cityrag

fingering Bush
Happy Scrappy posted a BRILLIANT hand-puppet recreation of Bush's 5 day trip to Europe. it's so clever, funny and dead on.

Oscar Star Flap
we wanted to jot down some pre-awards dirt from the red carpet, but we were too mesmerized by Star Jones's flapping back and bobble head to take any notes...

some GREAT Oscar coverage from the Gothamist... Jen Chung "live blogged" the entire event, capturing the best moments with some very funny and insighful commentary. it's better than the show itself.

and YESSSS... Defamer comes through in their usual fabulous style with hilarious coverage and some juicy zingers in their live blogging of the show!... ("Dustin Hoffman is clearly drunk as he slurs his way through the nominees for Best Picture" - HA!)

GoldenFiddle and PageSixSixSix's coverage are also so fucking funny. Miu tells us what's inside the oscar goodie bag. and more on this live blogging the Oscars stuff.

Con the Dom
some funny commentary out there on Condoleezza Rice's black jacket and stiletto heels look last week. the S&M styling does suit her well. we wonder what Condoleezza Rice's dominatrix name would be?...
Con the Dom, Doctor Pain, Mistress of Foreign Affairs, Lady Leezza, Bootsy Rice...

(photos: Michael Probst/AP and Moxie)

doing the math on Fred Durst's teeny weenie
(warning: all links below are not safe for work. and consensus in blogland is that we've all been traumatized forever by these photos)

by now everyone knows that, in addition to the Paris scandal this week, Fred Dust's Sidekick was hacked and a pathetic video of him having sex with some poor woman is making the rounds.

Fred SUCKS. He's a scummy, talentless, JERK. and a notorious ego-maniac (which he proves over and over on his blog.) so it made us very happy to see he ain't bulging up under the belt. we're calling his wimpy little penis at about 4 inches. click here...

...come on girls, you know the move. you go to wrap your hand around a guys cock and, well, your fingers are longer than his rod. so what do you do?... stick out your pinky like you're having high tea! actually if you look closely at the shot she has to leave off the pinky and pull up on the ring finger a little. so looking at Fred's 3 fingers worth of shaft plus his pruney head - our generous calculations say he's packing 4.5 inches (hard.)

and OH-MY-GOD - we just found this hilarious story on our favorite site of the day called... "Did I ever tell you about the time Fred Durst tried to pick me up?" - it's awesome!

UPDATE: check out Fred's needy email to Paris Hilton after she ditched him (Tue, 16 Nov 2004)...
"So much it hurts me that you just vanished! You are my heart. You told me so many things about how much you loved me and I was the one. Remember I have been in the mountains recording since I last saw you. I come to LA for two days today then back to the woods until christmas. I know you love me and haven't been able to replace me!! I haven't fucking shaved since I saw you! I've been in a depression. But more clear than ever. wfd"

(small note: this post is a juvenile laugh at Durst, cuz he’s an ass. size doesn’t matter; it’s all about how you turn it out.)

Buddy meets Dolly
Buddy wasn't too happy about meeting baby Dolly, until Eric let him smell her feet...

dog day afternoon
lots of pics of pups going up in the next couple days. maybe it's time to get you one...
CITY SLASHING PET ADOPTION FEES
"In a desperate bid to avoid killing an influx of unwanted pets, the city is slashing adoption fees for pups and kittens through this month... Up for grabs is a whole litter of fuzzy two-month old Lab mixes stumbling over their oversized puppy paws at the Manhattan branch of the Animal Care and Control." (that's where Buddy was saved! thanks for the link Toutie!)

and this little picnic munching pooch should make you run to the closest shelter!

Paris puffs up
just like us, it seems Paris likes smoking a little weed to relax during those stressful moments (in addition to this fab photo found on the cool site Washington Socialites, there were references to hanging out and "drinking and smoking" in Paris's email, and then there's this)

Update: oh snap! Defamer ran the photo last October - dam, we fucking love that site

the best of Paris-Gate:
in the wake of the hacked sidekick scandal some funny shit has been turning up in Paris's email... here's a couple of our favorites:

Lindsay Lohan emailing Paris that she saw Jessica Simpson doing coke...
Date Sun, 2 Jan 2005
From: Lindsay Lohan
To: Paris
Jessica simpson was just totally doing blow in bathroom @ bar downstairs of shoreclub

From: Paris Hilton
To: Lindsay Lohan
How do u know?

