Crazy Times

Top 10 Technology Wonders That Don't Exist Yet!!

2007-12-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

We spend a lot of time here exposing you to the gadgets and technologies out there already making your life easier and more interesting "today." But the truth is, behind the scenes, our favorite pastime is actually sniffing around for those gadgets still in the idea phase. We're constantly searching for these electronic monstrosities so far ahead of their time that only concept designers dare tackle giving such products a face and a name. After the jump, take a peek into our future fetish and 10 nonexistent — but awesome — tech toys that take our gadget lust to a more advanced level.
1. Pills To Go
British designer Priestman Goode has envisioned a product so simple and practical, it's astounding to think that this isn't already available. Pills To Go combines two caplets of your favorite medicinal salve with a hearty gulp of water all in one package. So simple, so convenient, yet as of now, still a futuristic concept. When eventually brought to market by some company — and you can rest assured that it will definitely happen — Pills To Go is sure to be one of the biggest sellers of all time.
2. WPA Wearable Power Suit
Vlady Spetkovsky designed the WPA wearable power suit as a project for the Bezalel Academy of art and design in Israel. Although Spetkovsky doesn't offer much detail regarding what the suit would actually do, after watching his animated 3D movie showing the suit in action it's reasonable to assume that it would increase the strength and speed of the wearer via an accumulator-powered exoskeleton. That's right friends, with suits like this, one day we'll all get to live out our superhero fantasies.
3. B-Membrain Computer
The B-Membrain won't transport you into another dimension or suddenly become self-aware and declare that all humans are obsolete, but it does offer something we can all relate to: sexy hardware. Winner of Intel Korea's recent PC Design Contest (Challenger category), the B-Membrain does away with the computer monitor and instead beams images to any surface via a built-in projector. As for input, the keyboard is described by its designer Won-Suk Lee as a touchscreen interface. Sure, the B-Membrain looks weird and you'd probably have trouble figuring out where to put to the oddly shaped contraption, but never has a more sci-fi-ish computer been so within reach.
4. Credit Card of the Future
Paying bills will never be fun, but in the future there's a chance that you'll at least be able to pay the piper in style. To that end, designer Jacob Palmborg mocked up a universal payment device that simultaneously links to all of your banking and credit accounts. The unnamed device would keep a real-time accounting of just how much you've spent, and what your near-term financial forecast looks like based on recent purchase activity. And if that's not Big Brother enough for you, the device would only be accessible via biometric (think thumbprint, eyescan, etc.) verification. With RFID tap-and-pay bankcards already being used throughout the U.S., it seems like this little gadget's emergence is just a matter of time.
5.Timeflex Stick-On Watch
It's been awhile since a cross-demographic product has swept the country, but something like the Timeflex stick-on watch might just do the trick. Imagined as a non-permanent, self-gumming timepiece, the Timeflex would make the perfect accessory for style-conscious millennials (read: teens), on-the-go professionals, and athletes (swimmers, rock climbers, runners, etc.). The outlines of the device are meant to be fluorescent, with the interior sporting a transparent surface so you can show off your fashion-forward sensibility, and a little skin in process.
6. Dattoos: Interactive Tattoos
No one brings concept design to reality like Frog Design. Winners of numerous design awards over the years, Frog has become synonymous with powerful technology meeting artistic design. So when we found Frog's Dattoo (interactive tattoo) concept, it was like finding futurist gold. Designed by Hartmut Esslinger, Dattoos would conceivably bring us to that final convergence of man and machine. The Dattoos would offer: DNA-reader and identification technology, nanosensors and interactive "touch reading," full voice interaction, bionic nano chips and various cybernetic components. While Dattoos would definitely look cool, what Esslinger is imagining here is nothing short of the Borg. But hey, who said being a mindless drone working within a hive mind had to be drab?
7. Astrium Spaceplane
The race to full-on space tourism is in full swing, but we're still in the early stages of the industry, so naturally style and comfort has taken a backseat to safety and practicality. The Astrium Spaceplane looks to up the ante and allow spacefaring travelers the opportunity to look into infinity whilst nestled in comfortable and familiar surroundings. Australian designer Marc Newson's concept vehicle doesn't propel passengers into a far-out science-fiction realm, but if the near term of space tourism really looks like this the spaceports will likely be jam-packed and delayed like your favorite local commercial airport in no time.
8. Custom Kicks
Sneaker culture has transcended the world of fashion and transformed into an art form unto itself. Brand loyalty and price-tag importance has fallen by the wayside as pure originality and exclusive design have become the mark of a true sneaker aficionado. But nowadays, finding one of those unseen designs has become even more difficult. Enter Custom Kicks, a concept designed by the Inventables studio. Custom Kicks would allow wearers to instantly change the design of their shoes on the fly with a mere push of a button. Using a tiny iPod-like device, sneaker fanatics would beam a new pre-designed pattern to their feet and immediately up the ante on the fashion wars. We want this yesterday.
9. Nikon 360
In Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine, characters used a holographic camera to snap instant three-dimensional replicas of certain moments in time. We're not quite there yet, but in the meantime the idea behind the Nikon 360 concept camera seems like a reasonable facsimile. According to Ye Chen, designer of the device, the camera would take an all-round picture using a built-in inclinometer indicating the horizontal position prior to execution. Sure, panoramic photos are already in existence, but they take a little more work. With the Nikon 360, capturing surround-vision images would become literally a snap
10. Honda Cub Motocycle

