Amy no no no Winehouse has been immortalized in wax! Madame Troussaud's in London has unveiled a beehived wax figure of the awardwinning "soul" singer this week. Her tats have been lovingly reproduced as has her fab do and micro mini.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Do you take this man?
The Massachusetts Senate today passed a bill that would repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts.
The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed with no objections on a voice vote. Proponents of the repeal called the 1913 law archaic and discriminatory.
"There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I'm ashamed that they're on the books," said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the "immorality of discrimination."
"This is a very simple law, contrived in shame, and it exists in shame and we ought to wipe it off the books," he said.
"The 1913 law is a shadow, a terrible shadow. It represents a segregationist past that is best put to rest and put to rest quickly," said Senator Harriette Chandler, a Worcester Democrat.
The law originated when lawmakers in many states were trying to prevent interracial couples from crossing state lines to marry. It fell into obscurity for decades. But it received new attention in 2004, when Republican Governor Mitt Romney invoked it after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts to prevent out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from marrying here and forcing their home states to consider recognizing Massachusetts marriage law.
“The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage but that’s exactly what they voted today to do,” Kris Mineau, president, Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposed the repeal, said in a statement after the vote.
The bill now heads to the House, where Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has already expressed support. Supporters said they expected the bill to pass the House and be signed by Governor Deval Patrick by the end of the month. "If that bill comes to me, I will sign it and sign it proudly," Patrick said Monday.
The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed with no objections on a voice vote. Proponents of the repeal called the 1913 law archaic and discriminatory.
"There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I'm ashamed that they're on the books," said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the "immorality of discrimination."
"This is a very simple law, contrived in shame, and it exists in shame and we ought to wipe it off the books," he said.
"The 1913 law is a shadow, a terrible shadow. It represents a segregationist past that is best put to rest and put to rest quickly," said Senator Harriette Chandler, a Worcester Democrat.
The law originated when lawmakers in many states were trying to prevent interracial couples from crossing state lines to marry. It fell into obscurity for decades. But it received new attention in 2004, when Republican Governor Mitt Romney invoked it after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts to prevent out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from marrying here and forcing their home states to consider recognizing Massachusetts marriage law.
“The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage but that’s exactly what they voted today to do,” Kris Mineau, president, Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposed the repeal, said in a statement after the vote.
The bill now heads to the House, where Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has already expressed support. Supporters said they expected the bill to pass the House and be signed by Governor Deval Patrick by the end of the month. "If that bill comes to me, I will sign it and sign it proudly," Patrick said Monday.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wonka Lives!
PARIS (Reuters) - A French air hostess will become one of Europe's pioneer space tourists after picking a chocolate wrapper out of the rubbish and finding a winning number in a competition to fly to the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere.
Mathilde Epron, 32, said she had bought a Kit Kat chocolate bar at her local supermarket but initially threw the wrapper in the bin, telling herself that "it's only others who win."
Two hours later, thinking back to the competition, she decided to try her luck and fished the wrapper out of the bin, only to find a code marked inside.
"For someone who works in air travel it's really a dream come true," she told France Info radio.
A spokeswoman for Nestle in France confirmed that Epron had won the prize to take a flight on a four-seater, fighter-sized aircraft built by Rocketplane, a company that builds aircraft intended to provide cheap flights into space.
She will receive four days of astronaut training in Oklahoma City in the United States before boarding the Rocketplane XP aircraft which will reach an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) and allow a five-minute experience of weightlessness.
Mathilde Epron, 32, said she had bought a Kit Kat chocolate bar at her local supermarket but initially threw the wrapper in the bin, telling herself that "it's only others who win."
Two hours later, thinking back to the competition, she decided to try her luck and fished the wrapper out of the bin, only to find a code marked inside.
"For someone who works in air travel it's really a dream come true," she told France Info radio.
A spokeswoman for Nestle in France confirmed that Epron had won the prize to take a flight on a four-seater, fighter-sized aircraft built by Rocketplane, a company that builds aircraft intended to provide cheap flights into space.
She will receive four days of astronaut training in Oklahoma City in the United States before boarding the Rocketplane XP aircraft which will reach an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) and allow a five-minute experience of weightlessness.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
"WTF Fry Her" said the liberal and Roman Polanski
A follower of Charles Manson who stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death nearly 40 years ago but is dying of brain cancer in a California prison was denied compassionate release Tuesday.
The California Board of Parole released its unanimous decision on the release of Susan Atkins hours after a 90-minute hearing, during which it heard impassioned pleas from both sides.
