Gawker

Middle America Embraces Kimbo Slice [Media Darlings]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:00:30 EDT

Well, ultimate fighting is now officially an acceptable sport for mainstream America. Tomorrow night, CBS is showing a live fight featuring none other than the Miami headcracker, Kimbo Slice. He's an ex-bouncer who's risen to fame, fortune, and respectability solely through brutal, bare-knuckle fight videos of him on YouTube. A true American success story for our modern age. Half of you are saying, "Who?" The other half are saying, "My favorite was when that guy in the backyard kept trying to pause the fight, but Kimbo knocked the hell out of him anyways." Though there will be some halfhearted controversy over CBS' decision, we're calling it right now: ultimate fighting is no longer a trend, or an oddity; it's a part of the sporting establishment that families can watch together. Two of Kimbo's YouTube classics are after the jump. America will have its blood:

*Uh, extreme-violence-and-language-disclaimer-here.

Help Me Make The Saddest Playlist In The World [Friday Mixtape]

Nick Douglas — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:53:45 EDT

I assumed until a few days ago that everyone had a playlist full of sad songs for when they felt really low. I mean I only had two mix CDs in college: Favorite new music, and the sad playlist. I've curated that sad playlist (now named "Blue") for six years. It's not that I'm a sad person, but a soundtrack soothes me in a time of sharp emotion, and certain songs will always hit me in the chest. So I've put a couple of songs from my "Blue" playlist on the Gawker Muxtape account. Below are the user name and password so you can upload a song to make the saddest playlist in the world.

I only thought about the playlist recently because I hadn't played it in so long. In fact, it seemed like the past decade of my life can be told by recalling how often I played it: All the time growing up, to only rarely pulling it out now. Does anyone else measure their happiness by playlist?

Those Amazonian Tribespeople: Bullshit? [Bullshit?]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:34:08 EDT

A rare, isolated, never-before-seen tribe photographed from a plane high above the Amazon! Dressed in red warpaint and shooting arrows at the camera! What a story! Well... you know us, we love to call bullshit on things. Just last weekend we were ready to call bullshit on the guy who made the "self-portrait" with DHL and a GPS device-equipped suitcase (honestly, people!) but then the dude called himself on it before we got the chance. (Stupid holiday weekend!) Anyway. Is this tribe shit for real?

We have no definitive answers but we point you to two things. Number one: the Tasaday. A remote, isolated tribe in the Philippines living as if it was still the stone age. They knew nothing of the outside world! They became a media sensation in the early 1970s. But!

Then, just a month after the fall of President Marcos in 1986, sensational reports on the Tasaday again appeared in newspapers and television. These reports, however, were calling the 1971 story a hoax. In the chaotic month following Marcos's downfall, foreign journalists had been able to slip into the area. They found the Tasaday living in regular houses in the area, wearing western clothes, and tending gardens just like those of other rural Manobo people in the southern Philippines.

Oh, and also: Nick Douglas reminded us of the beloved Richard Dreyfus classic Kippendorf's Tribe which is more or less about the same thing.

Anyways. We don't know! There seems to be very little verifiable information in this story beyond two photos, which could be lost extras from Apocalypto for all we know! Plus some nonsense from the Brazilian government about how they have to follow the Prime Directive and not interfere with these tribespeople's lives. Which, on the whole, seems ok with us, because those chaps from Blur were pretty much spot-on about Modern Life, eh?

In addition, the images are being used to prevent massive disruptive logging in the Amazon by saying, look, there are ppl who live here! So whatevs! If it's a hoax it looks to be in the service of a good cause.

Stoner Hackers to Comcast: We Tried to Warn You [Hackers]

Sheila — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:18:24 EDT

Whoa: Wired interviews the stoner hackers, "Defiant" and "EBK," who "took down Comcast's homepage and webmail service for more than five hours Thursday." Apparently they're pretty psyched about what they did but also scared: "I wish I was a minor right now because this is going to be really bad," says 19-year-old Defiant (pictured). Here's how they did it:

The hackers say the attack began Tuesday, when the pair used a combination of social engineering and a technical hack to get into Comcast's domain management console at Network Solutions. They declined to detail their technique, but said it relied on a flaw at the Virginia-based domain registrar.

