Happy Halloween Deviants!

A Halloween Carol: Marilyn and Tim

In the spirit of Halloween, here is Marilyn Manson's version of "This is Halloween" for Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Very few things or people in life are scarier than Marilyn Manson.

And I Quote...

“You can't have rock and roll without drugs, you can't have rock and roll without sex.” --Rick James

"Sexpot of the Week" : Taylor Swift

I'm sure I was in the minority, but Taylor Swift has been one of my least favorite people in recent pop star risings. She's darling and all, but has been a little too darling for my taste. That was until it was revealed last week that she is very possibly dating Jake Gyllenhaul. That means Ms. Darling is very possibly fucking. And a 29 year old movie star. I know all these starlet personas are well tailored (pun accidental, but I'll take credit), but the news that she has some sex appeal was a breath of fresh air for me. She's 20, rich, and has up to this point been extremely viceless. Time for some spice and she has plenty more time to keep it coming. Oh yeah, and there are plenty more Hollywood men to notch up, too.

"Dirty Comic" : The Key

"Bad (Not Bad Ass) Tattoo" : Comic Con Gone Wrong

Ok so first let's just get out of the way that the said "real" version of this interesting character (on the right) is ridiculous. Outdoing this ridiculousness of course is the fact that someone thought it was a swell idea to make a permanent replica of the character on his body. Is this really a fantasy? And why? It would be great if there was a website where people explain the stories behind getting their bad tats.

"Sex in Art" Weekly Picks

Illustrator Matteo De Longis


IllustratorWarren Louw

"The Hard Sell" : Taboo In Advertising

This Body Shop ad addresses the taboo of fatness. And Mattel was not so impressed to say the least...

From Beauty Pro Division: "For those who missed it, Barbies manufacturer Mattel sent The Body Shop a cease and desist order after posters featuring Ruby - a self proclaimed Anti-Barbie spokesperson started appearing in American shop windows. This banned advertisement was also forbidden to be hung up in the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway. The complaints included her “nude and nippless figure” being exposed to the public which offended people in the US and China."

Damn, who knew Barbie was such a cut throat?! But those suburban perfect housewife types somehow always turn out to be.

And I Quote...

“Don’t do drugs, don’t have unprotected sex, don’t be violent. Leave that to me.” --Eminem

"Vice Pioneers" : Witchcraft

Salem Witch Trial Art: Examination of a Witch (1853) by T. H. Matteson


The art of labeling witches: E. E. Evans-Pritchard


Grace Sherwood, the "Witch of Pungo

In the spirit of Halloween, witchcraft seems to be a fitting topic for this week's "Vice Pioneers." Like most of our vice topics, there is so much history and geographical information on witchcraft that only a fraction of it is included here. We've focused on the overall background and labeling of witches and some North American history.

From Wikipedia: Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. Historically, it was widely believed that witchcraft involved the use of these powers to inflict harm upon members of a community or their property. Since the mid 20th century, the term witchcraft has sometimes been used to distinguish between bad witchcraft and good witchcraft, with the latter often involving healing. The concept of witchcraft as harmful is normally treated as a cultural ideology, a means of explaining human misfortune by blaming it either on a supernatural entity or a known person in the community. A witch (from Old English wicce f. / wicca m.) is a practitioner of witchcraft.

Beliefs in witchcraft, and resulting witch-hunts, are found in many cultures worldwide, today mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. in the witch smellers in Bantu culture), and historically notably in Early Modern Europe of the 14th to 18th century, where witchcraft came to be seen as a vast diabolical conspiracy against Christianity, and accusations of witchcraft led to large-scale witch-hunts, especially in Germanic Europe.

The "witch-cult hypothesis", a controversial theory that European witchcraft was a suppressed pagan religion, was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the mid-20th century, Witchcraft has become the self-designation of a branch of neopaganism, especially in the Wicca tradition following Gerald Gardner, who claimed a religious tradition of Witchcraft with pre-Christian roots.

Definitions of witchcraft
In anthropological terminology a 'witch' differs from a sorcerer in that they do not use physical tools or actions to curse; their maleficium is perceived as extending from some intangible inner quality, and the person may be unaware that they are a 'witch', or may have been convinced of their own evil nature by the suggestion of others. This definition was pioneered in a study of central African magical beliefs by E. E. Evans-Pritchard, who cautioned that it might not correspond with normal English usage.