"Obviously, it was too hot of a potato for them to handle," said one of Atkins' attorney, Eric P. Lampel. "Of course we're disappointed. There's no basis for denying this."
Lampel filed a motion July 10 with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Wesley asking for his client's release no matter what the parole board recommended. No hearing has been set, Lampel said after the hearing.
"We're going to be able to make the case in court. We'll take it to the next step," he said after being informed of the board's decision by The Associated Press.
Atkins' doctors and officials at the women's prison in Corona made the request in March because of her deteriorating health. She also has had her left leg amputated and is paralyzed on her right side, her husband, James Whitehouse, told the California Board of Parole Hearings.
Whitehouse, also acting as one of Atkins' attorneys, had argued that his wife was so debilitated that she could not even sit up in bed. He told the parole board there was no longer a reason to keep her incarcerated.
"She literally can't snap her fingers," he said. "She can put sentences together three or four times a day, but that's the extent of it."
He said doctors have given her three months to live. Atkins, in a hospital near the Southern California prison where she was housed for nearly 40 years, did not attend Tuesday's hearing.
The request for compassionate leave generated opposition from relatives of the victims, the state corrections department, Los Angeles County prosecutors and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Those kinds of crimes are just so unbelievable that I am not for compassionate release in that case," Schwarzenegger said Tuesday before the parole board issued its decision.
Atkins, Manson and two other cult members, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, were tried for the 1969 cult killings of Tate; Leno and Rosemary La Bianca; and four others. Tate, the wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate, the last surviving member of her immediate family, sent a letter to the board opposing Atkins' release.
"She is a cold-blooded woman who to this day has not displayed any remorse," wrote Tate, who lives in the Los Angeles area.
The defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial. Once convicted, the women confessed to the killings during the penalty phase.
On the stand, Atkins recounted her role in stabbing Tate, who pleaded for the life of her unborn baby. Atkins claimed she was on LSD at the time but did not apologize for the crime until a parole hearing years later.
Her brother, Steve Atkins, told the parole board Tuesday that he and his sister had been abused as children.
"After Susan got in with Manson, she was lost to me," he said. "Please let us be with Susan in private in her last days, to pray with her and give our last good-byes."
The defendants were sentenced to death, but their terms were commuted to life sentences when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily ruled the death penalty unconstitutional. Manson and the two other women remain in state prison.
Atkins has spent 37 years in the California Institution for Women, where she has been held longer than any other female inmate in state history. She was transferred to the hospital in March.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said that's where she ought to remain. In a letter to the parole board, Cooley said the nature of Atkins' crimes alone should rule out any release.
He noted that after Atkins stabbed Tate, she tasted her blood and used it to write the word "Pig" on the victim's door.
Los Angeles County prosecutor Patrick Sequeira said the board made the right decision because of the crime Atkins committed. He said he informed Debra Tate and two other relatives of the victims.
"They are both relieved and pleased with the decision," Sequeira said. "It obviously doesn't take away the pain for them."
He said it's unclear whether a Los Angeles County judge can consider the compassionate release request from Atkins' attorneys without a recommendation from the parole board.
Compassionate releases are rare in California, with just 10 of 60 requests granted last year, Corrections Department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.
Atkins' medical treatment and paying for prison guards to watch over her has cost state taxpayers more than $1.4 million since March, according to the corrections department.
Atkins, 60, has been denied parole 12 times.
The California Board of Parole released its unanimous decision on the release of Susan Atkins hours after a 90-minute hearing, during which it heard impassioned pleas from both sides.
"Obviously, it was too hot of a potato for them to handle," said one of Atkins' attorney, Eric P. Lampel. "Of course we're disappointed. There's no basis for denying this."
Lampel filed a motion July 10 with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Wesley asking for his client's release no matter what the parole board recommended. No hearing has been set, Lampel said after the hearing.
"We're going to be able to make the case in court. We'll take it to the next step," he said after being informed of the board's decision by The Associated Press.
Atkins' doctors and officials at the women's prison in Corona made the request in March because of her deteriorating health. She also has had her left leg amputated and is paralyzed on her right side, her husband, James Whitehouse, told the California Board of Parole Hearings.
Whitehouse, also acting as one of Atkins' attorneys, had argued that his wife was so debilitated that she could not even sit up in bed. He told the parole board there was no longer a reason to keep her incarcerated.
"She literally can't snap her fingers," he said. "She can put sentences together three or four times a day, but that's the extent of it."
