GA/DG

According to Giorgio Armani, the quilted Men's trousers Dolce & Gabbana sent down a Milan catwalk last week, pictured above, are a blatant rip off of his work.
Armani reportedly exclaimed to a reporter, "I would understand if they were nobodies. But honestly!"
The quilted pants designed by Armani sashayed down the runway last June.
And, now, Armani is determined to teach the copy catting duo a lesson, even threatening to sue the duo!
He went on to say to the media, "Now they are copying. Later, they will learn."'
Dolce & Gabbana wasn't having any of Giorgio's slam and they retorted, "Surely we still have much to learn. But definitely not from him. Stylistically, the Armani style is not, and has never been, an inspiration source for us and we stopped seeing his fashion shows years ago."
The last time the fashion world saw a vicious copycat fight was about 15 years ago when Yves Saint Laurent successfully sued Ralph Lauren for ripping off a tuxedo shirt dress design.
Sounds like precedent is on the side of Giorgio!
ORIGINAL SOUCE: PEREZ HILTON

irena sendler

There recently was the death of a 98-year-old lady named Irena Sendler.
During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.
She had an ulterior motive... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German). Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she also carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.
During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs and arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family. Most, of course, had been gassed. Those kids she helped were placed into foster family homes or adopted.
Last year Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.... She LOST.
Al Gore won for doing a slide show on Global Warming.

heath ledger wins best supporting actor award

The late Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting Actor award at last night’s Critic’s Choice Awards. When his name was announced, Heath was honored by the assembled audience with a standing ovation and The Dark Knight’s director Christopher Nolan accepted the award on his behalf.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Pink is the New Blog

Detroit School Lacks Toilet Paper, Light Bulbs

DETROIT - A Detroit elementary school is asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to continue functioning.
The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."
In the letter, Principal Naomi Khalil cited budget constraints within the district as the reason that the school could no longer stock the items. The district is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.
The letter asks for toilet paper, paper towel rolls, trash bags and 60-, 100- or 150-watt light bulbs.
"We realize that the economic situation is stressful for our entire community, but we are asking for your collaboration," wrote Khalil. "We thank you for your cooperation and we hope that as a school community we can pull together to guarantee the best possible educational environment for our children."
Parents said a letter went out asking for supplies at the start of the school year.
"They sent out a letter for pencils, pens, they put Kleenex on there," said parent Danny Huddleston.
A spokeswoman for the district said the school is not running out of supplies but instead is asking for them to ensure they have sufficient supplies to what they already have.
But at least one parent said he doesn't mind helping out the school no matter the circumstance.
"I'm all about helping the school. If that's what they need, then that's what we need to see what we can do to help them out," said Juan Oroczo.
Donations are being accepted at the school's front office, beginning Jan. 12.

The school is located at 5680 Konkel St. in Detroit.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: MSNBC

7 Ways To Curb Your Cravings

RAMP UP YOUR RESOLVE - One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you're 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it's just a few days. "Once you make it to your goal date, start over," says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. "This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue."

FIND MEANINGFUL MOTIVATION - If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic--i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts--you're unlikely to stick with it for the long haul. The solution: "Arm yourself with additional motivators," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale. "Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation," Volek says.

MOVE ON AFTER A MISTAKE - OK, you overindulged. What's the next step? "Forget about it," says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That's right, three hundred.) "One meal doesn't define your diet, so don't assume that you've failed or fallen off the wagon," he says. Institute a simple rule: Follow any "cheat" meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you'll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.

ROLL OUT OF BED AND INTO THE KITCHEN - Sure, you've heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find. The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.

RESTOCK YOUR SHELVES - How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you've raided the fridge. You're more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it's not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken, and salmon. And do the same at work. "By eliminating snacks that don't match your diet and providing plenty that do, you're far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Kentucky.

THINK LIKE A BIOCHEMIST - Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won't help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of "health foods" in the granola aisle. "Natural" sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff. "If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward," Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.

SPOT HUNGER IMPOSTORS - Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. "If you're truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat," says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. "If it doesn't sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you." His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Women's Health Magazine

superfoods for your bod

YOUR HAIR
Spoon Up: Low-fat cottage cheese
Hair is almost all protein, so attaining a strong, vibrant mane starts with eating enough of it. Reduced-fat cottage cheese is a protein heavyweight, with 14 grams in half a cup.
Pack: Pumpkin seeds
Zinc helps reduce shedding, says Francesca Fusco, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center. Toss a tablespoon of these zinc-heavy seeds into your cereal.