Historians of European witchcraft have found the anthropological definition difficult to apply to European and British witchcraft, where 'witches' could equally use (or be accused of using) physical techniques, and some really had attempted to cause harm by thought alone. As in anthropology, European witchcraft is seen by historians as an ideology for explaining misfortune, however this ideology manifested in diverse ways. Reasons for accusations of witchcraft fall into four general categories:

*A person was caught in the act of positive or negative sorcery
*A well-meaning sorcerer or healer lost their clients' or the authorities' trust
*A person did nothing more than gain the enmity of their neighbors
*A person was reputed to be a witch and surrounded with an aura of witch-beliefs

Éva Pócs in turn identifies three varieties of witch in popular belief:
*The "neighborhood witch" or "social witch": a witch who curses a neighbor following some conflict.
*The "magical" or "sorcerer" witch: either a professional healer, sorcerer, seer or midwife, or a person who has through magic increased her fortune to the perceived detriment of a neighbouring household; due to neighbourly or community rivalries and the ambiguity between positive and negative magic, such individuals can become labelled as witches.
*The "supernatural" or "night" witch: portrayed in court narratives as a demon appearing in visions and dreams.

"Neighbourhood witches" are the product of neighbourhood tensions, and are found only in self-sufficient serf village communities where the inhabitants largely rely on each other. Such accusations follow the breaking of some social norm, such as the failure to return a borrowed item, and any person part of the normal social exchange could potentially fall under suspicion. Claims of "sorcerer" witches and "supernatural" witches could arise out of social tensions, but not exclusively; the supernatural witch in particular often had nothing to do with communal conflict, but expressed tensions between the human and supernatural worlds; and in Eastern and Southeastern Europe such supernatural witches became an ideology explaining calamities that befell entire communities.

North America
The most famous witchcraft incident in the British North America were the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex Counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused who were not formally pursued by the authorities. The two courts convicted 29 people of the capital felony of witchcraft. Nineteen of the accused, 14 women and 5 men, were hanged. One man who refused to enter a plea was crushed to death under heavy stones in an attempt to force him to do so. At least five more of the accused died in prison.

Despite being generally known as the "Salem" witch trials, the preliminary hearings in 1692 were conducted in a variety of towns across the province: Salem Village, Ipswich, Andover, as well as Salem Town, Massachusetts. The best-known trials were conducted by the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 in Salem Town. All 26 who went to trial before this court were convicted. The four sessions of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, held in Salem Town, but also in Ipswich, Boston, and Charlestown, produced only 3 convictions in the 31 witchcraft trials it conducted. Likewise, alleged witchcraft was not isolated to New England. In 1706 Grace Sherwood the "Witch of Pungo" was imprisoned for the crime in Princess Anne County, Virginia.
Author C. J. Stevens wrote The Supernatural Side of Maine, a 2002 book about witches and people from Maine who faced the supernatural.

What may be the last witchcraft trial in North America was the Ipswich witchcraft trial of 1878, in which a member of the Christian Science religion was accused of using his mental powers to harm others.

News Spotlight: Reggie Bush's Pussywhipped Moment

If you watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians last night, you witnessed Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian's back and forth love spat over his jealousy of her new (well recently defunct) relationship with Miles Davis. The above clip was just the start. Other scenes include him admitting her relationship with Miles was driving him crazy and him sending angry text messages. Kim is getting some flack about calling him out, but I bet he learned his lesson to never air dirty laundry with a girl with her own reality tv show.

Metal Taboo New Item Scramble: Prototype

In case you weren't aware, Metal Taboo released a metal collection without words called Prototype last year. There has been a hiatus on adding new items to the shop, but we will be stocking it up. Above are some of the Prototype items added recently. Go to our online store to see more.

And I Quote...

“I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me.” --Hunter S. Thompson

Pussy Pussy Everywhere

If you know anything about this blog, you know that videos with scantily clad singers performing over-the-top sexual content is a staple in these parts. "Buttons" by the Pussycat dolls is very straight forward and the message is clear--come and get me and put something in me. Couldn't ask for more.