He said doctors have given her three months to live. Atkins, in a hospital near the Southern California prison where she was housed for nearly 40 years, did not attend Tuesday's hearing.
The request for compassionate leave generated opposition from relatives of the victims, the state corrections department, Los Angeles County prosecutors and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Those kinds of crimes are just so unbelievable that I am not for compassionate release in that case," Schwarzenegger said Tuesday before the parole board issued its decision.
Atkins, Manson and two other cult members, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, were tried for the 1969 cult killings of Tate; Leno and Rosemary La Bianca; and four others. Tate, the wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate, the last surviving member of her immediate family, sent a letter to the board opposing Atkins' release.
"She is a cold-blooded woman who to this day has not displayed any remorse," wrote Tate, who lives in the Los Angeles area.
The defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial. Once convicted, the women confessed to the killings during the penalty phase.
On the stand, Atkins recounted her role in stabbing Tate, who pleaded for the life of her unborn baby. Atkins claimed she was on LSD at the time but did not apologize for the crime until a parole hearing years later.
Her brother, Steve Atkins, told the parole board Tuesday that he and his sister had been abused as children.
"After Susan got in with Manson, she was lost to me," he said. "Please let us be with Susan in private in her last days, to pray with her and give our last good-byes."
The defendants were sentenced to death, but their terms were commuted to life sentences when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily ruled the death penalty unconstitutional. Manson and the two other women remain in state prison.
Atkins has spent 37 years in the California Institution for Women, where she has been held longer than any other female inmate in state history. She was transferred to the hospital in March.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said that's where she ought to remain. In a letter to the parole board, Cooley said the nature of Atkins' crimes alone should rule out any release.
He noted that after Atkins stabbed Tate, she tasted her blood and used it to write the word "Pig" on the victim's door.
Los Angeles County prosecutor Patrick Sequeira said the board made the right decision because of the crime Atkins committed. He said he informed Debra Tate and two other relatives of the victims.
"They are both relieved and pleased with the decision," Sequeira said. "It obviously doesn't take away the pain for them."
He said it's unclear whether a Los Angeles County judge can consider the compassionate release request from Atkins' attorneys without a recommendation from the parole board.
Compassionate releases are rare in California, with just 10 of 60 requests granted last year, Corrections Department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.
Atkins' medical treatment and paying for prison guards to watch over her has cost state taxpayers more than $1.4 million since March, according to the corrections department.
Atkins, 60, has been denied parole 12 times.
Cellulitis for 500 Alex
Cellulitis (sel-u-LI-tis) is a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Cellulitis appears as a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender, and it may spread rapidly.
Skin on lower legs is most commonly affected, though cellulitis can occur anywhere on your body or face. Infections on the face are more common in children and older adults. Cellulitis may affect only your skin's surface — or, cellulitis may also affect tissues underlying your skin and can spread to your lymph nodes and bloodstream.
Left untreated, the spreading infection may rapidly turn life-threatening. That's why it's important to seek immediate medical attention if cellulitis symptoms occur.
Skin on lower legs is most commonly affected, though cellulitis can occur anywhere on your body or face. Infections on the face are more common in children and older adults. Cellulitis may affect only your skin's surface — or, cellulitis may also affect tissues underlying your skin and can spread to your lymph nodes and bloodstream.
Left untreated, the spreading infection may rapidly turn life-threatening. That's why it's important to seek immediate medical attention if cellulitis symptoms occur.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Jesse Helms and Bozo Die
It was announced that both Jesse Helms and Bozo died this past week. How sad that one who did such good died the same time as one do did not. Bozo left only fond memories in his wake whilst Herr Helms left none.
We'd like a Dubonnet
servant's letters auctioned
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) -- Collectors paid thousands of pounds (dollars) Saturday for letters from British royalty to a trusted servant, including a note from the late Queen Mother Elizabeth requesting the aide pack bottles of gin and Dubonnet for an outing, "in case it is needed."
The note sold for 16,000 pounds ($32,000) at an auction of mementoes belonging to royal servant William Tallon.
Tallon, nicknamed "Backstairs Billy" by the press, joined the royal household at age 15 and served the family for 51 years, rising to become the queen mother's steward and Page of the Backstairs. He died in November, aged 72.
His vast collection of royal memorabilia includes photographs, paintings, gifts, letters and Christmas cards, and gives an insight into the informal side of life in the royal family.
The queen mother's letter to Tallon had been expected to sell for about 300 pounds ($600) but drew a flurry of telephone bids
In it, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II requested lunch outdoors and said she wanted to take along "two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin ... in case it is needed."
