I’ve always felt that eating two or three hot dogs was rather piggish - even without the buns. However, in food-eating contests, three - ten - twenty - even fifty hot dogs WITH buns isn’t enough to win. I don’t know how they do it. This is definitely not a stop-and-smell-the-roses activity. It’s all about cramming as much food into your mouth and down your throat as fast as possible. No time to appreciate taste or worry about table manners.

Here’s the winner - Joey Chestnut - showing off his trophy:

And a food-eating competition is not a pretty sight. Just take a look at Chestnut’s opponent - previous winner, Takeru Kobayashi. And this is not even one of the more disgusting photos.

Here’s the story:

American Captures Hot-Dog-Eating Crown
Chestnut Sets World Record as He Beats Defending Champ Kobayashi
Posted: 2007-07-04 16:26:18
Filed Under: More Sports
NEW YORK (July 4) - In a gut-busting showdown that combined drama, daring and indigestion, Joey Chestnut emerged Wednesday as the world’s hot-dog-eating champion, knocking off six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in a rousing yet repulsive triumph.
Chestnut, the great red, white and blue hope in the annual Fourth of July competition, broke his own world record by inhaling 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes - a staggering one every 10.9 seconds before a screaming crowd in Coney Island.

“If I needed to eat another one right now, I could,” the 23-year-old Californian said after receiving the mustard yellow belt emblematic of hot-dog-eating supremacy.

Kobayashi, the Japanese eating machine, recently had a wisdom tooth extracted and received chiropractic treatment due to a sore jaw. But the winner of every Nathan’s hot dog competition from 2001 to 2006 showed no ill effects as he stayed with Chestnut frank-for-frank until the very end of the 12-minute competition.

Kobayashi finished with 63 HDBs - hot dogs and buns eaten - in his best performance ever. His previous high in the annual competition was 53 1/2. The all-time record before Wednesday’s remarkable contest was Chestnut’s 59 1/2, set just last month.

The two gustatory gladiators quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the 17 competitors, processing more beef than a slaughterhouse within the first few minutes. The two had each downed 60 hot dogs with 60 seconds to go when Chestnut - the veins on his forehead extended - put away the final franks to end Kobayashi’s reign.

Hazel, I don’t know how this works, but HOW do their stomachs hold so much food? Do they throw it up after the contest ends - or can they throw up during the contest? And WHO would want to be in such a contest.

Adeline, I hate to say this, by my husband was watching this contest earlier today. It was really gross towards the end. The funniest thing to me was the announcer who really got into it. You’d have thought he was announcing a horse race. He made comments like, ‘this is the most important win in an American sport in …. ‘ I can’t remember how long he said, but I think he was indulging in just a little bit of hyperbole!

Should a prisoner get a sex-change operation at the taxpayers’ expense? In a word - NO! That doesn’t stop ‘em from trying, though. You can go HERE for the whole story. I’ve selected some highlights:

Prisoner Seeks Sex-Change Operation
Massachusetts Case Tied Up Over Question of Who Pays for Surgery

By DENISE LAVOIE,AP

BOSTON (June 27) - A trial that opened more than a year ago has become bogged down in Boston federal court. There have been hundreds of hours of testimony from witnesses, including 10 medical specialists paid tens of thousands of dollars. The judge himself even hired an expert to help him make sense of it all.

The question at the center of the case: Should a murderer serving life in prison get a sex-change operation at taxpayer expense?

The case of Michelle - formerly Robert - Kosilek is being closely watched across the country by advocates for other inmates who want to undergo a sex change. Transgender inmates in other states have sued prison officials, and not one has succeeded in persuading a judge to order a sex-change operation.

The Massachusetts Correction Department is vigorously fighting Kosilek ’s request for surgery, saying it would create a security nightmare and make Kosilek a target for sexual assault.

An Associated Press review of the case, including figures obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests and interviews, found that the Correction Department and its outside health care provider have spent more than $52,000 on experts to testify about an operation that would cost about $20,000.

The duration and expense of the case have outraged some lawmakers who insist that taxpayers should not have to pay for inmates to have surgery that most private insurers reject as elective.

But advocates say in some cases - such as that of Kosilek , who has twice attempted suicide - sex-change surgery is as much a medical necessity as treatment for diabetes or high blood pressure. (emphasis mine)

. . . . Kosilek , 58, was convicted of strangling his wife in 1990. He claimed he killed her in self-defense after she spilled boiling tea on his genitals.

Robert Kosilek legally changed his name to Michelle in 1993, and has sued the Correction Department twice, arguing that its refusal to allow a sex-change operation violates the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

In 2002, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that Kosilek was entitled to medical treatment for gender identity disorder, but stopped short of ordering the surgery. Kosilek sued again in 2005, arguing that the hormone treatments, laser hair removal and psychotherapy she has received since Wolf’s ruling have not relieved her anxiety and depression.

“I would not want to continue existing like this,” Kosilek testified.