Sam Jibert's Honda Cub Motocycle concept vehicle takes the macho out of the road hog and adds just enough clean design and geek friendliness to ensure a consumer hit. Looking like a cross between a 19th-century bicycle and a modern-day crotch rocket, the Honda Cub Motocycle is not only cute but enviro-friendly since it uses a hydrogen fuel cell. If Dean Kamen's Segway had been this cool-looking, maybe Steve Jobs' initial prediction that it would change the way cities were built would have come true.

7 Really Weird Products Selling on Amazon!!!

2007-12-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Amazon, the world’s biggest bookstore, has expanded in innumerable directions. The firm offers books, DVD’s, videos, auto parts, toys, tools, electronics, home furnishings, apparel, health and beauty goods, prescription drugs, and groceries. They also offer some really weird products. Like a Deer Rear, a Toilet Monster, Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, Solid Gold Stop Eating Poop, Gorilla Snot, a Wedding Chapel, and of course the Hillary Nutcracke
Wedding Chapel
Delivered Fully Assembled! Great for a church service getaway wedding chapel or other experience you want to remember forever! . INCLUDES: . Hinged Windows. Screen Windows. Wooden and Screen Doors. Tin Roof. Attic Ladder. Exterior Stain. Chinking Inside and Out. Rough Cut White Pine . Full Assembly. Front Porch. Tongue and Groove Flooring. Wood Roof. . Options and size variations are available upon request.
Hillary Nutcracker
Is America ready for THIS nutcracker? You have just found the most innovative new product of the year! Get your hands on the world's most unique nutcracker...Grab Hillary while supplies last! This Hillary Nutcracker Stands Nine-inches tall. It is a functional, plastic nutcracker with stainless steel teeth secured inside upper legs to grip and crack nuts in their shell. The Hillary Nutcracker will stand upright and has internal stainless steel components and spring. Not recommended for the dishwasher or children under 12 years of age.
Anti-Monkey Butt Powder
Its here!!! Anti-Monkey Butt powder with calamine is an anti-friction that is specially formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation. Ideal for butt busting activities such as motorcycling, bicycling, horseback riding, runners, other extreme sports and anyone who suffers from Monkey Butt can find relief by using Anti Monkey Butt PowderAlso for those occasions when you sit on your butt all day
Toilet Monster
Scare the crap out of your family and friends with the Toilet Monster! Halloween isn't the only time for scary fun! Painted, rubberized Toilet Monster easily attaches or deteaches to your toilet seat in seconds with 8 built-in suction cubs. It's nearly impossible to tell it's there under the lid, waiting to shock your unsuspecting victim! 13 x 15" and washes clean with mild detergent. You'll scream with laughter as the Toilet Monster scares the crap out of one person after another.
Deer Rear
Looking for a little tail? FINALLY, there's a butt worth kissing! No fear, the Deer Rear is here! Now, I know I've offered plenty of unusual gifty items before, but this one is surely to be dear (er, deer) to us hunter types. It symbolizes the trophy wallhanger that got away.
Solid Gold Stop Eating Poop
Stop Eating Poop contains Glutamic Acid to deter dogs from eating their own stool. Yucca helps control stool and urine odor. Peppermint and parsley help to eliminate bad breath.
Gorilla Snot