A 1982 letter from Princess Diana telling Tallon about the birth of her first child, Prince William, sold for 5,000 pounds ($10,000). "We are not sure at the moment what has hit us, except a very strong pair of lungs!" the princess wrote. "Both parents are making little sense, we just seem to spend most of our time gazing at this tiny person!"
Another letter, in which Diana thanked Tallon for putting flowers in her room before the "great day" of her July 29, 1981 wedding, sold for 4,200 pounds ($8,400).
The sale also included items from the collection of Tallon's long-term partner Reginald Wilcock, an underbutler in the royal household. Tallon inherited his memorabilia when Wilcock died in 2001.
The sale caused a buzz among royal memorabilia collectors, attracting about 300 people to the Reeman Dansie auction house in Colchester, east of London. Auctioneers said 1,000 more followed the sale by phone and over the Internet.
The 700 lots were valued collectively at about 250,000 pounds ($500,000), but auctioneer James Grinter said the final total was likely to be much higher. Proceeds will go to the beneficiaries of Tallon's will.
"For a lot of people, it's the only way they can get anything that touches the queen mother," Grinter said. "There is something here for everyone and people are hoping to get their own little memento."
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Ancients and Horribles
Long live the spoof.
The 82nd annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in Glocester takes place tomorrow, July Fourth, in the village of Chepachet, where, for a day at least, irreverence reigns.
“We are an odd mix of patriotism and irreverence,” says Connie Leathers, the parade chairwoman. “This is the only place where you can be politically incorrect and be rewarded.”
The float deemed best in the parade will win $500; the one regarded as most “ancient” will win $250; and the one most “horrible” will win $100.
This naturally raises questions: What are Ancients and Horribles? And when did adjectives become nouns?
As it turns out, it involves a healthy dose of creative license, a loosening of language, and a parody of history. In the mid 1600s, the nation’s oldest military organization, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, was established in Boston, where it’s still headquartered and carries on social and ceremonial functions.
“And Rhode Islanders being Rhode Islanders made fun of them,” Leathers explains.
Rhode Islanders took their fun to the streets. What started out as a mocking joke has become a rejoicing tradition: the Ancients & Horribles Parade.
Actually, there’s more than one. Cumberland also has a version, the Arnold Mills Parade, which is also in its 82nd year and founded on the Ancient and Horribles theme, but now isn’t nearly as frivolous as Glocester’s
“Theirs is more of a spoof,” says Joyce Hindle Koutsogiane, chairwoman of the Arnold Mills Parade. “We’ve gotten away from that in recent years. Ours is more of a traditional parade.”
The 1.5-mile parade features 17 bands and marching groups, including the Cycling Murrays.
“They play the fife while on unicycles. So that’s interesting.”
There’s also a stilt walker and a group of re-enactors who portray a British regiment during the Revolutionary War. The parade, according to Koutsogiane, is like Bristol’s, but different.
“It’s shorter and easier to access and leave. It’s not a whole day, and it’s still quite a parade.”
You may still see some vestiges of the Cumberland parade’s Ancients & Horribles roots.
“There is a lot to spoof,” Koutsogiane says.
And if spoofing’s what you want, Glocester is offering.
“We carry it a little further,” Leathers says.
But is carrying on in keeping with the Fourth of July?
Absolutely, according to Leathers, who points out that there’s a significant and fundamental Constitutional tenet embedded beneath the parade’s silliness: freedom of speech.
“If something is too profane or off-color, we have the right to refuse admittance. We want people to come and make their statement.”
Many accept the offer, saying all sorts of things. Although often Leathers isn’t quite sure what exactly is being said.
“There seems to be an inordinate interest among men to dress as women. And some are pretty good.”
Any topic is game for public display in the parade, which is something of a series of strolling and rolling skits.
“It’s whatever people feel strongly about.”
Often what people feel strongly about is what’s in the news. Vice President Cheney was spoofed for his hunting accident, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy was spoofed for his Ambien-induced late-night car accident, which featured a float careening down the street with a sign on the back: “I still drive better than my father.”
“It was tasteless,” Leathers says. “But it was funny.”
The Ancients & Horribles Parade isn’t all fun and games. There are traditional marching bands and contingents of war veterans and members of the Rhode Island National Guard.
“There is something for everyone to see. But it’s not necessarily always in good taste.”
If you want good taste, Bristol may be a better option, which tends to attract more politicians and so-called dignitaries.