Kosilek ’s second trial, which began in May 2006, has featured expert testimony from 10 doctors, psychiatrists and psychotherapists. Wolf has not indicated when he will rule.

. . . . Those who argue against allowing the surgery say it could open the floodgates to other inmates who want sex-change operations or other treatments considered elective.

In Massachusetts, 10 inmates have been diagnosed with gender identity disorder and are receiving hormone treatments. Two other inmates besides Kosilek have asked for sex-change surgery.

. . . . Dennehy also said prison officials cannot be influenced by Kosilek ’s talk of suicide.

“The department does not negotiate or respond to threats of harm or suicide in an effort to barter,” she said. “You couldn’t run a prison with that kind of leveraging going on.”

I guess if they have their own money, they can pay to have the surgery done, but for the taxpayers’ to pay for it is ridiculous. I’m sure there are law-abiding folks out there who would like to have the surgery, but they can’t afford it. If it’s done for a prisoner, then all anyone would have to do is break the law, get put in prison and insist on the surgery.

Now who would post a photo of their 4-year old daughter in full military dress on a website? Rosie O’Donnell, of course - the crude, coarse and tasteless “commedian” and “celebrity.” I put both in quotes because I don’t think she is either. Here’s the story:

Daughter Pics Spark New Rosie Outrage
AOL
(June 27) — Rosie O’Donnell was never afraid to air her opinions on the war in Iraq during her ‘View’ tenure, but war-related photos of her 4-year-old daughter are causing many to think Rosie’s gone too far.

On her blog Tuesday, O’Donnell posted photos of her daughter Vivian Rose in a post titled “Dress Up.” In the photo sequence, Vivian Rose is shown with the header “Last year a princess,” where she’s seen in the typical royal wardrobe. Then, “This year a soldier” flashes across the video slideshow, revealing the blond-haired child wearing a bullet belt and head coverings.

The images are causing an uproar among many, causing a flood of e-mails speaking out against them on Rosie’s blog.

“Ro, so disappointed to see your little ones with bullets. Where are the guns? I thought for sure you would protect them more from such things,” one angry reader said to O’Donnell.

“That picture is gross! I am disturbed,” another reader said.

According to the New York Daily News, O’Donnell wrote on her blog: “”My daughter in a soldier costume, national news. [But] 3,500 dead soldiers for real, they don’t comment. Shame,” O’Donnell wrote on her blog, responding to the criticism.” On Wednesday morning, those words were not on the blog.

The Daily News says Rosie claims the photo was intended to show how Vivian Rose likes to mimic her older brothers, and that the bullets were fake.

“Her children were playing and they play dress-up, and that was just an image that she took,” O’Donnell’s spokesperson Cindi Berger told the Daily News. “She is absolutely anti-war.”

I rather feel sorry for Rosie’s children. That household can’t be a very pleasant place to live. At one time - years ago - Rosie was funny and seemed human. Now, though, it appears she has let life’s hard knocks embitter her. Now she just seems mean and angry. Life’s hard on EVERYBODY. She needs to get over herself.

From TMZ

The King may have left the building but his prescription pills are still here: A bottle that contained Elvis Presley’s prescription antihistamines was sold this week at an auction for more than $2,600. That’s a mighty expensive prescription plan! While the bottle still contained some of The King’s original pills, L.A. County police told auction house Julien’s that it would be a federal crime to sell the bottle with pills included.

Other unusual Hollywood ephemera sold during the auction included a gold-plated gun owned by the Elvis, which sold for more than $28,000; Alfred Hitchcock’s passport, which went for more than $19,000; and a prop umbrella once used by Marilyn Monroe for $42,000. The umbrella will become part of the collection of the Museum of Style Icons in County Kildare, Ireland.

I’d love to know WHO has had that bottle of pills all these years. Who and why would someone buy it? I guess there’s something for everyone.

Elvis is STILL the King!

You can trackback here if you want.

David Hasselhoff has gotten full custody of his two teenaged daughters. This after losing all visitation rights after his drunken attempts to eat a hamburger on video was all over the internet last month.

It’s odd enough, but then you include the fact that the girls are 14 and 17 years old. I would think they could choose who they want to live with. Maybe they did! Maybe Daddy is more fun.

The court cited reasons for refusing the girl’s mother Pamela Bach Hasselhoff custody as abuse and refusal to submit to drug and alcohol testing.

I can’t help but keep wondering how bad she must be to lose custody to Hasselhoff!

Moving right along ….

Reuters
TMZ

gossip

In Canada a judge has ordered a man not to have a girlfriend for three years as a result of the man’s abuse towards his former girlfriends. Here’s the story:

Judge Orders Man Not to Have Girlfriend
AP
PETERBOROUGH, Ontario (June 14) - A judge has ruled that a 24-year-old Canadian man is not allowed to have a girlfriend for the next three years.

The ruling came after Steven Cranley pleaded guilty on Tuesday to several charges stemming from an assault on a former girlfriend.