"Sexpot of the Week" : Selita Banks

Models definitely get the "duh" factor when it comes to labeling them as sexy, but it doesn't make them any less desirable because it's obvious. This week's sexpot is Selita Banks, not really because she's a Sports Illustrated model and Victoria's Secret Angel, but because she just happens to be starring in Kanye West's "Runway" video that is getting a lot of buzz. Since she really doesn't get recognition for anything other than being beautiful and who she is dating at the time, it would seem there wouldn't be another reason in the forseeable future to feature her. So here she is--in all her naked glory.

News Spotlight: Mel Fired

Hollywood's least favorite raging lunatic has been outed from his "comeback" cameo for "The Hangover II." It looks like the Mel backlash is gonna take a long while to simmer down. He should just count his blessings that he will never go for broke living off his "Passion of the Christ" fortune.

From the New York Post: "Mel Gibson has been booted out of his career comeback role in "The Hangover Part II" following a revolt by stars of the movie who refused to work with him.
Sources say the cast, which includes Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis and Justin Bartha, were "outraged" after Page Six first reported on Monday that Gibson had been tapped to play a Bangkok tattoo artist in the eagerly anticipated sequel.

Director Todd Phillips last night confirmed in a statement that Gibson, who was due to start filming in two weeks, had just been dropped from the Warner Bros. movie.

Phillips said: "I thought Mel would have been great in the movie, and I had the full backing of [Warner Bros president] Jeff Robinov and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew."

His decision to drop troubled Gibson came after Galifianakis told Comedy Death Ray Radio this week that he was not happy with "something" on the set of his current movie.

Without naming Gibson, he said: "I'm in a deep protest right now with a movie I'm working on, up in arms about something . . . But I can't get the guys to [listen] . . . I'm not making any leeway."

But sources told us, "It was not only Zack who complained, it was the other members of the ensemble cast and many of the crew, who were outraged that Mel would be part of their comedy considering his current problems. They felt he would damage the movie. Mel's tattoo artist character will now be played by another actor."

Gibson is currently embroiled in a huge legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who alleges he assaulted and made threats against her.

A rep for Gibson couldn't be reached for comment."

"Dirty Comic" : Finger Lickin' Good

"Bad (Not Bad Ass) Tattoo" : Pizza and Beer

Ok so this is not so much bad tattooing (in comparison to most of our bad tattoo posts) as it is a bad concept. It's semi-charming in its color and the play on one's love of beer and pizza, but then you start thinking and you realize, well, that there is a tattoo of pizza and beer on someone's arm. Not to mention the pizza seems to have a weird thing resembling an eye on it. And what's up with the rose at the bottom?

"Sex in Art" Weekly Picks

Fashion photography by Herring & Herring


Paining by Herakut

"The Hard Sell" : Taboo In Advertising

Many of the ads featured for "The Hard Sell" are strong and political so this week let's go light. This S&M duck is a humorous ad focus from Gaia Restaurant. I had a hard time finding information about the location of the restaurant or even the reason it was such a big controversy, but it definitely pushes the sex envelope. This seems more cute and funny than overt and offensive, but there's bound to be opposition to any medium that publicly encourages spanking.

And I Quote...

“As far as I'm concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.” --Albert Einstein

"Vice Pioneers" : Hip Hop

Rapper's Delight: the record that solidified hip hop as a commercial entity


Sugarhill Gang: arguably the first group to release a hip hop record


Grand Wizard Theodore: invented turntable scratching


DJ Kool Herc: father of hip hop

When it comes to musical styles, hip hop is in a league of its own. The newest of the commercially successful genres of music (only in its early 30s), it sparks more varied emotion than any other. People are in love with it. People hate it with passion. It sparks political debate. And why not? Look at the content--it savors and encourages sex, machoism, gunplay, anger, violence and profanity. When it popped up on the music scene in the 70's, it was assumed it would be a passing fad. Remember when VH1 wouldn't even play it? Regardless of its harshness and people's perception of the genre, hip hop has stood the test of time. Here's a look at America's beloved vice music.

From Wikipedia:
Origin of the Term
Creation of the term hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. However, Lovebug Starski, Keith Cowboy, and DJ Hollywood used the term when the music was still known as disco rap. It is believed that Cowboy created the term while teasing a friend who had just joined the U.S. Army, by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers. Cowboy later worked the "hip hop" cadence into a part of his stage performance, which was quickly used by other artists such as The Sugarhill Gang in "Rapper's Delight".