From: Lindsay Lohan
To: Paris Hilton
Saw her in bathroom w. 6 girls wiping her nose I was in shock and my driver told doc my bodyguard that she was asking for it when she was here 2 months ago! I was lioke no, he was like yes she was and then I saw her and nick fighting and he was looking up her nose and she came out b4 the other girls that she was w.

C-List celebrity Simon Rex crying to Paris about her continually ditching him...
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004
From: Simonrex
To: Paris
Your mean. You talk shit about me and ditch me. All I've ever done is defend u when people talk shit about u. Whatever paris

From: Paris Hilton
To: Simonrex
I never have said anything bad about you. I'm on the phone with sara carter right now and I was just in the middle of saying how much I miss and love you. That's crazy

From: Simonrex
To: Paris
U said I was folowin u around in miami. U ditched me 2 of last 3 times I saw u. Just give me a little more respect. I'm like ur friend of 8 years ya know?

music for hot rodders
knowing we've been missing warm weather car action, the DJ at the fabulous Tainted Lady Lounge spun us some cool tunes...

"Like man, here's an albumful of the new, "something else" music that's currently exciting the imagination and enthusiasm of young hot rodders across the land."

LES still life
Allen St. below Stanton.

ape shit
dam we love freaky obsessions displayed in the form of a website. The Gorilla Cover Gallery is f'ing AWESOME!... "Welcome to the ultimate in gorilla cover obsession! These covers are a result of many hours of scouring the web (mostly Ebay on a twice or thrice weekly basis) and a lifetime of collecting that has focused on gorilla covers in the past year or two. I think you will be hard pressed to find it's equal anywhere!"...

this is the kind of stuff that makes us feel like the internet is such a unique form of expression and forum for art. big props to Comic Book Gorillarama for putting it together.

and THANKS to one of our fave sites the PreSurfer for once again showing us some cool shit! (check out their kickin' daily updates)

inside The Hotel on Rivington
like others in the hood, we've had a few peaks inside THOR. but it was very cool to see Tiger Lilly's first hand, inside photos from her stay there last weekend. we've rounded up a few of our favorites below. scroll down her main page to see them all.

"Mini bar was cool. $50 porn book 'someone' almost opened"

"How cool is it that I could show my ass to the entire LES???"

we have mixed feelings about The Hotel on Rivington. the architecture doesn't mesh with the neighborhood, and the construction looks somewhat shabby. but there are some nice modern design elements and the rooms have a simple and clean look (and great views of the Lower East Side.)

a THOR "plus" is it's close proximity to lots of excellent LES restaurants, stores and bars. Tiger Lilly hit some awesome nearby spots, including: Economy Candy, Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Suba.

for more cool photo's check out:
- Cat's great inside peak from a friend's stay (about half way down the page)
- notes from Veritas et Venustas on a November stay
- and THOR's official site

Update: Tiger Lilly has added some interesting notes on her stay "you would think that at $250 a night there would be a hair dryer in the room already"

what the?
judging by the surprised look in his eyes yesterday morning, Buddy clearly thought the worst of the winter was behind us.

high peaks
a snowy smoke-in this weekend on a beautiful mountain over looking the Hudson River during the storm (a "polar" opposite of this one)

Rural
some weeks PhotoFriday's topic is inspiration to throw up a favorite photo that we've recently taken. but part of the fun of PhotoFriday's site is that sometimes reading the topic can be like getting a "photo assignment" and it makes you have to get out and find a fitting image. living in NYC, we didn't have much at hand last Friday that fit "Rural". but cruising through a small town in upstate NY this weekend the topic sprung to mind and we quickly hit the brakes to snap this shot...

Buddy's tag tour
in addition to dog markings, Buddy likes to check out the street art and tags left by humans...

patented looks
kickin off a fun new series called "patented looks"...