...However they got in, the intrusion gave the pair control of over 200 domain names owned by Comcast. They changed the contact information for one of them, Comcast.net, to Defiant's e-mail address; for the street address, they used the "Dildo Room" at "69 Dick Tard Lane."

Comcast, they said, noticed the administrative transfer and wrested back control, forcing the hackers to repeat the exploit to regain ownership of the domain. Then, they say, they contacted Comcast's original technical contact at his home number to tell him what they'd done.

When the Comcast manager scoffed at their claim and hung up on them, 18-year-old EBK decided to take the more drastic measure of redirecting the site's traffic to servers under their control. (Comcast would neither confirm nor deny the warning phone call.)

"If he wasn't such a prick, he could have avoided all of that," says EBK. "I wasn't even really thinking. Plus, I'm just so mad at Comcast. I'm tired of their shitty service."

[Wired]

Steroids Reconsidered [Movies]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:12:50 EDT

"I can't imagine how my mom would feel if she found out both of my brothers are on steroids right now," says Christopher Bell, the narrator and director of a new documentary called Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Well he can imagine it now, because he made a movie about his brothers being on steroids! Along with other important American cultural figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sly Stallone. The film is billed as a real, down-to-earth look at all sides of the steroids issue, not just a one-sided condemnation. These drugs are for stupid people and cheaters, but they're also everywhere. Why can't you look like that ripped guy in the gym? Because he's on steroids. Simple! (Anybody know any media people on steroids? Email us). The early reviews are good, and this is yet another thing that guys can do this weekend instead of seeing Sex And The City. Watch the trailer, after the jump.

[Pictured: True roid freak Gregg Valentino]

Arianna, Tucker, and Chris: Updated! [Heads Up]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:11:51 EDT

So yesterday we told you the story of a photo shoot with MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson. Chris allegedly stormed out because Arianna Huffington was involved, and he hates her. He reportedly hates her because she once hired a private eye to follow Tim Russert (a claim she denies). It's complicated. ANYWAY! We've updated the post with emailed clarification from Tucker! AND SO MUCH MORE. Go read it again!

Hey, Sleeping Bloggers—Wake Up! [Overshares]

Sheila — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:50:30 EDT

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Here's an exercise in the Way We Live Now: visit some of our friends, the compulsive oversharers of the internet, and see how long it takes you to find a photo that they've snapped of themselves sleeping. Creepy, right? Click for the gallery!

From left to right: the fameball trio of an upcoming reality show: Star talking head Julia Allison, Meghan Asha, and Mary Rambin. Bottom: Glamour's fired dudeblogger Mike Cherico, Vimeo & CollegeHumor founder Jakob Lodwick, and musician Ryan Adams.

400 Teens Destroy $8.7 Million Home After Facebook Party Invite [Facebook]

Nick Douglas — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:25:19 EDT

I thought the story of Australian party host Corey Worthington drove home the lesson: Never ever advertise a wild party at your parents' house online. But after a 16-year-old girl invited a big chunk of Spain to her parents' mansion, a rumor spread among the 400 attendees that the parents were getting divorced and wouldn't mind everyone trashing the house. So they did!

According to the London Times, "guests" took $12,000 of jewelry and clothes before cops broke up the party a bit after midnight.

In the invitation, host Jodie Hudson said "Theres gone be a lot of alcohol an amazing DJ." A search for that phrase gives me nothing on Facebook or Bebo (a larger international social networking site), so we still need to find a copy of the invitation that started it all.

Also, Some Of Their Best Friends Are Black [Media]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:24:35 EDT

After commenters attacked the Times' Jennifer 8. Lee for her rather asinine, haughty story questioning how convenient bicycle commuting really is, her editor stepped in to defend her: "Readers, Since some of you seem to be seeking disclosures... Jennifer 8. Lee, a native New Yorker, has never owned a car. Nor do most writers and editors on the blog's staff. Indeed, several of us are avid cyclists." Proving cyclists can write dumb articles about cycling, too. [City Room via Animal NY]

Holy Hell, The Holes You Dig Are Wholly Stultifying [Executions]

Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:03:00 EDT

As Mother Ketch, god rest her soul (I killed her), always said, "The world needs ditch diggers, too." I never did fancy she meant commenters. Ones who make a stupid comment, then get themselves in deeper trouble by either constantly defending their stupidity, or being stupider. It's like watching a performance art piece, if "art" was defined as "displaying a lack of cognitive function and/or social decency." Follow me after the jump, and witness two doomed souls considerate enough to dig their own graves.

