Thursday, August 5, 2010

Unforgettable In Every Way

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Been a busy few days with work and everything else. The new roommate seems to be an okay guy. We’ve chatted over a few beers out on the deck watching the sun set, watched a few movies, talked football, you know, usual stuff. It seems like it’ll work out pretty well. We both seem to be pretty simple guys. Other than that, thinking about going to the Natalie Cole concert tonight (really like her dad) but it’s either that or Truckee Thursdays again, so we’ll see. Obviously not too passionate one way or the other today. Bubbles found an apartment in San Fran, so she wants me to go check it out (and help her move), so I may be visiting next weekend. Other than that, not a whole heck of a lot going on with me other than work… and you don’t want to hear about that… so here’s the news…

Statute of Limitations? - Prosecutors in Germany have charged a suspected Nazi camp guard with helping to kill 430,000 Jews in the Holocaust and personally shooting 10 others. State prosecutors in the western city of Dortmund said on Thursday charges had been filed against Samuel Kunz, 88, for assisting in the murder of Jews at Nazi death camp Belzec near the Polish city of Lublin between January 1942 and July 1943. Kunz is also accused of shooting 10 Jews in two separate incidents, prosecutors' spokesman Christoph Goeke said. Here’s a catch though (among many involved I’m sure), because Kunz was under 21 at the start of the period under investigation, the trial will probably be held in the youth chamber of a court in nearby Bonn, prosecutors said. No date has been set for the trial. Kunz's case came to light during investigations into Ukrainian-born John Demjanjuk, who went on trial in Munich last year, charged with helping to kill 27,900 Jews in the Holocaust. Like Demjanjuk, Kunz was born in what became the Soviet Union and served in the Red Army, becoming a camp guard after his capture by the Germans, prosecutors said. Kunz is number three on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. The charges against him sent out a powerful signal that perpetrators would be brought to justice (nearly 70 years after the fact), said the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Efraim Zuroff. "We have an obligation to the victims of the Holocaust to prosecute the people who turned them into victims. And Kunz is one of those people." Kunz appears to have remained unknown until recently because he was not an officer -- previously the focus of German investigators, said Zuroff, who has just written a book on the subject (GASP!!! Capitalizing on the Holocaust? War crimes!!!). "He was totally under the radar screen in Germany. The good news is that prosecutors have become more proactive," he said. After the war Kunz became a civil servant, Zuroff said. Belzec was one of the camps created for Operation Reinhard, one of the most ruthless phases in the mass killing of Jews. Kunz's trial would help to shed light on Belzec, which had remained relatively obscure because so few people survived the camps used for Operation Reinhard, said Zuroff. "The only purpose of the camps was extermination. For anyone who arrived there in the morning it was 99.9 percent sure they'd be dead in the evening." Amazing. The Holocaust is absolutely one of the darkest times in human history. What human beings were able to do to one another, especially in a modern era, just makes one sick to the stomach, let alone the grand epic scale of it all. However, then there’s the legal system trying to persecute for it, which gets REALLY twisted & complicated when they’re basically doing their job as appointed by the government of the time. This explains why some 67 years after leaving his apparently advisory position, he’s going to trial. Will they be able to convict him of 430,000 counts of murder? They’d more than likely get the ten, but I’m curious as far as the evidence. (Again, I just want to say, I don’t condone the acts at all, I’m just aware that the legal system is a clusterf**k) The thing is… the trial would be REALLY interesting. “Herr Kunz, do you recall your whereabouts on the date of October 16, 1942?” “No.” “NO???” “I’m an 88 year old man with Alzheimer’s. I just found out this morning that the Berlin Wall came down… again. My memory of the 40’s is sketchy at best… and I blame the 60’s.” Besides, he’s 88 years old. How long is he going to be in jail before Nature executes him? Obviously I understand the need for closure and if he truly is this hideous war criminal, my only regret is that he wasn’t punished decades ago… but I’m just kinda still amazed that there are still war crime trials from WWII that are ongoing. Baffling to me really. Anyway, lighter note…