Star Jones's - "my tiny neck can barely support this giant balloon" - bobble head look

Donald Trump's - "I'm one handsome frowning mother-fucker" liver lip, craggily chin, scowl

Ashley Olsen's "I'm a big girl now" - alluring tipped head, pouty lip pose

and speaking of celeb looks, if ya haven't checked out this new site yet, yer missing all the fun... Pink is the New Blog

(photos copyright GettyImages.com)

New York Times buys About.com
the Times takes a very interesting plunge into the online information sector!...
New York Times buys About.com for $410M
Publisher makes the purchase looking for new ways to promote itself online.
The Times Company Acquires About.com for $410 Million
New York Times buys About.com

if these walls could talk
Pictures of Walls is a cool photo site of street art, poetry and maybe a few hidden messages written on walls... "The wall is the weapon of choice for the unarmed civilization" (via Wooster)

it's growing fast! there's so much great stuff out there - they could do a section for just NY alone.

behind the scenes at the dog show
we promised you some scoops from behind the scenes at the Westminster dog show, so here's the poop:
- we didn't see this anywhere in the news and we missed the incident, but the word going around was that a judge was bit by a dog! (badly enough for the judge to need to leave the show) this delayed breed competitions throughout the day and was a buzzing scandal (we heard it's never happened before at Westminster)
- the crowd was insane! filled with characters, all very jovial and friendly. imagine each character in Best in Show times 1000. (plus people who look just like their dogs everywhere)
- we met Anderson Cooper at the show! he's a nice and personable guy, taller and lankier than he looks on TV, and more handsome and relaxed (apparently he furrows his brow quite a bit when he's on CNN.) he's a big dog lover and has a Springer Spaniel.

why the dog show totally ROCKS!
- having never been to the show we did not know how about the backstage exhibit areas. All the dogs and their breeders/trainers are required to be in the exhibit area when not showing. people are encouraged to visit the animals and learn about them. this PR element is a huge part of the show. there's also tons of stuff being given away, dogs food, treats, training and health info. (Westminster highly supports the ASCAP, shelters, and adoption agencies, and is anti- pet store/dog mill and is active in educating people in these areas)
- the earlier individual breed competitions were also wonderful. the giant single ring you see at night is transformed into 5-6 smaller rings in the day. you can go right down on the floor and watch the shows from 10 feet away. it's a great way to feel the sporting energy!
- but our favorite part was roaming the grooming and backstage areas, seeing the dogs up close and personal, and listening in on all the show gossip! it was fabulous - the highlight of the day.
- we were there about 10 hours in all (with a 2 hour dinner break in between) - a $40 ticket got us all this!

Michael Jackson's strange messages
yesterday a confused Michael Jackson mistakenly dangled a doll out of his window instead of child. followed by a strange note. his freakish fans took this as a message from god.

(photos from GettyImages.com)

double jointed
this big one from Wimp.com goes out to our boy JG - happy birthday you handsome motherfucker! (and thanks for the link Debbie!)

hairy scary pt 2
hairy scary twins, Vincent Gallo and Sean Lennon snapped at a recent party by the CobraSnake

Daniel Day Lewis and George Michael from GettyImages

Westminster photo round-up
the 2005 Westminster Kennel Show was GREAT. more later today. but for now, hot off the press - here's yesterday's highlights in photos...

the Empire State Building was lit with the Kennel Clubs colors.

during the day there are the individual breed competitons

there's a large hall where you can meet the dogs

junior trainer cometition

grooming area (this Corgi won best in breed.)

lots of good drama and tension.

in the evening group competitions and Best in Show take over

Carlee, this year's winner BLEW THE CROWD AWAY with her stricking pose. it was an incredible and trancendental sports moment. made the hair on our amrs stand-up. this is what the dog show is all about.

UPDATE: Behind the scenes at the dog show exclusive dog show gossip and backstage photos!

home dog show
Dio and his little sister Dolly came over for a visit. Dolly's getting bigger and cuter... (lots more great photos to come :-)

gated community
holy gates of hell - so much on the net surrounding the launch of The Gates, we're seeing swaying saffron sheets in our sleep! but it is an amazing event and dam beautiful.

so to keep you from having to look through the 100's of sites out there - here are 4 strikingly beautiful photo spreads that capture the scene perfectly...
- Joe Schumacher
- Rion.nu
- Kottke
- Callalillie

(the beautiful photo above is from Joe Schumacher's site)

Kelly Osbourne intervention
it's starting to seem like there's a mass blog-intervention going on to slap Kelly Osbourne upside the head with some style awareness. and we're jumping in - Kelly please get a decent stylist, your look sucks.

heart felt messages
snapped these tags/messages in Williamsburg yesterday. looks like some people are gettin it and some people aren't in the 'burg tonight...

this post goes out to b-day boy Pete T, the valentines-day-massacre himself.

spa night
it's Buddy's spa night. just like the world's best spas, Buddy soaks in luxurious bubbles, is feigned over, given tasty snacks, and generally treated like royalty throughout the process. he loves every minute...

