Lucky

Get enough tattoos and you can be a coverboy:

Okay, TY, I am curious on this one. Did you not originally post the article itself? Or is my memory as bad as I think it is? If you did post it, what caused this change?

Cooper,laughter is the best medicine, or so they say. I, for one, never tire of a good ventriloquist, especially one with a different approach. So, thanks for the laughs!

With the death last week of the 39 year old producer of the Narnia Chronicles from a reported Oxycontin overdose, those who advocate against pain doctors have been given more ammunition. Doctors specializing in chronic pain have become controversial for their willingness to prescribe larger doses of pain medicine than family doctors are usually comfortable with, thus leaving the patient in a dilemma. Listen to the family doc and suffer the pain, or take the risk that the pain doc might give you too much medicine. Family docs argue the risk of addiction, dependency, and overdose. Pain docs claim that with a constant flow of drugs, there will be no withdrawal issues so addiction or dependence is not a problem. Why have people suffer needlessly? We've seen an advance in the use of morphine for terminal patients, something family doctors resisted until recent years. What the ultimate answer is, I don't know. Right now I lean towards the pain docs, but I am not a 39 year old film producer... UPDATE: In an odd coincidence, shortly after I posted this I noticed an article on the topic in today's San Francisco Chronicle's website, sfgate.com. Still in my edit period, so read on: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/19/MNVL1HLHKN.DTL&tsp=1

I saw him perform in an off-Broadway show where he played a homophobic nephew sent to live with his gay uncle. A very talented actor.

Aces, how were you able to get such good shots back then?

One of the more known Idol contestants, Chris Medina, who cares for his critically injured girlfriend, is reportedly off the show in next Thursday's finals: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/caring_kid_off_idol_iUkefCFfUadA7iGUe9TWEN

Dang that Death of A Salesman is a downer. This production has been called more severe than others, and it sure is. But in the beginning of the play we were told that Willy is 60, which seems too young for him to be losing his faculties, and the actor playing him saw 60 some time ago. Later we are told that he is 63. Anyone know why the discrepancy? The show was very well-acted and worth the drive. On the way back, I saw the freeway sign "Other Desert Cities" which happens to be the name of a sold-out play at Lincoln Center! That was probably as close to seeing the play I will get.

Grady Sizemore is recovering from knee surgery and is on schedule to be able to play this season. Here's a report from spring training: Grady on His Knee

Brown has told local prosecutors that he does not wish an investigation to be opened into his allegations of sexual abuse. The charges are of activity 40 years old, and Brown states that he did not write about them "to settle any scores." Prosecutors accepted his decision.

The recent rains have one upside: the mountains are snow-covered even at the lower elevations. But today I drive to San Diego to see Death of A Salesman. A long way to go for theater. We just closed a production of The Producers at the local theater, which was reported to be the best production ever at the theater. Now the local high school kids are putting on Phantom of the Opera. Hopefully they found a group of non-drug users for the cast. (The paper today has stories on drugs in the local high schools following a big raid at Palm Desert High). It's been my experience that there is a lot of talent in high schools, especially singers. Just look at all of the teens on this season of American Idol. So, I hope they can pull it off. It's only been 6 months since the production was allowed to high schools, so Palm Springs must have jumped right on it. For the price, I think I might give it a go: The Palm Springs High School Performing Arts Program will be among the first high school groups to perform Andrew Lloyd Webber's “The Phantom of the Opera.” The musical was first offered to high schools in September 2010 by R&H Theatricals, which licenses the show. The performance will be held March 4-5 and 11-12 at 7 p.m. and on March 6 at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 2401 East Baristo Road. Tickets cost $8, $10 or $20. The program is also looking for sponsors to help underwrite the production, which includes a cast and crew of more than 80 and a full orchestra from the school music department. Information: (760) 778-0419 (Press release taken from mydesert.com)

Gnews? Are you a person or a news service? Welcome to the boards- we need to be well-informed.

Count me as one of the guys who think baseball cannot come soon enough. I plan to subscribe (again) to MLB's Extra innings, which gives me 80 games a week. True enough that I mostly watch Yankee games, but it does give me the ability to switch channels when a a particularly hot player is on. Hopefully Grady Sizemore will be back this season.

Did you find that 2BR apartment you were interested in?

My favorite Warbler is the one on the left. Close, Marc?

Good work, Oliver. Historically we held the Weekend on President's Day Weekend, which is now. But we are having cold, rainy weather. Even if the rain stops as expected on Sunday, the high temp will only be 61 degrees, with a low of 41. I'm not going out in the pool this weekend!

I think it's very funny.Cooper. Nice to have a laugh today.

Which one does he like best? Which one does he need the most? Which one shoots further?

