Fresh Loaf

GEORGE W. BUSH: "Un-prec-e-dent … er, I mean new"

>> President Obama has used the word “unprecedented” at least 129 times in speeches and statements this year for many things that are arguably precedented. George W. Bush, in comparison, only used the word 262 times over eight years, but then again it is a five-syllable word. (Politico)

>> President Obama said yesterday that he would “finish the job” in Afghanistan by sending as many as 30,000 additional American troops to the Middle Eastern country. Perhaps you could call this statement about ending the eight-year-old war unprecedented? … Not likely. (the New York Times)

>> Roman Polanski’s lawyers have offered a Swiss court $4.5 million bail in return for the director to be under electronic house arrest in his Swiss Alps ski chalet. The Swiss Court said it considers Polanski a “high flight risk” but the bail is “enough to offset those concerns” since, you know, Switzerland really needs the money. (AP via ABC News)

>> Worried about South Africa’s high crime rate during your next visit to Cape Town? You should be worrying about baboons instead. A troupe of 29 baboons raided four cars on Tuesday as city officials are trying to control the increasingly aggressive primates. Talk about gang violence. (NY Daily News)

>> And finally: Bob Dylan is allowing only one interview to the media to promote his new holiday album, Christmas in the Heart. You won’t find it in Rolling Stone or on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ No, the singer is giving the interview to the International Network of Street Papers whose sales directly profit poverty-stricken people. Now you can hear about the ramblings of a crazy vagrant-looking man from Dylan and the homeless guy selling the papers. (Limewire Music Blog)

(Photo Courtesy Joeff Davis)

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This photo was taken November 19 at 9:15 p.m. on Peachtree Street across from the Woodruff Arts Center. I was driving down Peachtree Street when I saw Mike Danial and his friends attempting radical jumps on their bicycles. As I pulled up, a security guard was talking to them outside the building.

I took some photos of Mike as he attempted to jump over the cone. I asked him why he was doing it. “It’s better then sitting on the couch,” he replied. I chose this photo because I liked how the flash hit him in midair and how it told a story without showing his face.

(Photo and text by Joeff Davis)

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P. DIDDY: Selling you cologne you can't smell

>> Experts from the United Nations announced today that the number of people worldwide infected with HIV (about 33 million) has remained unchanged for the last two years and that the epidemic most likely peaked in 1996. Free love for all! (the Olympian)

>> Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing visited the White House yesterday, the first Indian state visit during the Obama administration, reflecting the growing importance of U.S.-Indian relations. Nuclear cooperation, the economy and climate change have all made India at the top of the U.S.’s state visit list, plus Obama is reportedly a huge Slumdog Millionaire fan. (CNN)

>> Two North Korean diplomats to Russia have been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of smuggling 230,000 Russian cigarettes into the Scandinavian country. The two North Koreans are claiming diplomatic immunity, though their diplomatic status is only in Russia. Listen, Sweden, you don’t know what it’s like to be an addict. (Reuters)

>> On Friday a Tennessee judge blocked a state law that allowed people to bring handguns into bars and restaurants that originally took effect in July. I guess there’s no good reason to visit Tennessee anymore. (Reuters)

>> P. Diddy will be joining the iconic ranks of Suzanne Somers and other product-hawking celebrities as he hits the Home Shopping Network (HSN) on Nov. 30. In typical Diddy style, he’ll be interviewed in a talk-show format to sell his two colognes, reportedly aiming at a $400,000 sales goal. If I’m going to buy cologne without smelling it first, it’s going to be because of Diddy. (WWD)

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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THREE MILE ISLAND: Less entertaining than the American Music Awards

>> Google’s world take-over is getting a little out-of-hand, right? If only someone would stop them … Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is reportedly teaming up with Microsoft to remove links from Google searches to its papers and instead featured them on Microsoft’s new Bing search engine. Somehow the strengthening of two evil monopolies doesn’t sound that much better. (ABC News)