Bush's Social Security Scam
from the AARP's blog - an online resource for staying current with the important issue of strengthening Social Security:
Social Security Does Not Need a Radical Overhaul - Speaking in Washington, DC at the National Press Club, AARP CEO Bill Novelli noted... "Here are a couple of examples that, combined, would get us well over half way toward solvency, and there are other possible options to consider:
- Restore the total wages taxed by Social Security to 90 percent of nationwide earnings. This would move the cap from $90,000 in 2005 to $140,000—perhaps phased in over a decade. It would lower the projected shortfall by some 43 percent.
- Diversify Trust Fund investments in a total market index fund, like most pension funds, to get a higher return, which could fix about 15% of the problem."

from ThinkProgress.org:
CLAIM: "By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt." [President Bush, 2/2/05]
FACT: In 2042, enough new money will be coming in to pay between 73-80 percent of promised benefits. Even with this reduction, new retirees will still receive more money, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than today's beneficiaries. [WP, 2/5/05]
FACT: Under Bush's plan, expenditures will begin to exceed revenues even earlier, in 2012. [New York Times, 2/4/05]

Playing Texas Hold 'em with Social Security:
"Not on the table, however, are several easier and safer ways to plug the gaps that don't require playing roulette with the elderly's hard-earned security. Senator Ted Kennedy's suggestion would scale back the president's tax cut to pay for keeping Social Security solvent. And the most logical alternative would be to lift the cap that now exempts Americans earning more than $90,000 from paying Social Security taxes on income above that. Or, at least, balance that largess by limiting those people's Social Security benefits by a proportional amount."

A Democratic Blueprint for America's Future :
"Social Security is fundamental to the integrity of that safety net. Never before - until now - has any President, Republican or Democrat, attacked the basic guarantee of Social Security. Never before - until now - has any President, Republican or Democrat, proposed a cut in Social Security benefits. Yet President Bush is talking not just about a cut, but an incredible 33 percent cut. We must oppose it - and we will defeat it."

from MoveOn.org:
some key facts to know about Bush's plan to privatize Social Security:
- Social Security is not going bankrupt, contrary to the president's claims. That is a deception perpetrated in order to create the urgency for radical changes. Under conservative forecasts, the long-term challenges in Social Security do not manifest themselves until 2042. Even then Social Security has 70 percent of needed funds.
- George Bush's plan would make massive cuts in Social Security benefits for future retirees in order to pay for private accounts.
- Privatization means trillions of dollars of new national debt. Because current Social Security taxes are used to pay for private accounts taking that money out means huge deficits -- as high as $15 trillion over the next 40 years.

SIGN THE PETITION!: MoveOn's campaign to save Social Security has a goal to reach 500,000 signers a petition before MoveOn members deliver it to Congress in just ten days. please take one minute right now to sign by clicking here and please send the link to friends and family (thanks for the link Janet!)

are you ready to ROCK? (and show you care)
this Sunday, Feb 13th, Arlene's Grocery is holding an all-day ROCK AND ROLL MARATHON to Benefit Tsunami Relief. the event is from 12pm - 12am (with ALL AGES admitted til 8pm.)

it's sponsored by AMERIcares, and features some of the HOTTEST ROCK BANDS IN NEW YORK CITY: Skinny Blonde & Goodlooking, Mad Juana, New Professionals, Joker Five Speed, Grounded, Sex Slaves, Bantam, Eric J. Toast (Pisser), Lady Unluck, Newborn Naturals, Dame Fate, F-Units, Killer Mink, Rockets & Cars, Pistola, The Resistants. (photo above is Grounded, our favorite NY heavy metal band. they hit the stage at 10:30) a cool event for a good cause!

dogs of fashion week
counted over 20 shots "accessory" of dogs at Fashion Week NY on GettyImages alone (and not including the Target dog fashion show.) apparently the phrase "everybody and their dog showed up for fashion week" has never been truer...