TO Gets a Job – Speaking of tragedies, Terrell Owens (former winner & perennial runner-up for $tevie Award of Douchebag of the Year) is gainfully employed again. After successfully running himself out of four NFL franchises & any discussion as a great receiver, he finally was signed by a franchise that hasn’t really been relevant in the past 20 years (and really wasn’t before that) and is always in constant discussion with the Detroit Lions as the worst NFL team EVER (now that the Saints had one great year). I’m talking of course about the Cincinnati Bengals. Because I know that very few of you give two sh*ts about sports… and really nobody gives that much about Terrell Owens, I just want to say that I like the move. Why? Because it puts two people that I can’t stand on the same team with their other receiver Chad “Johnson” Ochocinco (his mama call him Johnson, I’m gonna call him Johnson). So that has nothing but great possibilities to bring to a franchise that’s roster has already been riddled by pesky lawsuits, legal infractions, substance abuse, performance enhancing drugs and DEATH by argument + gravity. Now you have the two guys who don’t bother with all that stuff… but instead bring about the fact that there’s only one football and you really can’t have it at the same time. Well, I guess technically you could… but that’s a really bad football strategy. At least it really can’t get much worse… (he said with a sinister grin at the possibilities)

Da Bears – Sorry, had to tie football into the next story… but it does involve bears. A black bear walked into a New Hampshire house through an open door, ate two pears and a bunch of grapes, took a drink from the family fishbowl (surprisingly leaving the fish behind) and grabbed a stuffed bear on its way out the door (either to nurture… or make sweet sweet love to). Mary Beth Parkinson said the bear apparently took advantage of the open outside door to get into her kitchen Tuesday in Laconia, about 20 miles north of Concord (so the grapes were exceptionally delicious). She thinks the garage door going up scared the bear enough that it fled the house. She said she arrived in time to save the fish (merely an appetizer). Parkinson said her 6- and 9-year-old boys made sure the doors were locked before they went to bed. The only problem that I have with this story… is that if he were a blonde bear with curls, this wouldn’t even be an issue… but because he’s a black bear, he’ll probably be charged with breaking & entering, larceny, kidnapping & disturbing the peace… and probably executed, because he is a bear after all. Disgusting. Simply disgusting. Who would think, in this day and age…?

Bad News Bears – Another black bear allegedly attracted by the smell of a peanut butter sandwich managed to open the door of a car, climb in and got stuck, knocking the gear stick into neutral and sending the car rolling down a slope into trees. The blare of the car horn alerted the members of the Story family who realized 17-year-old Ben's Toyota was no longer parked in the driveway of their home in Larksspur, Colorado near Denver. When they went to explore they discovered the car and trapped culprit at the bottom of the hill -- a giant bear with teeth bared and claws tearing through the car's interior. The bear was trapped inside the car for two hours before police were able to release the animal who ran off into nearby woods. Ben and his sister Becky said the bear was likely lured into the car by a certain scintillating scent. "There was a peanut butter sandwich in the back seat," Ben told reporters, adding that his car was ruined. First off, parents, share this story with your kids. “Sweetie, if you drop your sandwich in the backseat of mommy’s car, bears will sneak in here when you’re not looking… and f**king eat you. So remember to pick up, okay?” Pay it forward. Second, with the fact that it’s another black bear… and this time they broke into a car, went joyriding, and rammed it into a tree… I’m sure it’s just coincidence. Maybe Colbert is right, Bears are the biggest threat to our existence. I still think it’s snakes… but that’s just another doctor’s opinion.

