on grounds that Sen. Obama is constitutionally ineligible to run for and hold the office of President of the United States.

Philip Berg, the filing attorney, is a former gubernatorial and senatorial candidate, former chair of the Democratic Party in Montgomery (PA) County, former member of the Democratic State Committee, and former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania. According to Berg, he filed the suit--just days before the DNC is to hold its nominating convention in Denver--for the health of the Democratic Party.

"I filed this action at this time," Berg stated, "to avoid the obvious problems that will occur when the Republican Party raises these issues after Obama is nominated.".

Berg cited a number of unanswered questions regarding the Illinois senator's background, and in today's lawsuit maintained that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls "dual loyalties" due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia.

Even if Sen. Obama can prove his U.S. citizenship, Berg stated, citing the senator's use of a birth certificate from the state of Hawaii verified as a forgery by three independent document forensic experts, the issue of "multi-citizenship with responsibilities owed to and allegiance to other countries" remains on the table.

In the lawsuit, Berg states that Sen. Obama was born in Kenya, and not in Hawaii as the senator maintains. Before giving birth, according to the lawsuit, Obama's mother traveled to Kenya with his father but was prevented from flying back to Hawaii because of the late stage of her pregnancy, "apparently a normal restriction to avoid births during a flight." As Sen. Obama's own paternal grandmother, half-brother and half-sister have also claimed, Berg maintains that Stanley Ann Dunham--Obama's mother--gave birth to little Barack in Kenya and subsequently flew to Hawaii to register the birth.

Read more here

Iraq and China Sign $3 Billion Oil Contract

By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, August 29, 2008; Page A08

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 -- Iraq and China signed a $3 billion deal this week to develop a large Iraqi oil field, the first major commercial oil contract here with a foreign company since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The 20-year agreement calls for the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. to begin producing 25,000 barrels of oil a day and gradually increase the output to 125,000 a day, said Asim Jihad, a spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

The contract revamps a deal the Chinese company had reached with Saddam Hussein in 1997 to develop the Ahdab oil field in Wasit province, south of Baghdad near the border with Iran. Unlike that deal, which called for China to share in the revenue, the current contract is based on a fixed-fee structure.

Read more here

Feds cuff blogger for Guns N' Roses leak

The FBI has arrested a 27-year-old American blogger for leaking some unreleased Guns N' Roses tunes to the internet.

According to The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, the Feds cuffed Culver City, California's Kevin Cogill on Wednesday morning, two months after his web site Antiquiet served up nine tunes from "Chinese Democracy" - an album Axl Rose and various other people have been dawdling over for more than a decade.
In an arrest affidavit, Cogill admitted to streaming the tunes, and the Feds have accused him of violating US copyright law.

Yes, the tunes have since been removed from Cogill's site. But plenty of people have already done their listening/copying. The affidavit also says that Antiquiet received so much traffic when the songs were posted, it eventually crashed.

Clearly, an online "Chinese Democracy" leak poses a serious threat to Guns N' Roses and its label, Geffen Records. If web surfers actually hear the unreleased album, the mix n' match band can no longer maintain the illusion that it isn't complete shite.

It's Supermodel Documentary Hour!

Did Neo Cause 9/11 in The Matrix?

Written by Arya Ponto

The social networks are a-buzzin' today over this screen capture of Neo's passport from the first Matrix movie. Why is Neo's passport suddenly so popular, 9 years after the movie came out? Because some eagle-eyed nerd noticed that Neo's passport expires on—dun, dun, DUN—September 11th, 2001. Shocking!

Read more here.

Dungeon Children Will Not Testify in Dad's Trial

Josef Fritzl’s six kids kept for years in an Austrian dungeon will not be forced to testify in his trial, court officials announced Friday.

Wife Rosemarie, 69, will also be spared giving evidence.

Court boss Kurt Leitzenberger said: “They will not give statements. This decision is final.”

When asked what this would mean for the trial, he said: “The picture is almost complete anyway.

“Their statements might have helped us but most of it was clear from the beginning.”

Fritzl’s autumn trial will be held behind closed doors in Sankt Poelten, Austria.

The family’s lawyers warned this week they were too traumatized to give evidence.

Prosecutors insist statements from Fritzl’s daughter Elisabeth, 42 — who was caged as a sex slave for 24 years — will “provide enough evidence”.

But they had hoped her daughter Kerstin, 19, would help convict Fritzl, 74, for murder over the death of Elisabeth’s newborn.