Universal Zulu Nation founder Afrika Bambaataa is credited with first using the term to describe the subculture in which the music belonged; although it is also suggested that it was a derogatory term to describe the type of music. The first use of the term in print was in The Village Voice, by Steven Hager, later author of a 1984 history of hip hop.

Origins
The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers. The African-American traditions of signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. In addition, musical 'comedy' acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are considered by some to be the forefathers of rap.

Within New York City, griot-like performances of spoken-word poetry and music by artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron[8] and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin had a significant impact on the post-civil rights era culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly in the Bronx, where African American and Puerto Rican influences combined. Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music. Due to the positive reception, DJs began isolating the percussion breaks of popular songs. This technique was then common in Jamaican dub music and had spread to New York City via the substantial Jamaican immigrant community. A major proponent of the technique was the Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, who emigrated to the United States in 1967. Dub music had become popular in Jamaica due to the influence of American sailors and rhythm & blues. Large sound systems were set up to accommodate poor Jamaicans who couldn't afford to buy records and dub developed at the sound systems. Because the New York audience did not particularly like dub or reggae, Herc switched to using funk, soul and disco records. As the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records.

Turntablist techniques, such as scratching (seemingly invented by Grand Wizzard Theodore), beat mixing/matching, and beat juggling eventually developed along with the breaks, creating a base that could be rapped over. These same techniques contributed to the popularization of remixes as the looping, sampling and remixing of another's music, often without the original artist's knowledge or consent, can be seen as an evolution of Jamaican dub music, and would become a hallmark of the hip hop style.

Corresponding dance elements developed from the Latino influence of Puerto Ricans in the Bronx.

Jamaican immigrants provided an influence on the vocal style of rapping by delivering simple raps at their parties, inspired by the Jamaican tradition of toasting. DJs and MCs would often add call and response chants, often comprising of a basic chorus, to allow the performer to gather his thoughts (e.g. "one, two, three, y'all, to the beat").

Later, the MCs grew more varied in their vocal and rhythmic delivery, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or scatological theme, in an effort to differentiate themselves and to entertain the audience. These early raps incorporated the dozens, a product of African American culture. Kool Herc & the Herculoids were the first hip hop group to gain recognition in New York, but the number of MC teams increased over time.

Often these were collaborations between former gangs, such as Afrikaa Bambaataa's Universal Zulu Nation - now an international organization. Melle Mel, a rapper with The Furious Five is often credited with being the first rap lyricist to call himself an "MC." During the early 1970s B-boying arose during block parties, as b-boys and b-girls got in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive and frenetic style. The style was documented for release to a world wide audience for the first time in documentaries and movies such as Style Wars, Wild Style, and Beat Street. The term "B-boy" was coined by DJ Kool Herc to describe the people who would wait for the break section of the song, getting in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive, frenetic style.

Although there were many early MCs that recorded solo projects of note, such as DJ Hollywood, Kurtis Blow and Spoonie Gee, the frequency of solo artists didn't increase until later with the rise of soloists with stage presence and drama, such as LL Cool J. Most early hip hop was dominated by groups where collaboration between the members was integral to the show. An example would be the early hip hop group Funky Four Plus One, who performed in such a manner on Saturday Night Live in 1981.

Hip hop music was an outlet and a "voice" for the disenfranchised youth of low-economic areas as the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of their lives.

Transition to Recording
The first hip hop recording is widely regarded to be The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", from 1979. However, much controversy surrounds this allegation as some regard "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by The Fatback Band, which was released a few weeks before "Rapper's Delight", as a rap record. There are various other claimants for the title of first hip hop record.

By the early 1980s, all the major elements and techniques of the hip hop genre were in place. Though not yet mainstream, hip hop had permeated outside of New York City; it could be found in cities as diverse as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, San Antonio, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, New Orleans, Houston, and Toronto. Indeed, "Funk You Up" (1979), the first hip hop record released by a female group, and the second single released by Sugar Hill Records, was performed by The Sequence, a group from Columbia, South Carolina which featured Angie Stone.