>> After last year’s solemn scene and the rest of the country stricken by the recession, it surprisingly appears that this year’s annual art extravaganza, Art Basel Miami, will be the biggest ever with more floor space, parties and events. The strong return diminishes the claim that the art market is dead, and more importantly, reaffirms the fact that nouveau riche will buy anything. (NYMag.com)

>> Some opponents of the health care reform have decided to print out the bill single-sided (instead of the usual double-sided) as a 2,074-page prop in protest of the drastic proposal. While they may be anti- health care reform, these politicans are definitely not pro-environment. (Gawker)

>> CNN, USA Today and Fox News have all reportedly confused Sarah Palin’s new book Going Rogue with the parody Going Rouge, which has a near identical cover. It seems neither of the two books, however, were actually written by Palin. (Page Six)

>> And finally in trivial news: Workers were sent home and the facility was cleaned this weekend after test showed a contamination at Pennsylvania nuclear plant Three Mile Island. One worker received 16 millirems of exposure, yet officials didn’t notify the state until 5.5 hours after the leak. They were probably too busy watching this weekend’s crazy AMA’s. (Fox News)

(Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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Georgia is one of the least eco-friendly states in the country, so we went to the Enviro Expo USA at the Georgia World Congress Center to take a look at the latest in green products.

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OPRAH WINFREY: The Big O is downsizing

>> UC Berkeley students took over a campus building this morning in protest of the university’s decision to raise tuition by 32 percent. The Birkenstock-clad students were upset that their parents would have to pay more for tuition, leaving less money to pay for their trips to South America to find themselves. (San Francisco Gate Chronicle)

>> The European Union elected Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the new president, though many European leaders felt disappointed that the weak personality (unlike another president I know) would represent the EU on the world stage. Obama: 1. Van Rompuy: 0. (Voice of America News)

>> Speaking of world leaders: The U.S. Embassy is working to get the Chinese government to change the official translation of Obama phonetically from Ao Ba Ma to Ou Ba Ma. However the first translation became popular initially, so it’s unlikely to change. Asian governments have confirmed that they’ll say his name right once Obama learns how to bow correctly. (New Yorker)

>> To the shock and sadness to housewives everywhere, Oprah Winfrey announced yesterday that she will end her “Oprah Winfrey Show” in its 25th season in 2011. The O plans to transform her program into something “small and different” on her own network, but I worry, how will she be able to elect our next president with a smaller show? (Deadline.com)

>> And finally: A coalition of Christian leaders, mostly conservative evangelicals and Roman Catholics, issued a declaration urging the White House to strike down any of the Senate’s health care reform that allows abortion coverage. Missing from the declaration is mandatory electronic holy water dispensers. (Fox News)

(Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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GAY MARRIAGE: All or nothing, Texas!

>> Canadian Parliament member Michelle Simson of the Liberals tweeted during a committee meeting that heavy-set conservative Dean Del Mastro “should grow up (not out)” after being frustrated with his behavior. They were all sitting at the same table, and Del Mastro stood up in front of hundreds of legislators to ask Simson for an apology. Simson apologized, and then probably updated her Facebook status with something rude since neither of them are Facebook friends. (Reuters)

>> A Houston lawyer thinks the Texas’ amendment banning gay marriage inadvertently “eliminated marriage in Texas” between straight couples too when it declares, “The state or a political subdivision of this state may not recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” Lets see if straight Texan couples act like the law doesn’t apply to them now. (McClatchy)

>> More out of the South: Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is proposing a new budget where the state’s three public black colleges merge into one black college and the Mississippi University for Women merge into Mississippi State University. Many financially-draining programs would be eliminated as well. Nothing like cutting back on educational opportunities for minorities and women to help your state out in a financial crisis! (InsideHigherEd.com via Gawker)