South Ossetians happily loot village in Georgia

KEKHVI, Georgia: A chicken pecks at the charred corpse of man lying near a house that, like every other dwelling in Kekhvi, has been burned down.

Scenes of grotesque desolation mark this village in Georgia, yet it is a popular destination for at least one group: Looters in trucks and cars are still coming to take whatever they can find.

Most of Kekhvi's people fled as Russian troops advanced from the Moscow-backed separatist republic of South Ossetia into Georgia proper two weeks ago. The few who stayed now can do little but watch in fear as Ossetian men plunder the village, driven by opportunism and revenge.

"This is not looting, this is trophies," said Garik Meriyev, 32, a stubbled South Ossetian dressed in green camouflage pants, black baseball cap and dusty jackboots.

He and four other men in similar clothes loaded their yellow Russian-made minibus Saturday with metal pipes, timber and bricks taken from a burned down house.

Read more here.

Pic(k) of the Day

Kelly Bundy has lost her boobs

Actress Christina Applegate will continue shooting her TV series "Samantha Who?" as she undergoes reconstructive breast surgery following a double mastectomy.

The 36-year-old star revealed on Tuesday she had both breasts removed after being diagnosed with cancer last month.

Applegate, who was given the all clear following the operation, is now scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months.

A spokesperson for the star insists she will be "on a normal shooting schedule," adding that the procedure "is not affecting production."

Interesting Times Revisited

On this date in 1990, Saddam Hussein appears on Iraqi state television with a number of Western "guests" (actually hostages) to try to prevent the Gulf War.

Official: Obama picks Biden for VP

By LIZ SIDOTI and NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday night to be his vice presidential running mate, according to a Democratic official, balancing his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.


Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.

Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues.

In selecting Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates, none more prominent than former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his tenacious rival in dozens of primaries and caucuses.

Read more here

Russia keeps Georgia positions, US and France call for withdrawal

by Michael Mainville

TBILISI (AFP) - Russian soldiers were still holding key positions inside Georgia on Saturday, a day after Moscow pulled out most of its troops, as the United States and France called for further withdrawals.

Two weeks after rolling into the former Soviet republic, several columns of Russian tanks and troops withdrew Friday from deep inside Georgian territory and allowed Georgian police to regain control of the key city of Gori .

But a top general said strategic routes would remain occupied and some 500 "peacekeepers" were to remain in a buffer zone around the Moscow-controlled separatist region of South Ossetia.

"The pullback of Russian troops and units passed without incident and was completed on time" at 7:50 pm (1550 GMT), Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in a statement released by the Kremlin.

Read more here.

Dungeon monster Fritzl trial in private

By ALEX PEAKE

DUNGEON incest monster Josef Fritzl’s trial will be held behind closed doors, a court official revealed yesterday.
The public and press will “quite certainly” be excluded to protect his victims in Sankt Poelten, Austria, he said.

It means the full story of how Fritzl kept daughter Elisabeth caged as a sex slave for 24 years may never be known.

Elisabeth, 42, had seven children by her evil father, 74.


Three were taken to live upstairs with Fritzl and wife Rosemarie, 69.

The others — Kerstin, 19, Stefan, 18, and Felix, five — were held in the cellar with their mum at the home in Amstetten.

Most evidence will be from Elisabeth on video.

It is not known if the cellar children will testify, when the trial will start or the charges.

The public will be allowed in only for the formal start — set to last three days — and after the verdicts.

One Austrian legal expert said: “The authorities want to protect Elisabeth and her children and stop the trial from becoming some sort of ghoulish daily freak show.

Georgia leader says Russians not pulling back

By ANDREW E. KRAMER New York Times

TBILISI, GEORGIA — A day before Russian forces were to pull back from positions inside Georgia under a self-declared deadline, Georgia's president said Thursday he saw "very little if any movement" of troops from occupied areas.

Speaking beside a visiting American general in Tbilisi to show support for the Georgian government and coordinate humanitarian aid, Mikheil Saakashvili said in some cases Russian forces had advanced farther into Georgia on Thursday and had "been taking over additional sites in my country."

Read more here.

US troops could be withdrawn from Iraq's cities by the middle of next year under a new security deal being hammered out by the American and Iraqi Governments.



The security deal will come into effect when the United Nations mandate governing military operations in Iraq expires at the end of the year.



The new agreement will set out a broad withdrawal timetable for US troops.



The first stage would have them leaving Iraq's big cities by the middle of next year and out of the country altogether by 2011.



US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who made a surprise visit to Baghdad overnight, says the new deal has been made possible by the success of the so-called military surge.