More from the website cruisebruise.com: February 12, 2011 It was billed as the biggest gay cruise in the world, perhaps just a little too tempting of a business venture for Steven Barry Krumholz, 51, from West Hollywood (Mar Vista), California. Krumholz was arrested aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' Allure Of The Seas while the ship was in St.Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Allure Of The Seas had departed Port Everglades, Florida, on February 6, 2011. Allure Of The Seas was chartered by Atlantis Events, which specializes in the gay and lesbian market. The sold-out weeklong sailing left from Ft. Lauderdale, visiting Nassau, Bahamas; St. Maarten; and St. Thomas. In St. Thomas is where things went wrong for Steven Barry Krumholz. Customs and Border Protection agents boarded the ship Wednesday, February 9, 2011 and found drugs on another passenger, who alleged he had placed an order with Krumholz before the trip and picked the drugs up while on board, according to an affidavit submitted by one of the investigating agents. Agents say they went to Krumholz's cabin, he wasn't there, so they entered and waited for Krumholz to come back to his cabin. While they were waiting CBP officers found 2.83 grams of methamphetamine, 142-1/2 ecstasy pills, a quantity of ketamine, $51,020 in cash, and a US Postal Service money order in the amount of $960 in his cabin. The amount of money found in the cabin, may indicate the quantity of illegal drugs that were brought aboard by Krumholz. Now the question is, how did he get that much illegal product aboard Allure Of The Seas in the first place? In any case, it would be safe to say that this one cruise made Krumholz's year, business wise. The custody of Krumholz, the narcotics, and currency were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further proceedings. Agents say while they were waiting for Krumholz to return to his cabin, two of his customers came by to pick up the drugs they had ordered before the cruise. How is it that so many people who knew about the cruise also knew to contact Krumholz for the illegal drugs? Investigators are sure to get more leads after reviewing the video footage from Allure Of The Seas showing who was going in and out of Krumholz's cabin. There may be knocks on the doors of California homes for months to come. West Hollywood property records indicate that Steven B Krumholz is connected to a business consulting service, Steven Krumholz Consulting and a cruise booking travel agency. Sbk (Steven Barry Krumholz) Travel both located at 3415 Grand View Blvd, Los Angeles, California. On Facebook, Krumholz is friends with Atlantis Events owner Rick Campbell, perphaps something Campbell is regretting at this point in time. Campbell has been the head of Atlantis Events since 1990. It's good to know at this point, the law enforcement doesn't need a search warrant to enter and search a hotel room or cruise ship cabin, only the permission of the owner. The owner in this case, was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's representative, the captain. Methamphetamine increases the release and blocks the reuptake of the brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) dopamine, leading to high levels of the chemical in the brain—a common mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse. Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. Methamphetamine’s ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the intense euphoria, or “rush,” that many users feel after snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug. Ecstasy is the chemical methyldioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. MDMA is a synthetic substance that has both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects and is commonly used as a date rape drug. Ketamine has a wide range of effects in humans, including analgesia, anesthesia, hallucinations, elevated blood pressure, and bronchodilation. Like other drugs of this class such as tiletamine and phencyclidine (PCP), it induces a state referred to as "dissociative anesthesia"and is used as a recreational drug. Ketamine is primarily used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, usually in combination with some sedative drug. Other uses include sedation in intensive care, analgesia (particularly in emergency medicine), and treatment of bronchospasm. It has been shown to be effective in treating depression in patients with bipolar disorder who have not responded to other anti-depressants. It is also a popular anesthetic in veterinary medicine. The black market street name for Ketamine is "Special K". Ketamine as you may remember was in the bloodstream of cruise ship entertainer who jumped off a gay cruise, plunging into the harbor, later shot in the back by police. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' ships have been in a number of huge drug busts in recent months. www.cruisebruise.com

The Advocate and other media are reporting a drug bust on the gay cruise this past week. With 5500 passengers, the Royal Caribbean ship Allure was a floating party. A friend on the ship told me of the people who went to the infirmary for help, only to be booted off the next day. At one party where several partiers were naked, one of them shit all over the dance floor. Atlantis Cruises, long the sponsor of these voyages, has been frequently accused of turning a blind eye at all of the drugs on board. The Advocate reports that only one man was actually arrested, an alleged dealer. Two people came to his room to buy drugs while the bust on him was taking place. Lots of cash and drugs were found, so he is probably in deeper doodoo than the guys on the dance floor. What's interesting about the Advocate online story are the comments. Many defend, many get in a huff, others accuse. But they are all in a tizzy: My link

Preparing to raise a whopping $25 million to be re-elected to the US Senate, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has written his memoirs. He reveals in them that he was molested as a boy by a camp counselor. He appears on 60 Minutes this Sunday to hype his book, telling them: “Fortunately nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak,” he says in the interview, “but it was certainly, back then, very traumatic. He said, ‘If you tell anybody I’ll kill you.’” It's unclear why a molestation "back then" would be more traumatizing than one today. Brown adds other juicy gossip to the mill: "Mr. Brown also writes in the book about shoplifting numerous items as a teenager, including a three-piece suit, according to The Boston Globe, which obtained a copy on Wednesday. He has previously acknowledged being arrested for shoplifting records when he was 12." The well-dressed former Playgirl model seeks to be re-elected, but apparently needs more than just his record to win enough votes. More from the Washington Post: More Scott Stuff

The news today is that a hotly desired (professionally) script doctor has been called by the Spider Man on Broadway fiasco after heavily critical reviews appeared last week. Hard to believe that $65 million dollars later they still need help. Read the story: Spider Man Spinning

Blogger Andy Towle writes today about Dan Savage creating this new definition of the substance produced in anal sex. Not only that, he made sure it was a top Google result on the name of former Senator Rick Santorum: The Article On This Topic