Despite the genre's growing popularity, Philadelphia was, for many years, the only city whose contributions could be compared to New York City's. Hip hop music became popular in Philadelphia in the late 1970s. The first released record was titled "Rhythm Talk", by Jocko Henderson.

The New York Times had dubbed Philadelphia the "Graffiti Capital of the World" in 1971. Philadelphia native DJ Lady B recorded "To the Beat Y'All" in 1979, and became the first female solo hip hop artist to record music. Later, Schoolly D, another Philadelphia artist, helped invent what became known as gangsta rap.

News Spotlight: Another Reason for Kanye to Rant

Above is the album cover art Kanye West wants to use for his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" album. He has been claiming on Twitter that it has been banned, but according to this MTV article, it appears that he has just been strongly encouraged to change it because major retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart will not likely carry it. It comes down to that making money vs. protecting artistry thing. It's all so complicated these days.

News Spotlight: Let's Talk About Sex (With Consent)

Tyra Banks is being sued by a mom for not getting permission to include the woman's 15-year old on a show about sex addicts. All the signs point to the fact that Tyra might lose on this one, but we'll have to see what happens.

From ABC News: "Tyra Banks could be in trouble: The mother of a self-proclaimed 15-year-old "sex addict" is suing the supermodel-turned-TV-mogul, claiming Banks included her daughter on her talk show without her mother's consent.

Beverly McClendon filed a $3 million lawsuit against Banks, Warner Bros. Entertainment and the executive producers of Banks' now-defunct daytime TV talk show in federal court in Atlanta last week. In documents obtained by Reuters, McClendon claims that in 2009, the show called her daughter on her cell phone after she'd responded to a request on the show's website seeking "sex addicts."

The lawsuit alleges that the girl was then picked up from her Georgia home in a limo, and flown to New York, where she was put up in a hotel, all without McClendon's knowledge.

McClendon filed a missing person's report with local police when she realized her daughter was gone. McClendon claims her daughter was paid for her appearance on the "Tyra Banks Show," and takes the show's producers to task for allegedly unlawfully employing her child.

McClendon says that to employ her child legally, producers needed to get written consent from the Commissioner of Labor in Georgia. She goes on to claim that producers had a legal duty to obtain parental consent to fly her to New York, put her up in a hotel room alone, and have her appear on TV.

McClendon doesn't only claim that her daughter was hired behind her back to appear on the show. In her lawsuit, she also alleges that her daughter's appearance on the show, where minors talk openly about their sexual activity, put her in danger.

"This show was undoubtedly watched by sexual deviants, perverts and pedophiles alike," McClendon says in the complaint.

She also claims her daughter has never been diagnosed as a sex addict.

McClendon is asking for an injunction against further distribution of her child's TV appearance, in addition to compensatory damages of $1 million and punitive damages of $2 million."

Metal Taboo New Item Scramble

Here are some new Metal Taboo items added this week. Go to our online store to see more.

And I Quote...

“This is an impressive crowd: the Have's and Have-more's. Some people call you the elites. I call you my base.” --Sir Douchebag George W. Bush

Kelis and Her Suggestive Milkshake

Kelis's 2003 single "Milkshake" had some pretty suggestive lyrics, but the video made it light and fun. She found a way to make it not so sexual. Although we're defintiely in support of over-the-top sex inuendo, it's sometimes artistically pleasing to see someone succeed in the challenge of a "less is more" approach when it comes to overtly sexual messages.

"Sexpot of the Week" : Alicia Keys

It is being reported that Alicia Keys had her baby today. Although she is most definitely a home wrecker and has gotten away unscathed by the media, fans, and the general public with stealing someone's husband, there is one thing that is certain: she is one hot mama. The most sexy thing about her is that she doesn't push her sexuality and, of course, the talent. Add to that all the charity work she does and it's semi-understandable why everyone is okay with forgiving (well ignoring) her transgressions.

News Spotlight: Politically Bad Sex

Probably the only thing worse to a politician than being involved in an uproar about sex is being accused of participating in terrible sex. Apparently, ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair took time to detail a sexual exchange he had with his wife in his memoir "A Journey" and it has creeped people out enough to get him a nomination for a bad sex award. Who knew this award even exists? Gotta love it.