Executed: HamptonShmampton
Hole: Starting with a sexist comment that reveals your own insecurities about and hatred towards the lasses is bad enough. But man, you just went off the deep end trying to get yourself out of it. Here's a tip: Don't try to have sex anymore. It won't be that hard, just continue being you.

Executed: Incher_George
Hole: You read sixteen tons of drivel defending racist commenters, and what do you get? Another day older and deeply annoyed by the entire concept of blog commenting. That's the song I started to hum as I waited for you to just come out and say that you miss the 1850's. I'm letting you know this because humming people are obviously taking their time, and thus incapable of knee-jerk reactions. Although my "knee" would probably "jerk" until it cracked your "solar plexus" if any of this were real.

"That's it for the public executions this week," said Ketch, without further explanation.

Keith Olbermann On The Run From The Tax Man [Crime]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:02:23 EDT

Raging liberal tax-and-spend broadcaster Keith Olbermann is a hypocritical tax cheat who wants to deprive the government of revenues in order to further enrich himself! That's according to the well-named site Olbermann Watch, which reports that the MSNBC host has a tax warrant out against his personal corporation in New York, for failing to pay about $2,300 in state taxes. All of which would have gone to buying baby formula for children on welfare, but which Olbermann wantonly hoarded to enhance his own hair gel collection instead! He should really pay up. Disclaimer: Although this news is true, it comes from a right-leaning website, which is inherently untrustworthy. Unlike, you know, Huffington Post. [Olbermann Watch]

Who Are These People, and Why Are They So Hungry [Rage Of The Hungover Underclass]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:59:10 EDT

Next Monday's New York Magazine apparently features, according to Choire Sicha, "a thorough examination of breakfast." Plus probably something about rich people and maybe autism. [Choire Sicha]

A Small Request [Sorry If This Is Mean But They're Annoying]

Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:54:00 EDT

Hey! We know that the Sex and the City movie is the most important piece of cultural detritus ever fashioned by the hands of (wo)man, but can you please stop sending us terrible, "wacky" YouTube spoofs of the series? Pleeeease? They all revolve around the same raggedy old joke—that the ladies are old and unattractive—that's been made for years and have too much unnecessary dirty talk. The only marginally funny one is this one (if only for the "I am also female" line). So let's just call it day there. Commence the X Files: I Want All the Answers (or whatever it's called) parodies.

Emily Brill's Blog Has a Strategist [Blogs]

Sheila — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:47:56 EDT

Socialite and beginning blogger Emily Brill has "media strategist" representation for her blog chronicling the misadventures of a "Fifth Avenue Misfit." Who knew? It's DolceGoldin, who we reported on earlier re: their dealings with author James Frey. And "she's had one for a while now, surprisingly," we're informed. May we suggest the next strategy for Brill: earning actual monies from said bloggings! [Daily Intel]

Still Laughing [10/08/05 Is A Work Of Art]

Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:29:00 EDT

Found magazine and Gossip Girl mash-up Tumblr site All the Sad Young Gossip Girls continues to be hilarious and disturbingly detailed.

OMG Sharpton Joins Bike Protest [Sad Riots]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:19:35 EDT

Has the Reverend Al Sharpton been on a bicycle at any point in the last 20 years? Or ever in his life? Whether he has or hasn't, he's joining tonight's Critical Mass protest, the monthly traffic-blocking mass bike ride that (full disclosure!) we've ridden in ourselves, though not in New York, because in New York they round everyone up and throw them in jail. Oh, here's the thing: it's a protest of the NYPD's policy of not giving a shit about anyone's civil rights, and Sharpton is attending it with Nicole Paultre-Bell, the fiancee of Sean Bell, the man the NYPD shot 50 times for no goddamn reason. "Although the degree of abuse is clearly different," Critical Mass organizers write (NO SHIT), "the message of the groups is clear;" we all hate cops! Full press release below. (It reveals that Sharpton will be riding in a pedicab.)