>> The White House has told Fox News that President Obama will not announce a decision about his Afghanistan war strategy until after Thanksgiving. It’s a fitting time to debate sending 40,000 additional troops to fight in Afghanistan during the anniversary of our forefathers destroying Native Americans, though I bet a lot of the early Americans would not be too pleased with an African-American president. (Fox News)

>> And finally, a group of HIV-positive ladies in Epworth, one of the poorest towns in Zimbabwe, have started their own soccer team and every time they win a match, they march through the clinic cheering. HIV-positive women are especially stigmatized in Zimbabwe, a country where females don’t play soccer. Every now and then, Morning Newsdome needs an uplifting story, and I’m not ashamed of it. Are you listening Disney? (CNN.com)

(Photo by Dustin Chambers)

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Then why haven’t you entered our 2010 Fiction Contest? The deadline is this Friday at 5 p.m., and the theme is “slip.” First prize is $1,000! Winners will be published in Creative Loafing and honored at an awards ceremony. For all the information, click here.

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Creative Loafing’s newest columnist, Michael Alvear, aka the Sexorcist, comes to the aid of a girl in Stockdale about the eternal issue of condom-or-no-condom:

Dear Sexorcist:
Condoms sometimes make my boyfriend go limp the second he puts them on, so he’s insisting I go on the pill. I’m like, no way. Why should I take something that’s going to fuck up my hormones, make me gain weight and possibly put me at risk for cancer just because he can’t get used to a little rubber? He’s pissed off that we’re not having much sex and I’m resentful that all of the burden falls on me. On top of that, he thinks he’s being fair and balanced. How do we settle this?
— Stumped in Stockdale

Read how Alvear answers S.I.S. in his latest column.

No stranger to sticky subjects, Alvear will answer all your sex and relationship questions, which you can submit anonymously at clatl.com/sex. And meet the Sexorcist in person at CL’s Very Sexy Holiday Party at Halo Lounge this Friday! (Facebook invitation here)

Happy sexing!

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JOE BIDEN: I swear I don't like car accidents!

>> The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is under denunciation after a three-day anti-hunger summit resulted in what critics say is merely throwing crumbs to the world’s 1 billion starving people. According to U.N. secretary general, a child dies of hunger every five seconds and 17,000 kids die daily from hunger even though there is enough food on the planet for everyone. Speaking of which, check out our Omnivore blog! (AP)

>> A new study from Forrester Research shows that of the 4,000 people polled, 80 percent say they will not at all pay for online newspapers or magazines. This comes as a shock to many print media outlets, but we don’t need to tell you this, reader of free alternative weekly and accompanying free website. (Gawker)

>> The founder of the World Toilet Organization spoke to Mumbai where the average ratio of people to toilets is 81:1. He believes toilets need to seem “cool” in the same way televisions are, so people will demand better sanitation from their government. If they can get toilets to play reruns of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” then I’d demand one from my government, too! (Reuters)

>> Speaking of toilets and the source of that article, Reuters, an admission to blog PostSecret revealed that the design for Thompson Reuter’s internationally known logo is actually a “flushing swirling toilet.” (PostSecret)

>> And finally: In New York to tape an episode of “The Daily Show,” Vice President Joe Biden was in a car accident in Midtown Manhattan that injured four people, the third car accident involving the VP’s security detail this week. Lucky for us, the economy his cabinet is driving has already crashed. (NBC)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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GADDAFI: Knows how to party

>> The Oxford New American Dictionary announced the 2009 “Word of the Year” is the Facebook term “unfriend.” Oxford’s senior lexicographer said the word had “real lex appeal” and is unusual since most other “un” words are adjectives, not verbs. Sounds double-plus-good to me. (PC World)

>> Mayor-elect Jennifer Scott Sudderth for Hartwell, Ga., was charged with drunk driving in Greenville, S.C., though she says she “was merely tired.” I can relate. All the hustle-and-bustle of Hartwell, Ga., can really do that to you. (Greenville Online)