YOUR BRAIN
Surf for: Arctic char
This cold-water fish is a great source of the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, which can improve brain function and ward off the blues, says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Age-Proof Your Body. Omega-3s help squelch inflammation in the brain and regulate feel-good neurotransmitters. Sprinkle fillets with sea salt, ground pepper, and fresh lemon juice, then pan-fry on medium-high until one side is slightly brown. Flip and cook until the inside is slightly pink (6 to 8 minutes total).
Saute: Kale
Feed the 100 billion neurons in your noggin with nutritious kale. A study in the journal Neurology reports that getting two-plus servings per day of veggies--especially leafy green ones like kale--slows cognitive decline by 40 percent. Temper kale's bitter flavor by sautéing it lightly with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, a chopped garlic clove, 2 ­tablespoons of pine nuts, and a pinch of salt.

YOUR NOSE
Nosh: Sunflower seedsHay fever affects more than 40 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Halt the drip with vitamin E. Researchers suspect it calms the parts of your immune system involved in allergies. With 49 percent of your daily vitamin E needs in an ounce, these seeds are your shnoz's best friend.

YOUR EYES
Scramble: Whole eggs
Forgo egg-white omelets. The yolks are an all-star source of two antioxidants--lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that fight cataracts as well as macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. Don't worry: University of Massachusetts researchers have concluded that eating an average of one egg yolk a day will not hurt your cholesterol levels.
Steam: Orange cauliflower
Yes, that really is orange cauliflower popping up in your produce aisle. Food scientists at Cornell University reworked the white variety to provide 25 times as much beta-carotene, which maintains the protective covering over the cornea. As with any low-cal vegetable, you can enjoy peachy cauliflower with reckless abandon, provided you don't drown it in salt and fat-laden butter.

YOUR SKIN
Simmer: Tomatoes
Cozy up to your nearest Italian eatery. The fruit is especially beneficial when cooked--more of the carotenoid lycopene makes it into the skin, where it can limit UV damage to lower skin-cancer risk and hold off wrinkles
Experiment with: Hemp
The omega-3 fatty acids in hemp help your skin retain moisture so you don't look like a cast member from Dawn of the Dead. Toss a tablespoon each of lemon juice, pine nuts, and shelled hemp seeds ($9 for 8 oz, manitobaharvest.com) into a blender with ³ cup of hemp-seed oil ($10 for 8 oz, manitobaharvest.com), a chopped garlic clove, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup fresh basil. Whirl to create a delicious and healthy pesto.

YOUR LIPS
Munch On: Walnuts
To get moist, beautiful, chap-free lips, your body needs to constantly replace old skin cells with new ones. "Omega-3 fats help regulate this turnover so that it happens all the time," Fusco says. And unlike much-lauded almonds, walnuts have tons of the phat fats. So do your lips a favor and pucker up to an ounce (about 14 shelled halves) a day; eat them plain or add them to salads, cereal, oatmeal, trail mix, or your favorite muffin recipe.

YOUR NAILS
Grill up: Beef
Of all the sources of highly absorbable iron in your supermarket, beef is among the best. Low iron levels, which are common in women, not only zap your zip, but, Fusco says, can cause brittle nails. With the least fat of the common cuts, top round (and other round cuts) deserve high billing on your broiler pan. (EW!)

YOUR BREASTS
Add: Broccoli sprouts
Sulforaphane, found in baby broccoli, fires up enzymes that may stop breast-cancer cells from growing. Johns Hopkins University researchers discovered that broccoli sprouts have up to 20 times as much of this compound as fully grown plants. Pimp your sandwiches and salads with 1/2 cup of robustly flavored broccosprouts--developed by scientists at Johns Hopkins. A one-ounce serving contains 73 milligrams of the naturally occurring precursor of sulforaphane.

YOUR HEART
Snap Up: Asparagus
Italian researchers have found that the B vitamin folate reduces homocysteine, an amino acid believed to promote inflammation, which can up your risk of heart disease. Eight steamed asparagus spears deliver 20 percent of your daily folate requirement, as well as other heart-chummy nutrients like potassium.
Sip: Purple grape juice
Pull over, OJ! According to researchers at the University of Glasgow, purple grape juice is high in phenolics, "a group of powerful antioxidants that swallow up heart-damaging free radicals," says Anne VanBeber, R.D., Ph.D., a nutrition professor at Texas Christian University. To cut calories while guarding your arteries, mix equal parts grape juice and seltzer

YOUR GUT
Reach for: Dried plums, aka Prunes
These high-fiber fruits help keep your gastric system working like a finely tuned machine. They may shrink your stomach, too. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that among 74,000 women surveyed, those who got more fiber were 49 percent less likely to suffer weight gain. Make your own trail mix with a handful of chopped pitted prunes plus walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, and hemp seeds.
Toss in: Tempeh
Made from whole soybeans that are then fermented, tempeh pads our guts with beneficial bacteria. After taking up residence, VanBeber says, these live microorganisms improve digestion, reduce gas production, and kill bacteria that cause ulcers. Like tofu, tempeh soaks up the flavors around it, so crumble a block and toss it into chili, soup, and pasta sauce.