AL SHARPTON WILL JOIN CRITICAL MASS CYCLISTS IN AN EFFORT TO STOP NYPD CIVIL RIGHTS ABUSES

WHAT: Rally followed by Critical Mass Ride
WHEN: Friday, May 30, 2008 at 7:00 PM
WHERE: Union Square Park South at 14th Street

New York, NY (May 30, 2008) - Tonight (5/30), cyclists will come together with Reverend Al Sharpton, Nicole Paultre-Bell, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel and others in the community outraged over the NYPD's attack on civil rights, for a pre-Critical Mass rally. The rally, organized by Freewheels, will draw attention to the common pattern of NYPD harassment experienced by diverse groups of law-abiding citizens. Mr. Sharpton and Ms. Paultre-Bell are expected to join the Critical Mass ride in a pedicab following the rally.

Although the degree of abuse is clearly different, the message of the groups is clear; The NYPD's actions must be addressed and dealt with by Mayor Bloomberg.

"Considering the efforts from other parts of the administration to increase non-polluting transportation, we are asking the NYPD to work with the cyclists instead of using unconstitutional tactics to stop the ride", says Barbara Ross, Time's Up! bicycle advocacy volunteer.

Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of non-polluting transportation, which takes place in hundreds of cities around the world. Critical Mass and other group rides have contributed to the increase in cycling and safer streets.

Video evidence of NYPD civil rights abuses from past critical mass rides can be seen at: http://blip.tv/file/784711/

Additional video evidence of the NYPD's harassment campaign against the Critical Mass can be made available to the press.

'Worst Album Covers': Been Done, Thanks [Enough]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:16:44 EDT

Here's an idea that was only clever the first 20 or 30 times someone did it: "The Worst Album Covers Of All Time." Ha, look at the ugly people! The first person who dug through crates and crates of old records to find the funniest 1973 dulcimer trio was a genius; pretty much everyone since is just a copycat. Blogger 33 1/3 points out that every freaking list like this just draws from the same pool of Google-able bad album covers already out there. Like AM NY and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel did this week. And the most popular bad album cover is a fake! A Photoshop joke! A years-old joke, which media outlets can't stop falling for. Like Very Short List, which marvels today, "Someone at VSL Headquarters was convinced that these were all elaborately executed jokes, fake records concocted the day before yesterday. But they are definitely real." No; here's the real version of "Can I Borrow A Feeling?":

It's by Kirk Van Houten, on The Simpsons. Listen to it here.

Can I borrow a feelin'? Could you send me a jar of love? Hurtin' hearts need some healin', Take my hand with your glove of love!

Kreepie Kats in: "Watching 'Lost' is Like Repeatedly Being Raped Thru the Eyes By a Big Lying Dildo the Size of Mexico" [Kreepie Kats]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:39:51 EDT

[This week, Jim Behrle's kartoon kitties don't go see the most important movie ever, do watch the most important TV show ever, and spread their usual joy and cheer. Exciting moving picture adventures await you below!]

Billionaire Publisher Felix Dennis Blames Accidental Murder Confession on "5 Bottles of Wine" [Scandal]

Sheila — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:35:31 EDT

Remember Felix Dennis, the kooky billionaire British magazine publisher who gave us Maxim? He recently admitted (while admittedly drunk) to having "killed a man" in an interview. (He later took it back, post-interview and post-sobering up.) For an new interview in Business Week, Jon Fine asks the tough questions in an attempt to clear up the murder thing: "I'll just be blunt. Have you murdered anybody?"

BW: I will ask one final question about it.
FD: You can ask it but I won't answer it.

BW: Do as you wish. Why say such a thing to a journalist?

FD: Have you ever drunk 5 bottles of wine? I think I could get you to say just about anything you wanted.,

BW: I don't think I would have said that.

FD: I think I could have got you to say it after five bottles of wine.

Fine just emailed us, so we know he's OK. Shall we look forward to an If I Did It book?

[Business Week]

Some of New Guv's Best Friends Are Gay! [Civil Rights]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:05:57 EDT

Guys we LOVE our new governor! Thank Roger Stone the abrasive other guy got caught up in that hooker thing because that's really the only way we could've ended up with this awesome black and blind dude who is compulsively honest. AND, it turns out, gay-friendly! He decided the state of the New York would recognize gay marriages performed in California, and he compared the gay rights battle to the African-American civil rights battle, which, as the Times notes, "put him at odds with some black leaders, who bristle at such comparisons." Yes, they do. Why did Governor Paterson do it?