Hateration Donation
like a lot of bloggers we sometimes use this site to vent about things that bug the shit out of us. it's all meant in good fun, but once in a while it may go a bit beyond media and political commentary and we're just plain hatin'. we've even had a guilty pang or 2 like this one... the other day we caught this endearing and gutsy ad campaign for gay awareness that Ben Affleck is participating in (via TimmyRay.) we've hated on Ben in the past, and here he is doing the Stay Close ad campaign to raise awareness for a prejudice that we've been a victim of! (plus he looks so cute in the ad.) you go BEN!

but the truth is, we're not gonna stop writing about the crazy stuff we see out there. sometimes it's important to call shit out. and well, sometimes it's too much fun. so we came up with a little karma washing idea called: the Hateration Donation - when we feel like we've hated a little too hard on something - we're gonna donate money to a related cause.

So for hating hard on Ben last month and then catching his awesome ad, we're making a karma cleaning "hateration donation" of $100 to the New York Lesbian and Gay Community Center! there's no single better place in NY to find gay activities, programs and activist events to participate in. when we were in our 20's the center was like a second home. the hundreds of clubs and organizations give people who are just coming out or new to the city a way to express emotions and passions, and a way to meet tons of people! they also provided us with free health care during a time of unemployment. it's a wonderful place for gay people in NY to meet other gays, get involved in activities, and help the community.

hard times tonight
Hard Times - an art show for tsunami reflief - opens in Dumbo tonight. over 50 kick-ass artists have contributed work, all being sold for $100 or less. tonight's opening starts at 7:00 and features DJ's, free beer and a live collaborative painting project. just $5 to get in and it's for a great cause. (via Wooster)

behind bars
love this post by Manhattan Transfer that lists 209 bars below 14th St. that he's been to! beyond the "dam dude you have a great memory" moment, it was very cool just to read through all the names and have a thousand synapses explode as tons of awesome memories flooded back. we've been to 80% of them, plus another 100 or so that are either not on the list or have closed over the years (many that we bartended at.) hope we don't sound like a lush, but fuck if it doesn't give us a huge sense of pride that we live below 14th. Lower Manhattan is the BEST FUCKING PLACE IN THE WORLD!

out on technicalities
even though he's a mutt, Buddy's show dog traits shine through. to us, he's total ChiCorgi perfection.

CityRag PSA: weed still illegal in NY
been slacking off the public smoke-ins lately, but the reports from friends (and friends of friends) keep coming in that "the Van" is still patrolling and still actively making busts for joints and open beer on NYC streets. so the CityRag smoke-in is back in effect! and with a vengeance...

night walker
street art in the Lower East Side, from a packed block on Rivington near Norfolk...

some great shots and unfolding story from a walk in Brooklyn -
Making Sense of a Long Walk

trim tat baby
Anna Nicole's big booby mermaid...

the dog shows are coming!
2 dog shows hit New York next week. on Monday and Tuesday the Westminster Kennel Club will represent at Madison Square Garden. in addition to the evening competions (that will be televised on USA network); admission allows you to enter the show at 8:30 a.m., watch the day long events and competitions, and wander the kennel areas.

this will be our first year attending. there's that Best in Show obsession, but it's the chance to see some real Corgi action that clinched the deal. (Buddy's part Corgi and part Chihuahua, but it's the Corgi in him that gives him that regal attitude.)

and Rachel pointed us to the Dog Show Party! - a very cool looking event that happens during the final night of Westminster with a live feed of the show, music, performances, a fashion show, contests and more fun stuff. they'll be raising funds for a NY charity and it's being held at Tonic in the LES - a dog show with local flavor y'all!

Paris caught frontin’
twice in one weekend… the Bastardly sums up her disappionting Saturday Night Live appearance - Paris Not Too Hot On SNL. and we agree. (from SocialiteLife)

and more fashion week fun rolls in...
“we love the Daily!” - “this crap is so boring”

bone-blur
Buddy demonstrates the fine art of speed eating...
one bite. two bites.

three bites. hey - where's my bone?

the hottest seat at Fashion Week NY...
Fashion Week in NY kicked off last Friday, but the fun has just begun, as this will be the killer week with tons of shows from top designers, capped with the showing of JLo's line on Friday.