From Time Magazine: "There's nothing worse than a bad sex scene. At least that's what the judges for the UK Literary Review's Bad Sex Awards think. The least coveted prize in literature is awarded annually to a writer who has made us cringe with their description of the act of sweet sweet love. It is an award usually reserved for novelists, but, according to the Telegraph's source, Tony Blair's memoir A Journey is “definitely up there.”

In his book, the ex-British Prime Minister describes a night of passion with his wife Cherie: “That night she cradled me in her arms and soothed me; told me what I needed to be told; strengthened me… On that night of 12th May 1994, I needed that love Cherie gave me, selfishly. I devoured it to give me strength. I was an animal following my instinct…” Oh dear, oh dear Tony. Did you really have to?"

"Dirty Comic" : Lessons

"Bad (Not Bad Ass) Tattoo" : Scary Monster

Although this tattoo is meant to be scary on purpose, here's to hoping that the owner of the alleged art realizes that the quality of the tattoo is the only scary part. The monster itself just happens to be really ugly.

"The Hard Sell" : Taboo In Advertising

There are few subjects that uniformly infuriate the masses of the United States population, but the 9/11 terrorist attacks ranks #1. Not only does it get people riled up, but it is a sacred cow that is expected to never be mocked or justified. This ad (released last year) depicting several airlplanes flying toward the NYC skyline was created by a South American firm named DDB for The World Wildlife Fund. The slogan reads “the tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it”. The WWF immediately denied that it approved the ad, stating that is was created by DDB as an attempt to land an account with them. Eventually, both companies issued a joint apology for the ad.

"Sex in Art" Weekly Picks

Jonathan Viner


Bec Winnel

And I Quote...

“A guy can just as easily dump you if you fuck him on the first date as he can if you wait until the tenth.” --Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, "Sex and the City"

"Vice Pioneers" : Divorce

Henry VIII split from a whole empire to divorce peacefully


Constatine, on the other hand, had a strict "you're stuck with him/her" viewpoint

In light of the news today that two famous couples are headed for divorce (Courney Cox/David Arquette and Christina Aguilerra/Jordan Bratman), it's fitting to take a look at the act for this week's "Vice Pioneers." In keeping with the point of the "Vice Pioneer," this post is sticking to the historical facts of divorce, but it should be noted that the statistics and practices of the act in different countries around the world is the most interesting part. Take a look at the entire Wikipedia page for more info on this growing act of people getting sick of one another.

From Wikipedia:
Greco-Roman culture
The ancient Athenians liberally allowed divorce, but the person requesting divorce had to submit the request to a magistrate, and the magistrate could determine whether the reasons given were sufficient.

Divorce was rare in early Roman culture but as their empire grew in power and authority Roman civil law embraced the maxim, “matrimonia debent esse libera” ("marriages ought to be free"), and either husband or wife could renounce the marriage at will. Though civil authority rarely intervened in divorces, social and familial taboos guaranteed that divorce occurred only after serious circumspection. The Christian emperors Constantine and Theodosius restricted the grounds for divorce to grave cause, but this was relaxed by Justinian in the sixth century.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, familial life was regulated more by ecclesiastical authority than civil authority. By the ninth or tenth century, the divorce rate had been greatly reduced under the influence of the Christian Church,[31] which considered marriage a sacrament instituted by God and Christ indissoluble by mere human action.

Although divorce, as known today, was generally prohibited after the tenth century, separation of husband and wife and the annulment of marriage were well-known. What is today referred to as “separate maintenance” (or "legal separation") was termed “divorce a mensa et thoro” (“divorce from bed-and-board”). The husband and wife physically separated and were forbidden to live or cohabit together; but their marital relationship did not fully terminate. Civil courts had no power over marriage or divorce. The grounds for annulment were determined by Church authority and applied in ecclesiastical courts. Annulment was for canonical causes of impediment existing at the time of the marriage. “For in cases of total divorce, the marriage is declared null, as having been absolutely unlawful ab initio.” The Church held that the sacrament of marriage produced one person from two, inseparable from each other: “By marriage the husband and wife are one person in law: that is, the very being of legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage or at least incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband: under whose wing, protection and cover, she performs everything.” Since husband and wife became one person upon marriage, that oneness could only be annulled if the parties improperly entered into the marriage initially.