Because he had some awesome gay uncles as a kid! Or "Uncles." Little David occasionally stayed with Uncle Stanley and Uncle Ronald up in Harlem, and the couple never even tried to turn him gay or anything! Now, of course, New York's richest and most coupled gays will venture to California to have appallingly expensive and garish weddings, just like their straight brothers and sisters. Just in time for Sex and the City day! Equality! [NYT]

"Dunkin Donuts is one of our sponsors," Idiot! [Television]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:57:07 EDT

The anchor of Fox's "Good Day New York" thinks this Rachael Ray/ Dunkin' Donuts controversy (recap: Celebuchef Ray wore a keffiyeh in an ad, right-wingers were outraged, the company pulled the ad) is so stupid. It is! When the story came up this morning, he acknowledged that he can't stand Rachael Ray and doesn't even care what this controversy is about. Cue co-anchor Jodi Applegate leaning over and hissing (audibly): "Dunkin Donuts is one of our sponsors." His backtracking is magical! Please, click to watch this moment of journalistic integrity in action.

"Just because I have a badge doesn't mean I know anything about a crane" [Breaking]

Sheila — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:40:23 EDT

Seriously, what's up with cranes collapsing in NYC? Are corners being cut left and right? Does capitalism and speed trump safety? Of course! A construction workers explains it all, noting that just because city inspectors have badges, doesn't mean they know anything about cranes.

LOSSST! [That Island Done Moved]

Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:28:00 EDT

Well, what did you think of Lost last night? Our friend at EW.com, Jeff "Doc" Jensen, liked it. Did you??

Perez Hilton's Dramatic Medical News [911]

Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Oh noes! Perez Hilton, your favorite blogossip maven and carpeted spiral staircase-haver, went under the knife yesterday. The laser knife. Yes, he's gotten LASIK eyeball surgery so he can finally see clearly without the use of irritating contact lenses and nerdy glasses. And he's recorded a goodbye video on his site, because he won't be back to blergin' until late today. Can you imagine? It'll be a whole day practically without queeny musings on Tony Romo and Britney Spears' former assistant. Kwell dommage. At least we can await a brighter future in which, with his new robotic laser-infused seein' spuds, the Microsoft Paint penises he draws on so many photos will turn into beautiful, stunningly realistic, subtly shaded and textured cocks. "Is that a Caravaggio," some creaky doyenne will cluck. "Oh noooo, madam," her foppish man servant, Brilliams, will reply. "It's a Hilton!" Dramatic goodbye video (featuring the debut of the carpeted spiral staircase!) is here.

US Surgeons Save Japanese Gangster, Who Can Return To Menacing Reporters [Ethics]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:10:33 EDT

Earlier this month we told you about Jake Adelstein, the American reporter who spent 15 years covering organized crime in Japan and who now, unfortunately, finds himself and his family marked for death by an angry gangster. Adelstein's tormentor, Yakuza boss Tadamasa Goto, has been very sick lately; Adelstein's hope was that Goto would pass away, so he could return to America to be with his family without fear of assassination. Well, bad news: it's been revealed that Goto and three of his henchmen got precious, lifesaving liver transplants in Los Angeles (while many others died waiting). Thanks, science!

The four surgeries were done between 2000 and 2004 at a time of pronounced organ scarcity. In each of those years, more than 100 patients died awaiting liver transplants in the Greater Los Angeles region...
The most prominent transplant recipient, Tadamasa Goto, had been barred from entering the U.S. because of his criminal history, several current and former law enforcement officials said. Goto leads a gang called the Goto-gumi, which experts describe as vindictive and at times brutal.

The FBI helped Goto obtain a visa to enter the United States in 2001 in exchange for leads on potentially illegal activity in this country by Japanese criminal gangs, said Jim Stern, retired chief of the FBI's Asian criminal enterprise unit in Washington.

Goto got his liver, Stern said, but provided the bureau with little useful information on Japanese gangs.

In other words, Goto scammed his way into the US, promising information; got his precious liver, while dozens of others died waiting; then gave no good information! Coincidentally, the gangster's trip here for the transplant is the exact story that Adelstein had that got him targeted in the first place.