(Paula Abdul mocks Vanessa Williams at the Heart Truth show)

for gossip and photo hounds like us, fashion week brings a gold mine of great stuff to check out on the web. keep your eye on Getty Images entertainment section for hourly updates of runway shows, backstage highlights, celeb shots, and parties. our favorite gossip and photo blogs will be loaded with juicy posts this week.

and FashionWeekDaily, follows the action with a streamlined schedule, daily event photos in "Front Row Watch", and "Today's Obsession" a feature that has already revealed the hottest seat at the show...

"The fashion crowd is flushed with excitement over the new Kohler Purist Hatbox toilet. This electric commode is so sleek and lovely; you’ll be tempted to put it in the living room. Drink lots of water so you can give one of these babies a test ride at the tents in one of the Kohler-provided restrooms."

does Austin read Gawker?
you might remember us running a story back in December that Austin Scarlet from Project Runway and Hermy from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer were separated at birth. yesterday Gawker ran a story (picked up from TimmyRay) that worked Yves St. Laurent into the equation... well today Austin showed up at the Project Runway Fall 2005 show wearing CLASSIC St. Laurent specs and looking tre Yves! could it be Austin reads Gawker? (or is it just life imitating art again.)

New York court rules in favor of same-sex marriage
hot off the press!

New York court rules in favor of same-sex marriage
"Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in New York State, a court ruled on Friday"

Same-Sex Marriage Case Wins in New York City
"Tens of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who live in New York City are one step closer to walking down the aisle—with a marriage license in their hands."

the US goverment's Trafficking in Persons Report
the internet abounds in eye-opening information. years ago we came across the US Governments annual Trafficking in Persons Report. as with any government issued information - we take it in with caution, but we continue to find the report to be a detailed and unique source of information on a subject many people do not consider in their daily life. a couple recent items in the news have caused us to reflect on the reports: the speculation on abductions after the tsunami, and the abduction and disappearance of 27 people traveling to certain areas of Mexico in the last 6 months. so we wanted to bring these reports to the attention of our readers. cuz knowledge is power!...

every year since 2001 the US government has updated a Trafficking in Persons Report. the Trafficking in Persons Report provides in-depth detail across the world.

Trafficking in Persons Report - Overview:
"The State Department is required by law to submit a report each year to the Congress on foreign government efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This June 2004 report is the fourth annual TIP Report. Although country actions to end human trafficking are its focus, the report also tells the painful stories of the victims of human trafficking--21st century slaves. This report uses the term "trafficking in persons" which is used in U.S. law and around the world, and that term encompasses slave-trading and modern-day slavery in all its forms. We cannot truly comprehend the tragedy of trafficking in persons, nor can we succeed in defeating it, unless we learn about its victims: who they are, why they are vulnerable, how they were entrapped, and what it will take to free them and heal them."

Report Main Page: 2004 (2003, 2002, 2001)

the "Tier Placement" page lists the status of countries around the globe. it's interesting to compare previous years against the current report. (a small example of potential flaws and why we take it with a grain of salt, between 2003 and 2004 Haiti has disappeared from the list)

and please note: there's been an incredibly disgusting movement by some of the extreme religious right groups to use these reports combined with tsunami event to make some bizarre statements. we just can't link to that shit even to expose their foul and decrepit asses. here's an article that has some credible sources that was released this month -
Few Reports of Increased Human Trafficking in Tsunami-hit Nations

cats defy gravity
we love this crazy photo of this kick-ass cat sent over by our friend Jo (it's making the email rounds, sorry we don't have the original site to credit)

Callalillie offers her own proof this week that cats can fly

and you may have noticed, we just can't resist HappyScrappy and the fabulous stuff they show us daily. yesterday they offer "IF YOU LOVE cats, and you love Fat Boy Slim, then you will love this video." and we say yes yes... this is GREAT!