English Employment Services – Times are tough all over. Unemployment rates are at new highs, all over the world. The economy is going through a serious adjustment… and there are services out there to help people. However, not all opportunities are represented by these services. Britain is about to ban employers looking for lap dancers, strippers, topless barmaids or sexy web-cam performers from placing adverts at Jobcentres. I know, tragic. Such a ban had previously been in place at the taxpayer-funded employment exchanges but that changed seven years ago when Ann Summers, a sex toys and suggestive lingerie retailer, successfully argued at the High Court that it was unlawful (probably sexist and/or prudish). Now the government plans to legislate to protect vulnerable jobseekers who are keen to get back to work from feeling they have to consider jobs that they are not comfortable with, Minister for Employment Chris Grayling said in a statement. "We shouldn't put vulnerable people in an environment where they're exposed to these types of jobs and could feel under pressure to work in the sex industry." (Like it had never been considered before) The statement specified that Jobcentres would no longer advertise jobs "that involve the direct sexual stimulation of others" because public money should not be a conduit to such work. However, Jobcentres will continue to advertise other types of vacancies in the adult entertainment sector, such as cleaning jobs in striptease clubs. Sigh… I disagree. What if that’s the kind of job somebody’s looking for? You would deny them the one-stop centre to find reputable employment in the sector? Should they just go to Craigslist? Or whatever the English equivalent is (Jeeveslist or something)? Also, I don’t like the stipulation of involving the sexual stimulation of others. What about nurses? Teachers? Maids? Bartenders? Secretaries? Waitress? Flight attendants? Customer service representatives? Lawyers? Retail? Real estate? Are you going to try to convince me that you’ve never been directly stimulated by any of those (or all of them)? It may not be in their job description… but then again, I’m guessing that’s not in the official job description for an exotic dancer either. Too much legal liability probably. I say it’s better to have too many options than not enough… and when you start to be discriminatory because you don’t like it for one reason or another, you’ve just segregated, my friend. Shame on you! That’s right up there with discriminating against somebody from trying out for the WNBA, just because he happens to have a large penis… and I’m guessing that I wouldn’t be the only one on that court with more than one ball in my hand. That’s another thing though. What’s my point? Oh yeah, hot girls have rights too. Besides, it’s not like they usually have to buy anything anyway. “Excuse me, miss. Could you tell me how much that drink you’re enjoying costs?” “What? No. The guy down at the end of the bar bought it.” “That’s what I thought.”