It's a thorny ethical issue: on one hand, there's the UCLA transplant surgeon, who said "it's not my role to pass moral judgment on the patients who seek my care." On the other hand, there's a very persuasive argument to be made that patients like Goto should be shot with a gun so that bullets pass through them. Jake Adelstein must be so morally conflicted!

[LAT]

'Times' Shock: Colored Folk in Other Boroughs Watch 'SATC' Too [The Most Important Movie Ever]

Pareene — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:52:56 EDT

It... it leads to babies? [NYT]

Manhattan Crane Collapse Devastation [Breaking]

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:24:10 EDT

At least two people were killed when a construction crane collapsed on Manhattan's Upper East Side shortly after 8 a.m. this morning. In this clip—with breaking shots of what can only be described as carnage from the scene—a reporter explains the crane's unfortunate configuration: it was actually hanging all the way over the street below, like a "gondola." Its collapse damaged at least 18 floors of a nearby apartment building. This is the second major crane collapse in the city in as many months. Click to watch the clip.

Coalvertising [Coal]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:20:25 EDT

CONSOL Energy is obviously having a hard time finding enough good people to join the ranks of the professional coal mining community. The company has produced an awesome virtual reality tour of a coal mine on its website, to help convince you what a great career coal mining can be. Apparently modern coal mines are made up of four rooms: "Challenging," "Rewarding," "Opportunity," and "Stability." Which one do you want to go to? I don't know, whichever one has the most coal! [via Adrants]

OK, Fine: Gossip Girl Boys May Actually Like Girls [The Straights]

Richard — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:13:00 EDT

I may have implied earlier today, in our fun photo gallery, (and on many other occasions) that some of the male stars of TV's bitchy uptown soap Gossip Girl like to touch other boys' privates. Yeah, I like to joke/desperately hope that they're gay. But mounting photo evidence seems to suggest otherwise. Ed Westwick likes to smooch women in bed, Connor Paolo (who plays resident gay Erik van der Woodsen on the show) is a red-blooded seventeen-year-old (yikes!) breeder who likes to grind up ons young ladies (thanks for the photo, tipster), and Chace Crawford (the gayyyyyest one) likes to rub his face all over girls at bars. So, sigh, there you have it. Or! Maybe these guys just have very talented publicists! Click thru for larger image, plus another uncomfortable image from our previously mentioned tipster.

'Bodies' Exhibit Too Gross for Cuomo [Gross]

Pareene — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:07:24 EDT

You know the crazy BODIES exhibit that features plasticized dead bodies, like, playing soccer and blogging and stuff? (We have not seen it, so maybe we're making up the stuff they do.) Those bodies are totally from a shady supplier that buys "unclaimed" bodies from the Chinese Bureau of Police. Which, like, means disappeared people and political prisoners and stuff! Yay! Now New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is forcing the South Street Seaport to tell visitors to the exhibit that the bodies are all executed prisoners who may have been tortured. But it's "don't be too mean to China" week so the exhibit remains open. [Jaunted]

Honesty In Communications [Public Relations]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:23:51 EDT

Business journalist Gary Weiss wonders why the Public Relations Society of America hasn't yet condemned former Bush flack Scottie McClellan for lying. Well I'll tell you why, Gary: because the PRSA is a society of pussyfooting apologists with plastic smiles that exists mainly to give PR people in Kansas City an official-sounding title to stick on their business cards! Prove me wrong, PRSA; prove me wrong. [Gary Weiss]

Hookers and Lies: The Scott McClellan Book Tour [Politics]

Pareene — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:10:02 EDT

Former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan has a new book about how George Bush's White House is full of liars and cads. Have you heard? Oh, also the President was totally a cokehead, maybe. He can't remember. But probably. People continue to weigh in! Matt Cooper (a reporter involved, you may remember, in the Plamegate thing) feels sorry for Scott McClellan, because when Karl Rove lied to Scotty and then Scotty repeated that patently obvious lie to the press (he's not very smart), all of his credibility disappeared. Cooper also thinks the book would be better if McClellan had QUIT IN DISGUST after the Plame affair instead of hanging around until they found a more well-liked replacement. MEANWHILE, Radar insinuates that McClellan stuck around to have man-sex with male hooker Jeff Gannon. (Attached, a now sad clip of Bush insisting that some day he and Scotty will be sitting on rocking chairs or something, when they're old, drinking space-lemonade, and Bush will still say "job well done.")