NY memorial for Nicole duFresne tonight

words cannot describe the incredible tragedy of Nicole duFresne's death. on the corner where she was murdered a street side memorial has been erected to honor Nicole and give people a small way to express their deep grief and condolences. last night the majority of people spending time there - thinking about Nicole, reading the memorials and offering prayers, were locals. especially a lot of young teens coming by. there were crowds at times and as the people flowed and changed the mood remained deeply somber and heartfelt. the air was thick with sadness, shock, and shame. the look of despair in the eyes of the kids brought us to tears. a horrible tragedy that has shaken the community and the loss of her beautiful spirit has devastated the world.

we learned today that there will be a memorial for Nicole this evening in the Lower East Side:

"A memorial service is being held here in New York for Nicole this Thursday, February 3rd, at 4pm, at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts, located at 172 Norfolk Street."

the Nicole duFresne Memorial Scholarship has been set up by the family and is accepting donations

Update on the LES Memorial for Nicole duFresne

Japanese tapas
one of the best things about living in NYC is vast variety of wonderful food you can have delivered to your door. Menupages.com has made it easy to browse through tons of great places by neighborhood. we've posted many of our favorites in the past, and here's another one... Yoshi, a Japanese restaurant on Houston and near Ludlow, has great delivery! we're not big on having sushi delivered so we usually get a mixed bunch of small plates and call it Japanese Tapas!

here's a favorite meal of some of the items that shine at Yoshi (going clockwise from the upper left corner)...
- goma-ae - steamed spinach in a rich sesame sauce
- shitake yakitori - shitake mushroom grilled on skewers in a flavorful teriyaki sauce
- fried gyoza - tasty homemade pork dumplings
- edamame - fresh steamed soy beans with sea salt
- miso soup - lots of nice chunks of tofu and seaweed
- spicy fried shrimp roll - 2 fresh jumbo shrimp, deep fried and rolled up with spicy mayo, lettuce and a bit of flying fish roe - great texture and so tasty (one of the best fried shrimp dishes around!)
- tatsuta-age - tangy crispy chicken chunks with fresh lemon on the side (simple and delicious)

killer dragons
our boy Eric (who tattooed Britney Spears) has done some KILLER work! here are a few of his detailed and colorful dragon tats...

and on World of Wonder we found... Hanzi Smatter - a site "Dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters (Hanzi or Kanji) in Western culture." some funny posts that reveal the true meaning of the symbols people have tattooed.

happy pappy
you're never down when Bud is around...

the good
some Good, to balance out the Bad and the Ugly below...

Girls Make Noise at Rock 'n' Roll Summer Camps (via Lusty Lady, photos from womensenews.org)

peoples deepest secrets , sent in anonymously by postcard, some beautiful stuff (from HappyScrappy)

"FORCE them to wear it" (Star Wars pet costumes)

Man urinates his way out of avalanche (via World of Wonder)

and this is too fucking funny...
"Awful Plastic Surgery - Dakota Fanning"

mta's fashion underground
leave it to the the super fantastic Manolo to point us to the opening of "Fashion Underground" this week, "an exhibition of original, subway-inspired accessories" that will be auctioned off to benefit the MTA...

for you serious subway stylerz... "Set in 18-karat yellow matte gold and accented with diamonds and black onyx, the Gotham Gold Necklace is a miniature replica of the MTA MetroCard, and gives a brand new meaning to "bling around the collar."

de-facing
heads will roll: someone glued Michael Jackson's face on wrong this morning.

Wildenstein challenge: Jackie Stallone is seriously challenging Jocelyn Wildenstein for the title of "the patron saint of awful plastic surgery". these photos, all since AwfulPlasticSurgery noticed her blooming lips just a couple months ago, show her rapid and scary transformation. (and in an odd turn of events, we noticed on ThighsWide she's taken to calling Sly the deformed one)

the Faces of Meth: The Presurfer shows us "a slideshow of before/after pictures that reveals in full, unflattering color how methamphetamine ravages its users over years" - one of the scariest things we've ever seen. stay away from meth kids.

grand facade
since last June we've been photographing various stages of the demolition of the buildings along 42nd St and 43rd St. between 6th Ave and Broadway to make room for the new Bank of America headquarters. including Chashama's old performance space coming down, a construction hottie, and a cool reader submission. this fall we noticed an unusual slow down in the demolition as they began taking one building down literally brick by brick. it was amazing and sad to watch and as they exposed many layers of an old theater on 43rd St. including a grand staircase. we decided to step off our normal 42nd St. path and take a look on the 43rd St. side and discovered this strange style demo was being done to save the facade of NY landmark - Henry Miller's Theater - while the building around it was being torn down. as codeOrange notes "it's a sad thing to see a theater die". NYC's great architecture and history are so frequently demolished to make way for crappy new buildings. but it was good to see this effort to save a small piece the areas great past.