iPorn: Coming Soon - It's a maxim of technology: Invent the newest gadget and the porn industry will find a way to cash in. So when Apple Inc. launched the iPhone 4 and its FaceTime videoconference feature, it didn't take long for adult-entertainment companies to develop video-sex chat services and start hiring workers through Craigslist. With more than 3 million of the phones already sold, the adult industry stands to make big money on this new way to reach out and touch someone — even if it puts Apple, which has always taken pains to keep its iPhone apps squeaky clean, in an awkward spot. In at least five cities, Craigslist ads seek models specifically for video sex chat on FaceTime. Many of the ads even offer to throw in a free iPhone 4 for the new employees (cuz they would kind of need one anyway to work, right?). FaceTime lets people call another iPhone 4 user and have live video conversations over a Wi-Fi connection using the front-facing camera on the new model. You’ve seen the ads. In one television ad, a soldier uses it to get a look at his faraway wife's ultrasound pictures. Touching moment, right? Well, the adult industry wants its customers to share touchy moments of an entirely different kind with its stars. And while the technology may be new, the idea is not. Porn providers have always been early adopters (or as I like to call them “entre-porn-eurs”). In the 1970s, the demand for explicit videos at home helped VCRs become widespread, and the industry was the first to embrace DVDs, too. Internet porn peddlers were some of the first to make wide use of streaming video and online credit card payments. "The first time someone created a camera there was someone who said, 'Wouldn't it be good for someone to take off their clothes in front of this camera?'" said Michael Gartenberg, vice president at Interpret LLC, a media research company (and part-time peeping tom?). And for years, cameras mounted on computers have helped connect people for racy online video sessions. But the portability and privacy of a cell phone makes FaceTime a new frontier for the industry. "A phone is such an intimate thing, you usually don't lend it out or have someone else use it," said Quentin Boyer, a spokesman for Pink Visual, an adult production company. Boyer said his company began planning for iPhone 4 video services almost as soon as the device hit stores. They should be ready in a matter of weeks. Boyer said the company will offer FaceTime sessions with some of the same women who appear in its videos — likely charging $5 or $6 a minute, payable by credit card (hmm, do you think a lady would pay those rates to chat with a man? Didn’t think so). "It has a very personal feel — your mobile phone to hers," he said. Online exhibitionism is only growing. Take Chatroulette, which randomly connects strangers for video chats. While the service isn't explicitly sexual, it's common for users to stumble upon people looking for more than just conversation (seriously, go check it out, but only if you want to see a lot of penis). So far, most online video sex chat services have let the customer see the performer, but not the other way around. FaceTime may change that. "We are seeing more and more that customers want to be watched as much as they want to watch," said Dan Hogue, owner of an adult chat company called CamWorld, which is planning FaceTime services. The rise of FaceTime porn puts Apple in an awkward position. Its competitors have products that allow video chat, too — HTC's Evo 4G phone, for one. But Apple has made a big deal about keeping applications sold in its iTunes store clean. Apple has rejected book apps for featuring sexual content and political satires for their potential to offend. While some rejected apps have been approved after revisions, Apple has kept one strict rule: No porn. FaceTime isn't even an outside developer's app. It's a main feature of the phone. An e-mail attributed to CEO Steve Jobs that was posted on technology blogs in April says it is Apple's "moral responsibility" to keep pornography off the iPhone. Apple would not confirm that Jobs wrote it. But just as Apple can't control whom iPhone users call, the company will have a hard time dictating how FaceTime is used. Internet experts say customers will understand that Apple cannot control what goes on in private video chats. "Apple can't be seen as responsible any more than makers of routers or hardware are responsible for the content you are looking at," said Jonathan Zittrain, a co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Still, advocacy groups worry that FaceTime could connect children to pornography or predators (because phones & online chatrooms alone aren’t). Parents can put computers in public areas of the home to supervise Internet usage, but mobile phones go anywhere. "Unfortunately, both children and sexual predators are often ahead of parents when comes to technology," says Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough Is Enough, a child safety group. At this point, I don’t want to be the dickish voice of logic & reason… but if you’re worried about it, don’t buy your kid a f**king phone. I work full-time and need to be in fairly constant contact…but I don’t have a phone like that. Your preteen just needs a phone that makes phone calls in case of emergency… maybe. No need to thank me, just pay it forward… and it’s okay to quit buying your kids sh*t they don’t need. Anyway, back to the article. Apple, asked to comment on the emerging adult services, noted that people can choose whom they chat with, just like regular calls, and parents can turn off the FaceTime feature. Hughes said it would be better if parents could create a "safe list" of people their children could call. For the adult-entertainment industry, FaceTime could be more than just another medium. It could actually change the business. For independent sex-chat workers, for instance, it could mean handing over less of their earnings to computer-based services. But FaceTime presents its own challenges. It requires that both parties in a chat have each other's phone numbers, which could expose video-chat workers to unwanted calls from their clients (nothing in this world is free except for Jesus). Another obstacle: The iPhone 4 camera was designed specifically for face-to-face chatting. "You can have the phone on your face, or other body parts, but not both at the same time," said Teagan Presley, who acts in adult films and performs in video chats. "Most customers want the full package, and it's going to be difficult holding a phone." Depends on the size of the package… but I see your point. So there you go. Soon you’ll be able to get the whole package on face-to-face cell phone chats with me (ladies…). Aren’t you excited? Yeah, I don’t really care much either… but hey, it’s porn… and this blog is on the internet. It’s pretty much unavoidable. Besides, it gives me excuses to put pictures of hot girls up. Hope you enjoyed it.

Anyway, that’ll do it for tonight. This weekend, a few possibilities like a Jimi Hendrix tribute band called Purple Haze is performing… along with Michael McDonald (of the Doobie Brothers) and the rest of the Tahoe Music Festival. Should be fun… but I’ve also got laundry & errands to do as well, so we shall see. Then again, I’m pretty famous for my random adventures too. Stay tuned… and have a great day everybody!!!

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