>> From Arnold to Ronald, entertainment stars have made memorable politicians, and we may have a new one in our ranks: Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz told TMZ that he thinks beauty queen Carrie Prejean would make a strong politician. She won’t even need to raise campaign money — she can just distribute her eight sex tapes. (TMZ)

>> I love kebabs, don’t you? Who doesn’t love those meaty, saucy chunks? Apparently three Russian homeless men do too after they ate a 25-year-old man’s corpse and sold other bits to a local kebab house. A Russian delicacy, kind of like caviar. (Reuters)

>> And finally, while in Rome, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi recruited 200 women who were “well-dressed but not in mini-skirts” and tried to convert them to Islam. The women, who thought they were going to a VIP party, were each given a copy of the Koran and told at one point that Jesus wasn’t crucified but merely “someone who looked like him” was. I think those 200 women left a little more thankful to live in Italy. (Reuters)

(Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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BARACK OBAMA: Shaking hands is easy

>> President Obama met with Japanese Emperor Akihito on Saturday as part of his first Asian tour, but made the inexcusable mistake of incorrectly bowing. The president bent over and shook the Emperor’s hand instead of bowing with a “slight arch from the waist [and] hands at his sides.” Obama must have forgotten the ancient Bush tradition of vomiting in the laps of Japanese heads of state. (ABC News)

>> Perhaps in an effort to regain the respect of Asian nations, Obama invited fellow Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders to a 2011 summit in Hawaii where the heads of state will likely be dressed in traditional “flowered shirts and grass skirts” … That one’s for real. (Reuters)

>> More news that lobbyists (and their money) are running D.C.: the New York Times found emails proving Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche had their talking points published in the Congressional Record under the names of 42 representatives. But actually, this could be positive news of bipartisanship . The listed names were of 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats. (the New York Times)

>> Universal Studios removed the black actors from overseas posters for the movie Couples Retreat, saying they wanted to “simplify the poster to actors who are most recognizable in international markets.” Also recognizable in international markets? Blatant racism. (Daily Mail)

>> And lastly, disappointing news out of Atlanta: the city’s leading gay publication Southern Voice and the magazine counterpart David shuttered today to the surprise of readers and staff. Fear not, though, as Atlanta gays will never run out of things to say.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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VLADIMIR PUTIN: Word to your motha

>> While reporting on a Capitol protest about health care last week that only drew a modest crowd, “Fair & Balanced” Fox News’ commentator Sean Hannity showed video of a Sept. 12 rally and said that “twenty-plus thousand people showed up.” After” “he Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart pointed out the editing, Hannity admitted it was “an inadvertent mistake.” Stewart’s response? “It’s not like he disappointed me. I expect that stuff.” (the LA Times)

>> Sarah Palin’s new memoir does not once reference up-and-coming Playgirl model and baby-daddy Levi Johnston but does complain about Sen. McCain and his team. Palin describes being “bottled up” from reporters constantly during the campaign. The advisers didn’t seem to do a good job, however, as I seem to remember her saying stupid things on television all the time. (AP)

>> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was hailed with chants of “respect” as he presented awards to rappers in a televised hip-hop contest called “Battle for Respect.” If a world leader is gangsta and ballin’ enough to know about hip-hop respect, it’s definitely Putin. (Reuters)

>> A thermal plant opened in the Netherlands on Friday that converts cow dung from a nearby farm into fuel for the plant’s gas turbines, heating around 1,100 homes in the area. If only there was a plant to convert the bullshit from Fox News and Palin into thermal energy. (Reuters)

>> And finally, as the American housing market remains sluggish, home building company John Wieland is downsizing its luxury houses found in many cookie-cutter neighborhoods in greater Atlanta. The development company is finally asking itself the important questions: Do these Southern McMansions really need a fireplace? (Wall Street Journal)

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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HILARY CLINTON: Listen to her, she's powerful