YOUR GIRLIE PARTS
Grab: Blueberries
From vision-protecting vitamin C to appetite-quelling fiber, there are plenty of reasons to be sweet on these tiny antioxidant powerhouses. And scientists now believe that, like cranberries, blueberries battle urinary tract infections, Somer says.
Pour on: Kefir
Yeast infections put a serious damper on bed play. "Having lots of fermented milk products, including kefir, is a good way to reduce infections," VanBeber says. These products may add beneficial bacteria to the vagina, keeping infectious bacteria in line, early research indicates. Blend 1/2 cup low-fat plain kefir (we like Lifeway) with a cup of milk, a handful of berries, and a tablespoon of almond butter for a creamy smoothie.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: WOMEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE

nye pictures continued

1) shots up! first for nye eve 08-09 2) my brother, the bartender 3) crystal & geoff 4) me, my cousin jason and cousin billy 5) my brother and sister in law (my brother is hammmerrreddddd!)

new years eve 08-09

1) my neice crystal and i 2) geoffrey and i 3) kisses for my nephew hunter 4) my sister and her beau joe 5) geoffrey and i

ringing in the new year

happy new year!
had a great time at my brothers house on new years eve. i lost some money playing texas hold'em, put it was all in fun and games.
i disappointed myself~ i pooped out around 10 - i couldn't drink with the big boys because i wasn't feeling so good. i slept all of thursday(expect to get up to eat) starting from 2 in the afternoon after brunch, till 5:30 monday morning when i got up to get ready for work. if i was sick, i didn't know it because i slept it off!
anyway, my cousin jason & billy stopped by which was great bc we haven't seen them in forever!
geoff got smashed and he was very entertaining! lots of food & drinks. all in all, it was a blast!

something borrowed by emily giffin

super cute (and fast) read! highly recommended! i plan on reading the trilogy, something blue, and baby proof in the near future. this book was VERY entertaining!

christmas gifts

made out pretty good this year if i am say so myself...

can blood type determine your personality?

Type A
Type As may seem calm on the outside, but inside, you’re filled with anxiety and worry. You’re perfectionists and often shy and sensitive. Usually introverted, you’re stable and thoughtful. You make good listeners and are sensitive to color and your surroundings. You like to be fashionable and are up on the latest trends, but never flashy or gaudy. You like romantic settings and often shun reality for fantasy worlds. A is most compatible with A and AB in the love department. Common career choices: accountant, librarian, economist, writer, computer programmer, and gossip columnist.

damn accurate if i may say so myself.

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softbank 823SH tiffany & co. phone

Diamond and crystal studded mobile phones are not a new thing to us at BornRich, but it’s really good to see Japan’s Softbank Mobile unveiling a line of diamond studded cellphones in the global financial meltdown situation. The Softbank 823SH Tiffany phone comes encrusted with 537 (18.34 carat) diamonds. The glittering phone will retail for 12.98 million yen, which comes out to approximately US $132,140. The display of the phone has been designed by the famed New York jeweler. Japanese actress Aya Ueto (pictured above) is holding Softbank’s sparkling Tiffany mobile phone. Only 10 units have been put into production, so you need to hurry to get one for yourself. Anyway, the 823SH Tiffany looks like the $94,000 diamond-studded cellphone we spotted back in January.

bizarre suicide

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given by the American Association for Forensic Sciences, AAFS President Don Harper Mills astounded his audience in San Diego with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story...
On March 23 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a gunshot wound of the head caused by a shotgun. Investigation to that point had revealed that the decedent had jumped from the top of a ten story building with the intent to commit suicide. (He left a note indicating his despondency.) As he passed the 9th floor on the way down, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window, killing him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety net had been erected at the 8th floor level to protect some window washers, and that the decedent would not have been able to complete his intent to commit suicide because of this...
Ordinarily a person who starts into motion the events with a suicide intent ultimately commits suicide even though the mechanism might be not what he intended. That he was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably would not change his mode of death from suicide to homicide, but the fact that his suicide intent would not have been achieved under any circumstance caused the medical examiner to feel that he had homicide on his hands...
Further investigation led to the discovery that the room on the 9th floor from whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. He was threatening her with the shotgun because of an interspousal spat and became so upset that he could not hold the shotgun straight. Therefore, when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking the decedent.
When one intends to kill subject A, but kills subject B in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject B. The old man was confronted with this conclusion, but both he and his wife were adamant in stating that neither knew that the shotgun was loaded. It was the longtime habit of the old man to threaten his wife with an unloaded shotgun. He had no intent to murder her; therefore, the killing of the decedent appeared then to be accident. That is, the gun had been accidentally loaded...
But further investigation turned up a witness that their son was seen loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal accident. That investigation showed that the mother (the old lady) had cut off her son's financial support, and her son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that the father would shoot his mother. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus...
Further investigation revealed that the son became increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to get his mother murdered. This led him to jump off the ten story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through a 9th story window.
The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.