“This is not a place to come to be a status-seeking individual. We are real life,” says Leathers.
And some citizens of Glocester take this parade seriously, while others don’t do so at all.
“There are folks who spend months working on their floats, and you can tell who they are. You can also tell the people who spent two hours and a half case of beer. That’s OK. The whole idea is for people to enjoy themselves.”
But once again, remember that your enjoyment of the parade on July 4 is made possible by the very principles that the holiday celebrates: independence, and everything that follows from it.
“It celebrates the American spirit of irreverence and saying what you think. There is always a place for people who do that. Everyone is always worried about what other people will think. This parade makes you think about what we’re thinking.”
The 82nd annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in Glocester takes place tomorrow, July Fourth, in the village of Chepachet, where, for a day at least, irreverence reigns.
“We are an odd mix of patriotism and irreverence,” says Connie Leathers, the parade chairwoman. “This is the only place where you can be politically incorrect and be rewarded.”
The float deemed best in the parade will win $500; the one regarded as most “ancient” will win $250; and the one most “horrible” will win $100.
This naturally raises questions: What are Ancients and Horribles? And when did adjectives become nouns?
As it turns out, it involves a healthy dose of creative license, a loosening of language, and a parody of history. In the mid 1600s, the nation’s oldest military organization, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, was established in Boston, where it’s still headquartered and carries on social and ceremonial functions.
“And Rhode Islanders being Rhode Islanders made fun of them,” Leathers explains.
Rhode Islanders took their fun to the streets. What started out as a mocking joke has become a rejoicing tradition: the Ancients & Horribles Parade.
Actually, there’s more than one. Cumberland also has a version, the Arnold Mills Parade, which is also in its 82nd year and founded on the Ancient and Horribles theme, but now isn’t nearly as frivolous as Glocester’s
“Theirs is more of a spoof,” says Joyce Hindle Koutsogiane, chairwoman of the Arnold Mills Parade. “We’ve gotten away from that in recent years. Ours is more of a traditional parade.”
The 1.5-mile parade features 17 bands and marching groups, including the Cycling Murrays.
“They play the fife while on unicycles. So that’s interesting.”
There’s also a stilt walker and a group of re-enactors who portray a British regiment during the Revolutionary War. The parade, according to Koutsogiane, is like Bristol’s, but different.
“It’s shorter and easier to access and leave. It’s not a whole day, and it’s still quite a parade.”
You may still see some vestiges of the Cumberland parade’s Ancients & Horribles roots.
“There is a lot to spoof,” Koutsogiane says.
And if spoofing’s what you want, Glocester is offering.
“We carry it a little further,” Leathers says.
But is carrying on in keeping with the Fourth of July?
Absolutely, according to Leathers, who points out that there’s a significant and fundamental Constitutional tenet embedded beneath the parade’s silliness: freedom of speech.
“If something is too profane or off-color, we have the right to refuse admittance. We want people to come and make their statement.”
Many accept the offer, saying all sorts of things. Although often Leathers isn’t quite sure what exactly is being said.
“There seems to be an inordinate interest among men to dress as women. And some are pretty good.”
Any topic is game for public display in the parade, which is something of a series of strolling and rolling skits.
“It’s whatever people feel strongly about.”
Often what people feel strongly about is what’s in the news. Vice President Cheney was spoofed for his hunting accident, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy was spoofed for his Ambien-induced late-night car accident, which featured a float careening down the street with a sign on the back: “I still drive better than my father.”
“It was tasteless,” Leathers says. “But it was funny.”
The Ancients & Horribles Parade isn’t all fun and games. There are traditional marching bands and contingents of war veterans and members of the Rhode Island National Guard.
“There is something for everyone to see. But it’s not necessarily always in good taste.”
If you want good taste, Bristol may be a better option, which tends to attract more politicians and so-called dignitaries.
“This is not a place to come to be a status-seeking individual. We are real life,” says Leathers.
And some citizens of Glocester take this parade seriously, while others don’t do so at all.
“There are folks who spend months working on their floats, and you can tell who they are. You can also tell the people who spent two hours and a half case of beer. That’s OK. The whole idea is for people to enjoy themselves.”
But once again, remember that your enjoyment of the parade on July 4 is made possible by the very principles that the holiday celebrates: independence, and everything that follows from it.
“It celebrates the American spirit of irreverence and saying what you think. There is always a place for people who do that. Everyone is always worried about what other people will think. This parade makes you think about what we’re thinking.”
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