Bedbug Lawyer May Be A Little Loony [Quality Legal Representation]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:01:34 EDT

Alan Schnurman, the lawyer representing Fox News bedbug victim Jane Clark, explains the origin of the infestation: "My position is that it comes from foreigners...Because it became so inexpensive for foreigners to travel here, I believe they brought it into our hotel system." God, we knew it was a bad sign he called his client "Joan" yesterday. Just show the pictures and keep your mouth shut, Schnurman! You'll ruin everything! [NYO]

Blog Those Cancer Blues Away [Science]

Sheila — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:58:13 EDT

We've heard all about the negative effects of blogging: there was the NYT-induced blogger-death panic, in which blogging created an unhealthy lifestyle, resulting in two heart attacks that would have happened anyway. And there are the people who have had relationships destroyed by compulsive blogging. Blogging also exacerbates narcissistic tendencies! But expressing your feelings might actually be good for your health, Scientific American finds: "Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery." Whoa. Four reasons why blogging is good for your health:

1. Bitching and moaning alleviates stress! "As social creatures, humans have a range of pain-related behaviors, such as complaining, which acts as a 'placebo for getting satisfied.'"

2. It gets you high. "Blogging might trigger dopamine release, similar to stimulants like music, running and looking at art." (Meta-blogger Emily Gould said as much in the NYT Magazine.)

3. If nothing else, there's the placebo effect: "Cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not."

4. Instant feedback, unlike your diary: "Unlike a bedside journal, blogging offers the added benefit of receptive readers in similar situations." Sharing is caring!

Blogging—It's Good for You! [Scientific American]

Sex and the City May, In Fact, Be Accurate About Sex [Doin' It]

Richard — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:30:00 EDT

How many sexual partners have the seemingly promiscuous ladies of Sex and the City had? 95 (94 men, one woman). Samantha's had 41 (plus one woman) and Carrie has had like 18. But what about the real women of New York that these characters are supposed to represent? You know, the ones who walk by you on the street, bump into you in a rumbling subway car, or press their bare breasts onto your face while you're on your lunch break and awkwardly tugging at your wedding ring? How many sexual partners have they had? Well, the average is 20, which is pretty darn close to Carrie's magic number (so far! haven't seen the movie yet!) and is double the amount of bonin' buddies than is typical elsewhere in the country. There's something about this city's smoke, its grime, and its residents' smug sense of entitlement and elitism that just gets women going.

Perhaps it's the anonymity or just the sheer volume of men that really does it: "I stopped counting at 56. There are so many opportunities to meet men here - bars, restaurants, clubs, walking down the street, the deli. Men are everywhere." So says Christine a 36-year-old SoHo resident. It's true! There are lots of guys (...Italian guys..) all over this island (and milling about the outer boroughs). New York is just a good place to fuck! Just ask Linda, 39, who once did it on my beloved/hated F train: "It was three in the morning and the car was empty. So we were like, 'Why not.'" Whee! Let's all do it willy nilly like Samantha! Although, hold up. One woman does not relate to or approve of all this free wheeling. Interestingly enough, she's a stripper.

Uh, excuse me. Exotic dancer. Her name is Crystal, she is 22, and she works at midtown T&A hole Rick's Cabaret. And she doesn't like all this sexy talk: "The women on 'Sex and the City' went through so many guys they devalued sex. I've seduced thousands of men, but my actual number of sex partners is one, maybe one and a half. Sex should be special." Oh. OK. I can respect that. But, erm, one "and a half"? Lady, is you meaning to say... Actually, I don't really have any idea what that means. Thoughts, anyone? [NYDN]

City Blog Comments Degenerate Into Lynch Mob [Hipsters]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:40:28 EDT

Gothamist.com, the NYC news-about-town blog, today posted a straightforward item about a 19-year-old woman who was raped in her apartment building in Soho last night. They described the suspect: "a black man, about 5'8" and 200 pounds, with a possibly pockmarked face, and he may be between 20-30 years old." Now, we were under the impression that Gothamist's readers are mainly drawn from the broad hipster demographic. So either our impression is way off, or many hipsters are thinly-veiled racist fucks (somewhat true, actually). Because the comments quickly turned into a call to throw black men off buildings:

[Gothamist]

Info Plz! [Person Of Interest]

Sheila — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:31:24 EDT

Anything up with Leigh Haber that we should know about? The Rodale editor and NY Post friend, who published Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, "will be 'working from home' till the end of her contract and is to have no contact with anyone at Rodale," a tipster informs us. Maybe things aren't going so well? Tell us what's going on! (Haber ran into our publisher at the Waverly Inn once, re: this post. It didn't go so well.) Update: "As we understand it, she was *not* happy about having Karen Rinaldi as her new boss (rather than her pal Steve Murphy) and refused to do much of anything when Karen signed on. She didn't go to [Book Expo], and cleared out her office this morning. No one is to speak to her about her projects, and her assistant and the editor under her now report to Karen."

Copy Editing Cliches [Jobs]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:03:43 EDT

A media company identifying itself as "Cond Nast Publications" is in need of a copy editor. Specifically, the ad says, "TheAssociate Copy Editorreviews copyedited text." Urgent, please apply now! Click through for a screengrab of thisjobopportunity.

Hey! Edit This! [How Things Work]

Sheila — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:43:21 EDT

Do you ever feel that your editor is making a mockery out of your work? Sometimes they just don't understand. The Raleigh News & Observer sends up an imagined editing of a recent NYT story. [Which NYT story? Specify!]

Remember this article, "The Language of Loss for the Jobless," by Jan Hoffman?

The neighbor, a jovial suit-and-tie presence at the school bus stop in the mornings, disappeared for a while last fall. Nobody saw him for weeks. Finally he began to venture out — at afternoon pickup, in jeans and a T-shirt. A senior manager of a technology department, he had been laid off. Neighbors didn't know what to say to him.

Across the soccer fields of leafy suburbia, conversations are stilted these days; the bravado has a tinny ring, the gallows humor is more prevalent, the deft change of topic more abrupt. As classes let out at a city private school, a normally chatty top-of-the-heap woman, whose banker husband was recently escorted out of his office building, rushes in, sweeps up her child and dashes off, avoiding glances.

Here's how it might have been edited by a humorless editor. Har, har!

The neighbor [what neighbor? please put in full name per our style manual], a jovial suit-and-tie presence at the school bus stop [what bus stop? can you put in cross streets to orient the reader, or at least the neighborhood name] in the mornings, disappeared for a while last fall [why are we leading with 6-month old news? can't you lead off with something fresher than last fall's layoff?]. Nobody saw him for weeks [nobody? you mean he never left his house? have you verified with the homeowners association?]. Finally he began to venture out — at afternoon pickup [unclear: is that a pickup basketball game, or picking up a take-out pizza?], in jeans and a T-shirt [of what relevance are these clothes? get to the point and get out of the way]. A senior manager of a technology department [company name please], he had been laid off. Neighbors didn't know what to say to him. [how many neighbors did you interview to substantiate this general assertion?]

Across the soccer fields of leafy suburbia, conversations are stilted these days [can you cite an expert to back this up? the reader doesn't care about your impressions]; the bravado has a tinny ring [says who?], the gallows humor is more prevalent [more prevalent than what?], the deft change of topic more abrupt [huh? what government agency, what nonprofit study, what journalistically accepted official source is the basis for these claims?]. As classes let out at a city private school, a normally chatty top-of-the-heap woman [is this a real person? if so, please name her], whose banker husband was recently escorted out of his office building [name of firm, please, per style manual], rushes in, sweeps up her child and dashes off, avoiding glances. [did you, or anyone, witness this sweep-and-scoop maneuver?]

The Art of Editing [News and Observer]

Fox News Bedbug Victim Displays Her Wounds [Lawsuits]

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:36:23 EDT

Jane Clark, the former Fox News employee who is now suing the company that managed the network's bedbug-infested headquarters, had a press conference today where she showed off the results of her vicious multiple bitings at the hands of the bloodthirsty insects. Take heed, potential Fox News guests: this may be the fate that awaits you! Two more graphic photos of Clark's welt-ridden neck, after the jump.

[Yesterday her lawyer called her Joan Clark; a bad sign?]