>> Those list-lovers at Forbes first named Hilary Clinton the 36th most powerful woman in the world in August, but just three short months later, she’s now named the 17th most powerful person in the world. You’re no one unless you’re on a list. (Forbes)

>> If you lost your job in the economic downturn, you can always turn your diminished bank account into modern art: Andy Warhol’s silk-screen painting “200 One Dollar Bills” sold for way over just $200. The seven-and-a-half-foot wide canvas, one of the artist’s earliest works, sold for $43.8 million today, four times its estimated price. (Bloomberg)

>> With the money from your art auction, you can invest in real estate like this discounted beauty: Bernie Madoff’s two homes in New York and Florida have been cut by as much as 10 percent after two months on the market and sale proceeds will help reimburse victims of his $65 billion scheme. His new jail cell is much more economical anyway. (Reuters)

>> Catholics usually dip their hands into holy water when entering and leaving the church, but many were becoming fearful of the tradition with swine flu on the rise. Enter the electronic holy water dispenser in the northern Italian town of Fornaci di Briosco that acts like an automatic soap dispenser of priest-blessed water. Catholics don’t have to fear the swine flu any longer! (Reuters)

>> More than 7,000 Chinese women are applying for one of the 40 tickets to a version of Cinderella’s ball where several male multi-millionaires are paying $5,400 to meet their future wife. If only this was in America–we could make a great reality TV special out of it. (Reuters)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Why is it just high-profile Atlantans featured in the 11 Least Influential? Where’s the recognition for all you normal people who feel impotent every day? Because we feel your pain, the CL team hit the Chomp and Stomp Chili Cook-off in Cabbagetown this weekend to ask everyday Atlantans about their moments of shame. From hung-over 5k races to a pantsing gone wrong, these urbanites bare all for your viewing pleasure.

Continue reading the 11 Least Influential.

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Don’t get us wrong, we take our job of highlighting the best of the city seriously. But equally important is shining the spotlight on those Atlantans who just can’t seem to get it right. Today being 11/11, we offer you the 11 Least Influential. From a police chief who can’t convince residents of decreasing crime to a quarterback who can’t maximize penetration, our annual list points out the lows … and lows … of 2009.

Continue reading “The 11 Least Influential”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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SARAH PALIN: Feeling mavericky

>> Maverick Sarah Palin told thousands of abortion opponents at a Wisconsin fund-raising banquet Friday night that if the government would allow abortion rights, then it could also disregard the health of the elderly or special-needs children, like her “retarded baby” Trig. (Politico, Examiner)

>> Televangelist Pat Robertson denounced Islam as “not a religion” but “a violent political system” on the 700 Club yesterday. Those Muslims could learn a thing or two about peace from Robertson, who famously advised throwing “a very small nuke” at the State Department. (Crooksandliars.com)

>> The Vatican, which recently made it easier for disenfranchised Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, may have other converts in mind: The church has called in scientists to study alien life and what it would mean for Catholicism, saying one cannot “put limits on God’s creative freedom.” Galileo is rolling in his grave. (AP)

>> The U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed the Philidelphia-based independent news site Indymedia.us to disclose the details of all reader visits on a certain day, including e-mail addresses, physical addresses, Social Security numbers and bank accounts. The request also stated “not to disclose the existence of this request.” Oops! (CBS News)

>> And finally, out of eastern India: Hundreds of poor Hindu villagers have claimed that a rare turtle with holy symbols on its back is the incarnation of the popular deity Lord Jagannath. Apparently Lord Jagannath likes to eat seagrass and algae and naps constantly throughout the day. (Reuters)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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THE NEANDERTHAL: Who could resist this?