Secularization in Europe and United States
Marriage later came to be considered a civil contract, and on that basis civil authorities gradually asserted their power to decree a “divorce a vinculo matrimonii,” or “divorce from all the bonds of marriage.” Since no precedents existed defining the circumstances under which marriage could be dissolved, civil courts heavily relied on the previous determinations of the ecclesiastic courts and freely adopted the requirements set down by those courts. As the civil courts assumed the power to dissolve marriages, courts still strictly construed the circumstances under which they would grant a divorce, and now considered divorce to be contrary to public policy. Because divorce was considered to be against the public interest, civil courts refused to grant a divorce if evidence revealed any hint of complicity between the husband and wife to divorce, or if they attempted to manufacture grounds for a divorce. Divorce was granted only because one party to the marriage had violated a sacred vow to the "innocent spouse." If both husband and wife were guilty, "neither would be allowed to escape the bonds of marriage." Eventually, the idea that a marriage could be dissolved in cases in which one of the parties violated the sacred vow gradually allowed expansion of the grounds upon which divorce could be granted from those grounds which existed at the time of the marriage to grounds which occurred after the marriage, but which exemplified violation of that vow, such as abandonment, adultery, or “extreme cruelty.”

"Lyric Raid" : "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred

So vanity is a marvelous theme and there are few songs that hit conceit on the nail better than Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy." This is comedy at its finest. 1991 ya'll. As in almost two decades ago. Can you believe that?!

"I'm too sexy for my love
Too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
I'm too sexy for my shirt
Too sexy for my shirts
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for Milan
Too sexy for Milan
New York and Japan
And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk,
yeah I do my little turn on the catwalk

I'm too sexy for my car
Too sexy for my car
Too sexy by far
And I'm too sexy for my hat
Too sexy for my hat
What do you think about that?

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk,
yeah I shake my little tush on the catwalk

I'm too sexy for my
Too sexy for my too sexy for my 'Cos

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk yea on the catwalk,
yeah I shake my little tush on the catwalk

I'm too sexy for my cat
Too sexy for my cat
Poor pussy poor pussy cat
I'm too sexy for my love
Too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
And I'm too sexy for this song"

News Spotlight: Paladino Not Backing Down

New York's Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl P. Paladino had some strong words on homosexuality yesterday and he is not apologizing for it one bit. Actually, he is doing the opposite and keeps adding more comments that further show his disdain for the gay community. Not sure how this is going to pay out for him, but I have a hunch that even with the outrage, more people agree with him than most would like to believe.

From The New York Times: "The day after making remarks denouncing homosexuality, Carl P. Paladino defended his opinion during television interviews on Monday and said that children should not attend gay pride parades because they featured skimpily dressed men “grinding at each other and doing these gyrations.”

“It’s disgusting,” Mr. Paladino, the Republican candidate for governor, said on the “Today” show.
Mr. Paladino, who also appeared on “Good Morning America,” sought to defend controversial remarks about gays he made on Sunday to Jewish leaders in Brooklyn, including arguing that children should not be “brainwashed” into accepting homosexuality as acceptable.

Mr. Paladino said he did not regret those remarks and did not believe they made him a bigot. He also said that discrimination against gays was “horrible” and should not be tolerated.

“My feelings on homosexuality are unequivocal,” said Mr. Paladino said on the “Today” show. “I have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever. My only reservation is marriage.”

He added, “I have a lot of homosexuals working in my organization,” referring to his real estate business.

But Mr. Paladino reiterated that he thought it was wrong for Andrew M. Cuomo, his Democratic opponent, to have taken his daughters to a gay pride parade, saying that such events were inappropriate for children.

“Young children should not be exposed to that at a young age. They don’t understand, it’s a very difficult thing,” said Mr. Paladino. “And exposing them to homosexuality, especially at a gay pride parade — and I don’t know if you have ever been to one, but they wear these little Speedos and they grind against each other and it’s just a terrible thing.”

Mr. Paladino elaborated on those remarks during his interview on “Good Morning America,” saying that he and his wife had “stumbled on” a gay pride parade once during a trip to Toronto.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Mr. Paladino said. “It was a bunch of very extreme-type people in bikini-type outfits grinding at each other and doing these gyrations, and I certainly wouldn’t let my young children see that.”