Cranley, who has been diagnosed with a dependent personality disorder, attacked his girlfriend in an argument after their breakup.

He tried to prevent her from phoning the police by cutting her phone cord and punched and kicked her. He finally stabbed himself with a butcher knife when police did arrive, puncturing his aorta.

Doctors say Cranley has difficulty coping with rejection and runs a high risk to re-offend if he becomes involved in another intimate relationship.

Justice Rhys Morgan said Cranley “cannot form a romantic relationship of an intimate nature with a female person.

“That is the only way I can see the protection of the public is in place until you get the counseling you need.”

Cranley had already served 146 days in pre-trail custody, which Morgan said was enough jail time in this case.

His lawyer says the no girlfriend order is the first of its kind that he has encountered.

OMG, I’ve had a boyfriend or two who could have used a few minutes in THAT judge’s courtroom. I remember a guy in high school who wouldn’t let me leave a swimming pool. He kept pulling me back in and trying to get a feel. Finally some other friends came to the pool, and I was able to leave. Then the guy called me incessantly. Even as an adult, I’ve had a stalker-esque boyfriend. Once I recognized his tendencies, I dropped him, but he made it difficult.

I think the judge made a mistake, Hazel. He said the man couldn’t have an intimate relationship with a “female person.” Now the guy will just go gay for three years. What do you think?

Okay, Hazel, you’ve been showing off eye candy like Matthew McConaughey and Brad Pitt. You’ve also written of stars that flash the paparazzi. I’ll give you a photo that’ll curl your toes. Or, more accurately, turn your stomach.

Until I came across this photo, I had no idea who Gary Glitter was. Still don’t, for the most part. Apparently he is a 70’s glam rock star from Britain who has had some run-ins with the law for child pornography and child sexual abuse. Sounds like a really lovely person, don’t you think? That’s the lowest rung on the low-life ladder.

Two questions: Considering the nature of his law-breaking, why is he free to be out exposing his shortcomings? And if he absolutely MUST wear a swimsuit, would someone please give him one that’ll cover his privates?

Ewwwwwww!

ADELINE! Ewwwww! is right! That’s disgusting. You know what they say about child sexual perverts. They are sexually immature themselves and can’t relate to grown women. Disgusting. Definitely NSFW. hazel

As they say, “A hard man is good to find,” but I guess there can be too much of a good thing. The following story sure makes one wonder:

Man Sues Over Long-Lasting Erection
AP
NEW YORK (June 5) - A man has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus, claiming the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside and caused him to be hospitalized.

The lawsuit filed by Christopher Woods of New York said he bought the nutrition beverage made by the pharmaceutical company Novartis AG at a drugstore on June 5, 2004, and drank it.

Woods’ court papers say he woke up the next morning “with an erection that would not subside” and sought treatment that day for the condition, called severe priapism.

They say Woods, 29, underwent surgery for implantation of a Winter shunt, which moves blood from one area to another.

The lawsuit, filed late Monday, says Woods later had problems that required a hospital visit and penile artery embolization, a way of closing blood vessels. Closing off some blood flow prevents engorgement and lessens the likelihood of an erection.

Woods’ lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names Novartis Consumer Health Inc. as a defendant. A spokeswoman for the company, Brandi Robinson, said Tuesday the company was aware of the lawsuit but does not comment on pending litigation.

Woods’ lawyer did not return telephone calls for comment Tuesday.

Novartis’ Boost Plus Web site describes the drink as “a great tasting, high calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume,” in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

From one “nutrition drink”? Surely not! I hope he at least had a little fun with it before he realized it wasn’t going away.

Naked cyclists ride their bikes through downtown Vancouver, British Columbia during the World Naked Bike Ride Day June 9, 2007. About 50 cyclists rode through the streets trying to bring attention to pollution caused by cars. [Reuters]

They weren’t just in Vancouver, they were in countries all over the world. There’s a lot more naked people from all over the world, if you want to see them.

I only have a couple of things to say about this. Okay, maybe three.

One - Couldn’t that be painful, especially for men?
Two - Naked hyppies on bikes are not all that attractive. Really.
Three - What is the point of the umbrella? He’s naked. What’s he afraid is going to shrink?

Hazel - Notice how the bicycle seats push their butt cheeks out. The orange scarf, hat and umbrella are hilarious - you know - show off the ta-tas - but cover the neck and face! I agree - not attractive.
Now, if you put those American Pride guys from a couple posts ago on bicycles naked, I’d be impressed. But that’s just me . . .

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Hiya Hazel - speaking of being philosophical . . . Rosie is leaving “The View” and I’m sure everyone at “The View” is crying about her departure. The meanness, the personal attacks, the grossness. There’s just so much to miss! Rosie wrote the following on her website.

“When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done,” she wrote. “Any more would take away.”

That is hilarious - Rosie waxing philosophical about her train-wreck of a sojourn on “The View.” She’s right, though - she’s taken enough away from the integrity and humanity of the show. Her damage . . . er I mean work IS done.

TTFN,
Adeline