>> After being rescheduled twice due to concerns of militant violence, Pakistan held its first-ever Fashion Week in Karachi, just two hours by plane from Al Qaeda and Taliban nesting places. This just in: sequin party tops are the new look of anti-Taliban defiance. (AP)

>> After all this talk of school dress codes comes more fashion news: A 20-year-old Brazilian college student was expelled from school after she wore a mid-thigh red dress to class. Six military police officers escorted her off campus while students chanted “whore.” What is this world coming to — skimpy clothing looked down upon in Brazil? (Reuters)

>> Appearance is important to petty thieves too: Twenty-three-year-old Matthew Maynard of South Wales, on the run from police, sent a picture of himself to his local paper after he disliked the mugshot they ran. Luckily for him it seems he’ll get a second chance to perfect his mugshot look in front of the cameras. (Reuters)

>> The driver of a Boston subway train is being called a hero after pulling the emergency brake just in time before hitting a woman who had fallen onto the tracks. The reward for his heroism? A dozen Dunkin’ Donuts. (AP)

>> And finally: On a dark night 24,000 years ago in a smoky cave, the lights low and the alcohol flowing, it appears that the modern human species did in fact have sex with our closest relatives the Neanderthals, according to scientists. Now that would make for an embarrassing walk of shame. (MSNBC)

(Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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JONATHAN ESCOBAR gained national attention after cross-dressing in a North Cobb County high school

High school is a tricky time for many teenagers, with the simple act of what to wear becoming a huge dilemma. Does this skirt look right, a girl might wonder to herself before school. But what about when a boy wonders the same question? This weekend the New York Times asked the same query  in a piece dissecting cross-dressing in high schools across the country. The article mentions some accepting schools, like one in Tucson, Ariz., where a girl who identifies as male was nominated for homecoming prince and another in Los Angeles, Calif., where a gay male student won prom queen. But for every good example, there are just as many bad scenarios, including the case of Jonathan Escobar, the Cobb County student who was sent home for wearing female clothing this October, which the article touches on. We talked to Escobar in our First Person series where he revealed the intentions behind his attire:

When I came to Georgia, I would shop at antique stores and use larger shoulder pads to make these weird little outfits. It’s not that I like to wear girl’s clothes. It’s my art. Why be called “gay” or “cross-dresser”? Why label? I’m only 16. I wanna have fun. I don’t stick to titles.

That same month Atlanta’s Morehouse College implemented a dress code against five male students who were, according to the school, “living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men.” The issue of gender-bending dress codes may become more common in the coming years, says the New York Times:

Although dress code disputes are largely anecdotal, popping up in the news when a lawsuit threat emerges, educators and psychologists say that more schools will have to address them in the near future. There are 4,118 gay-straight alliance clubs in high schools across the country, which raise awareness of such issues. Gender-boundary questions are even bubbling up in elementary schools, with parents seeking to pave the way for their children, in blogs like acceptingdad.com and labelsareforjars.wordpress.com.

Continue reading of our First Person with Jonathan Escobar here.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON: Average net-worth in 2008 valued at $9,586,038 according to the Center for Responsive Politics, ranking him at 57 out of Congress

>> Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with people all over the world sharing their memories of the historic day to BBC. So far, no mention of the Hoff. (BBC News)

>> The storied  town of Amherst, Mass., has been home to poet Emily Dickinson, actress Uma Thurman and now … war crime detainees? Amherst is the first municipality in the country to accept cleared detainees released from Guantánamo detention camp in Cuba, though Congress has voted not to allow Guantánamo detainees on U.S. soil. (Christian Science Monitor)

>> British courts ruled that schools discriminating against ethnic origin, as opposed to religious origin, is unethical when a 12-year-old boy whose father is Jewish and mother is a Jewish convert was rejected from a Jewish school in England. Traditional Jewish law dictates that one’s religion is traced through the mother, not the father, but if you ask me, only a Jewish mother would kvetch all the way to the Supreme Court. (the New York Times)

>> As most of America is hurting during the recession with unemployment now up to 10.2 percent, it’s a bit of a shock that two-hundred-and-thirty seven members, or 44 percent, of Congress are millionaires. And we’re trying to teach Afghanistan about how democracy works? (Politico)

>> On Saturday the House approved what would be the biggest expansion of health care in over 40 years, with only one Republican in favor. However a difficult fight is predicted to get the bill passed through the Senate because, you know, they’re all millionaires anyway. (CNN)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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There’s nothing Jaxson won’t do for fame. Unfortunately, fame has remained elusive.