Supporters of gay rights lashed out at Mr. Paladino’s comments saying they make him unsuitable to be New York’s governor.

“Out of touch, out of his mind, should be out of the race,” said Brian Ellner, a senior strategist for the Human Rights Campaign for New York Marriage."

News Spotlight: A Streak Worth $1Million

Love this story. A little penis reveal is most definitely worth a million bucks. This guy has some balls, pun intended.

From Daily Mail: "This is the streaker who performed his naked stunt in front of President Barack Obama in a bid to win $1million from a British-educated billionaire prankster.

Juan James Rodriguez, 24, daubed the address of a website across his torso before streaking through the rally held in front of thousands in Philadelphia.

But it has now emerged that he may have been attempting to claim a prize offered by shipping and bottling magnate Alki David for the first person to streak in front of the president.

Mr David is well known for carrying out stunts and often pays others to carry them out.

In August he offered $1million for someone to streak in front of Obama, but only if they wrote the name of his website Battlecam across their chest and shouted it six times while carrying out the stunt.

It is unclear if Rodriguez has achieved the feat, and he is still currently being held by authorities after he was arrested at the rally.

But Mr David has promised to pay out the sum in cash if he receives proof.

He told The Weekly Standard: 'When I see the video and it's confirmed... it won't be a cheque, it will be cash.'"

"Dirty Comic" : Birds and Bees

Fergie Loves Herself and Name

Here's some afternoon narcissism for you this lovely Saturday. It's one thing to refer to yourself in third person. It's a whole 'nother thing to do it and coin a new phrase out of it. Gotta love divas. Here's a throwback to Fergie's 2006 "Fergalicious" video.

And I Quote...

"The only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future." --Oscar Wilde

"Sexpot of the Week" : Kat Von D

It's hard to have a blog that focuses partly on tattoos not name Kat Von D for its "Sexpot of the Week" stint so let's go ahead and get it out the way. She's undoubtedly the most famous female (if not period) tattoo artist right now and she just happens to be really beautiful. She's a business mogul with a make-up line with Sephora, best-selling books, a new art gallery, and of course her own tattoo shop. The downside is that she's dating Jesse James right now, but let's just give her a pass and hope she comes to her senses soon.

News Spotlight: Coffee and Cream

Chelsea Handler has made it no secret that she is fond of a black penis. Well, she's denying that her and 50 Cent are boning after being caught cozying it up this past weekend in New Orleans. She says it's strictly business. We shall see how this one unfolds.

From the NY Daily News: "They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but Chelsea Handler is insisting everyone has the story all wrong after a photo of her and 50 Cent made the rounds earlier this week.

The comedienne and the rapper were spotted looking awfully cozy at a New Orleans bar Sunday night. A TMZ.com source even reported "they were getting very hot and heavy with each other."

The sighting, plus 50 Cent's vocal admiration for the late night TV host, sparked rumors that the two were indeed dating.

But Handler now says the jokes on us.

"Everyone, calm down," she tweeted Tuesday night. "I met with mr. Cent about a potential project."

"There's nothing to report yet. ill let you know if there is," Handler, 35, insisted.

To be fair, Handler doesn't specify what kind of project she and the "In da Club" singer, 35, are working on.

Perhaps one of a romantic variety?

Looks like only time will tell."

News Spotlight: Duke University's Harlot Thesis

Airing dirty laundry and sex exploits seems to be a norm nowadays with the internet at play. But this Karen Owen "fuck list" thesis is amusing in its play on education and sex. While there is reason to feel bad for the men involved in this whole fiasco, it's hard not to think, well, it's kinda amazing. To see the entire sex document, check out Jezebel's site.

From The Huffington Post: "A Duke student's risque PowerPoint has firmly implanted itself in the annals of legendary internet stories for generations to come.

Karen F. Owen, a 2010 Duke grad, composed an in-depth, thesis-like document titled "An Education Beyond The Classroom: Excelling In The Realm Of Horizontal Academics," in May. In the report, she describes the men she's slept with in near-scientific detail and even provides charts ranking their sexual prowess. She sent the show to a few friends after she wrote it and, from there, it went into a forward frenzy, ending up on fraternity listservs and making its way to the media.

Owen told Jezebel that she never meant for the show to go viral; since it has been posted she has gone into virtual hiding."