"The reason we are where we are today is that the surge worked. Iraqi forces have demonstrated that they are strong and getting stronger," she said.



The US and Iraq hope to sign the new deal within the next few months.

Pic(k) of the Day

Speculation on Biden as Obama vp choice

WASHINGTON: With Barack Obama expected to announce his vice presidential pick by Saturday, speculation that Joe Biden — the Senate's top Democratic foreign policy expert — will be his nominee highlights fears that the presidential candidate's inexperience in world affairs compared to Republican John McCain could be costing him in the polls.

Obama, a relative newcomer on the national political scene, made history by becoming the first black candidate to lead a major U.S. political party's presidential ticket. But he has endured a hammering by McCain, a veteran Arizona senator, combat pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war, over what Republicans contend is his lack of national security experience.

The Illinois senator has remained quiet about his vice presidential pick. But he plans to appear with his running mate Saturday, after the pick is announced via text message to supporters and two days before the start of the party's national convention.

He also is believed to be considering Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.

Russia blocks port city as deadline looms

Troops set up new mortars, dig trenches near Poti despite pullback pledge.

POTI, Georgia - Russian forces blocked the only land entrance to Georgia's main port city on Thursday, a day before Russia promised to complete a troop pullout from its ex-Soviet neighbor.



Armored personnel carriers and troop trucks blocked the bridge to the Black Sea port city of Poti, and Russian forces excavated trenches and set up mortars facing the city. Another group of APCs and trucks were positioned in a nearby wooded area.

Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised that his forces would pull back by Friday, Russian troops appear to be digging in, raising concern about whether Moscow is aiming for a lengthy occupation of its small, pro-Western neighbor.

Read more here.

More Monster Summer Fun

The Canadian Press

FORT CHIPEWYAN, Alta. — Information about a mutated fish caught downstream from Alberta’s oilsands region will be sent to a joint government-industry group that monitors the health of rivers and lakes.

The 2.5-kilogram goldeye caught last week in Lake Athabasca has two mouths, one beneath the other.


Two boys pointed the deformed fish out to Stuart Macmillan, Parks Canada’s manager of resource conservation at Wood Buffalo National Park, who studied it before handing it over to the Mikesew First Nation.

“We had just pulled up to the dock and some kids came over and said, `Hey, we’ve got a fish over here with two mouths,” Macmillan said Tuesday.

“It was really unusual. The fish has an obvious abnormality. I had never seen anything like that myself before. I can’t speculate on what might have caused it.”

Read more here.

Louis Gerstner Will Retire as Chairman, Become Senior Advisor to Buyout Funds

August 19, 2008

Washington, DC – Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group today announced that Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. will retire as Chairman, a post held since January 2003, and become a Senior Advisor to Carlyle’s Asia, Europe, Japan and U.S. buyouts funds, effective September 30, 2008. A successor has not been named.

Carlyle Co-founder Daniel A. D’Aniello said, “Lou joined Carlyle at a critical time in our global growth and development, helping us to institutionalize and mature key aspects of the firm. As Lou reduces his overall role, we are grateful that he will move into a Senior Advisor position focusing on our major buyout funds. Lou’s decades of operational experience at the pinnacle of the corporate world have been critical to our buyout decision making these past five years and thankfully we will continue to benefit from his wisdom and counsel.”

Mr. Gerstner said, “Initially, I committed to be Chairman of Carlyle for one year. But year after year I continued to be impressed with Carlyle’s value creation model and its efforts to globalize the firm. However, at this point in my life, I have a number of goals and interests yet to fulfill, requiring me to step back at Carlyle. That said, I am pleased to continue my relationship with this remarkable organization in this more focused role advising Carlyle’s buyout funds.”

Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Gerstner was Chairman of IBM from 1993 to December 2002 and Chief Executive Officer of IBM from 1993 until March 2002.

Upcoming Music Compilations

1. 7 Years Tribulation: 9/11 7 Years Later (pre-production)
2. Untitled Halloween Compilation
3. Rainy Night on the Rocks II (the long awaited follow-up)
4. If I Should Die Before I Wake: Good Night and Sweet Dreams
5. What a Bitch: Anthems of the Bitch Brigade

So keep your eyes peeled!

Interesting Times Revisited

On this date in 1979, social studies teacher Albert Fentress of Poughkeepsie New York lures an 18-year-old boy into his basement, ties him up, murders him, and then cooks and devours the boy's genitals. Fentress is found totally nuts and is sentenced to psychiatric care.

Pic(k) of the Day