Welcome to CL’s annual catalog of impotence: the 11 Least Influential. You’ll meet folks who tried to achieve an ambitious goal, but fell short; people who’ve devoted themselves to a personal mission in near-total obscurity; and ordinary Joes who can’t get anyone to pay attention to them. Every day until the full issue hits the streets on Nov. 11, we’ll bring you a new story of failure — some noble and heroic, others abject and pathetic.

Subject: Jonathan Jaxson
Failing: Can’t make it to the A-list

Jonathan Jaxson has been angling for fame since the tender age of 15. But even after tabloid television appearances, the launch of a celeb blog and stints as a publicist for fellow D-listers, the Atlanta-based PR rep just can’t get to the next level.

The 26-year-old’s futile attempt at fame began in 1999, when he reconnected with his estranged father on the talk show “Forgive or Forget.” A year later, he came out to his dad on a “teen secrets” episode of the “Sally Jess Raphael Show.” Jaxson allegedly became the head of publicity for the Backstreet Boys the same year, after winning backstage tickets to the boy band’s concert. And from there, the 16-year-old continued to network with celebs.

Relying on the fame-by-association theory, Jaxson ran the now-defunct celebrity gossip blog JJsDirt.com where he trashed his supposedly Hollywood “It” girl friends. In an attempt to score privileged information from the queen of all media, Perez Hilton, Jaxson sent the blogger sexually explicit videos of himself. In return, Hilton filed a federal defamation suit  after Jaxson claimed Hilton asked for those videos.

(more…)

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WOAH, GIRL: Having fun with a four-legged friend

>> Scientist are discovering more animals appear to be having sex for pleasure, including Australian redback spiders that have 100 minutes of foreplay and fruit bats that have oral sex. The discovery brings to light the debate of “what’s natural” and if sex exists purely for procreation. Next, the Supreme Court will be debating whether the animal porn observed by these scientists is considered obscene. (Fox News)

>> Someone who knows a thing or two about animal pleasure: A 50-year-old South Carolina man was sentenced to five years in prison after having sex with the same horse for a second time within two years. The horse’s owner became suspicious when she noticed Sugar, her 21-year-old horse, was getting infections again.  In the man’s defense: it was a female horse. (New Orleans Examiner)

>> President Obama told representatives from the 564 federally recognized Native American tribes at a summit yesterday that he promises to work on issues with them while also respecting their sovereignty. In other words, he’ll continue to ignore them just like always. (the New York Times)

>> More seriously: Twenty-three American CIA agents as well as two Italians were convicted by the Italian court for kidnapping an Egyptian cleric off the streets of Milan and taking him to be tortured in Egypt. This practice of shipping arrested people (sometimes innocent) to countries where torture is illegal, common under Bush’s war on terrorism, is now brought to the international spotlight as illegal. (the LA Times)

>> Decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana and paraphernalia were overwhelmingly voted OK in Breckenridge, Colo., this Tuesday, but the next day Colorado health officials struck “caregiver” from the rules governing medical marijuana sales, making it harder for patients to legally buy pot. Indecisiveness is apparently common in pot smokers. ( Summit Daily News, the Denver Post)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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ALCOHOL: Making people publicly pee and fall off horses

>> Give pees a chance: A 19-year-old university student may be jailed after being photographed urinating on a war memorial poppy wreath. If a drunken Brit can’t publicly pee without being hassled,  then there’s really no point in living in England, now is there? (Reuters)

>> More wonderfully boozy news: The annual Todo Santos Cuchumatan horse race in Guatemala was ruined when riders and onlookers consumed copious amounts of homemade moonshine, leaving some riders to fall off their horses and many tourists to drunkenly stumble through the nearby village.  I’ve never wanted to go to Guatemala so badly. (Reuters)

>> Brigitte Harris, who chopped off her father’s penis and sautéed it after he allegedly has raped her since the age of three, is now taking cooking classes in prison. And here I thought revenge was a dish best served cold. (the New York Daily News)

>> Obama totally embarrassed his daughter Malia when he revealed that she made a 73 on a science test. If he’s trying to revamp “No Child Left Behind,” he’s not doing a very good job. (the New York Times)

>> And finally, coming out of the Florida panhandle: A baby who had been missing for five days was found alive under her baby-sitter’s bed, and the parents may have known about it. At least that baby’s dad didn’t tell the whole world she got an F on a test! (AP)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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MOBILE PHONES: More important than people

>> Virgin Atlantic Airways has launched a Flying Without Fear app to help people overcome their travel trepidation with video, FAQs and a fear attack button for emergencies with breathing exercises. Who needs a therapist or a close friend when you have an iPhone?  (Reuters)

>> More on mobile phones: Fanatical Muslim insurgents Al Shabaab have banned non-Islamic audio for people’s ringtones since seizing parts of Somalia, saying they do not tolerate “anything that may corrupt the people.” Come on, when did a “Poker Face” ringtone really hurt anyone? (Reuters)

>> Speaking of Gaga’s potential harm: A celebrity photographer working an awards ceremony in Manhattan last night collapsed and died of a heart attack just after Lady Gaga arrived. Her seizure-inducing outfits are gaining strength. (Photo District Online)

>> A new American Eagle store in Times Square will be open until 1 a.m. and include a “15 Seconds of Fame” feature which lets shoppers submit their picture to be broadcast on a Times Square screen minutes later. But honestly, who would want to advertise to the world that they buy crappy logo decal shirts at one in the morning? (Womenswear Daily)

>> Finally, hit hard by the recession, Ohio is set to vote “yes” to casinos tied to new jobs after rejecting attempts to bring gambling to the state for the past two decades. Aside from a handful of new jobs, the plan seems like a great way for down-on-their-luck Ohioans to squander what little money they have left at the slots. (Fox News)

(Photo Courtesy Flickr)

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DICK CHENEY: Always evasive

>> For anyone with a few million dollars to burn: Barcelona-based architects The Galactic Suite Space Resort plan to open the first hotel in space in 2012, with an eight-week training course on a tropical island included in the $4.4 million three-night stay. No word yet on whether the tropical training is actually more enjoyable. (Reuters)

>> Need a more down-to-earth alternative to space travel? For $14 a day, Taipei families are sending their pets to chic dog hotels complete with VIP suites, pools, salons and classes. Stray dogs are a problem in Taiwan after an economic boom in the 1980s when people bought puppies, did not expect them to grow bigger and then abandoned the grown animals. Sounds like the same Taiwanese logic at work for these doggie resorts. (Reuters)

>> Vacations in space are possible for Warren Buffett, the world’s second-richest man, who just bought the vast American railway system Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) for $34 billion. Maybe the deal gets him the train discounts deals he desperately needs. (the Guardian)

>> A fight broke out in the Washington Post newsroom after editor Henry Allen told writer Monica Hesse her piece was “the second worst story I have seen in Style in 43 years.” Fellow writer Manuel Roig-Franzia defended Hesse by telling Allen not be such a “cocksucker” when Allen punched Roig-Franzia in the face. That’s nothing. Sounds like another day at Creative Loafing. (Politico)

>> And finally, while you’re off to the voting booths today, lets think for a second about public officials. In a FBI interview released last week, Dick Cheney stated on 72 occasions that he could not be certain of his answers concerning the Valerie Plame case. That kind of unaccountability is giving me a heart attack, too. (Yahoo! News)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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