Gorilla Snot is a gripping aid. It has been developed by and for professionals who demand flexibility, functionality, and efficiency in the tools of their trade. A non-gooey, naturally refined tree rosin, Gorilla Snot reacts with your body's natural chemistry and heat output to retain a steady grip on picks drumsticks, bows, and any other hard to grip instruments.

Top 10 Reasons Alexander the Great Was, Well ... Great!

2007-11-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

Untied Gordian Knot, Loosed Metaphor for the Ages

According to legend, the Phrygians, who lived in what is now central Turkey, were told by an oracle to make king the first man to ride into town in an oxcart. As luck would have it, this man was Gordius, a poor peasant. After his coronation, Gordius dedicated his cart to the god Zeus and tied it to a pole outside the temple. The knot was made of cornel bark, which hardened over time. It was said that whoever untied this intricate knot would conquer all of Asia. Alexander could not pass up such an opportunity, but there were no ends to the knot for him to even get started. In frustration, he sliced it in half with his sword, proclaiming, "I have loosed it!" The Gordian Knot has since become synonymous with an intractable problem that requires an unconventional solution

Simply Divine: Declared Son of a God

After defeating the Persians at the Battle of Issus, Alexander decided to enter Egypt, which had been under Persian rule for almost 200 years. The Egyptians despised the Persians for their heavy taxes and religious intolerance. They gladly anointed Alexander as pharaoh, initiating a cultural exchange between Greece and Egypt that lasted for the next three hundred years. While in Egypt, Alexander also made the dangerous journey across the desert to the shrine of Zeus Ammon. It is said that he was guided by ravens and blessed with rain. Upon his arrival, the priest apparently told him he was the son of Zeus. Whether or not Alexander believed in his own divinity, he played it up to his own advantage

Founded Alexandria; Became Poster Child for Librarians

Besides razing cities, Alexander also founded about 20 new ones, naming most of them after himself. The most enduring of these is Alexandria on the coast of the Nile delta. In a superb natural harbor where the Persians had once erected a fortress, Alexander had his architects build a grand city along Greek lines. Alexandria later developed into a cosmopolitan port, with schools, theater, and one of the greatest libraries of antiquity. Greeks ran the city?s administration, but Egyptians were allowed to keep their customs and religion. Egyptians could only become citizens if they learned Greek and accepted Greek traditions.

Defeated the Persians

After less than a year in Egypt, Alexander resumed to chasing after the Persian emperor, Darius III. At the palins of gaugamela, Darius assembled an army of 200,000, which included cavalry wearing chain mail and chariots with blades spinning out of the wheels. Alexander?s 47,000 men attacked Darius? flanks, splitting the Persian forces, while Alexander charged into the center. The Persians broke ranks and were routed. Darius escaped by horseback, only to be later killed by one of his own men. Having conquered the Persians, Alexander was named King of Asia. He took Babylon and Persepolis, the Persian capital. In an attempt to solidify his rule, he began to dress like a Persian, and married a Persian dancer named Roxanne. His men found it unbecoming of their king that he thought it necessary to please a defeated enemy

Extended Empire Into India; Partied -- and Died -- Like a Rock Star

Alexander?s vision of Asia was that it ended just on the other side of India. Wanting to conquer the continent, he persuaded his men to march east. The Indian king Porus and his elephants fell to Alexander, but the weather and the mountains wore out his men. It soon became clear that Asia was larger than had been estimated. With his campaign suffering from ?mission drift,? Alexander succumbed to his men?s pleas and turned back. But he decided on a circuitous route: down India?s rivers to the ocean, then along the coast back to Persia. It was probably Alexander?s greatest mistake, as 15,000 of his men died of starvation or heat in the Gedrosan Desert -- more than all those he lost in battle. The journey may have taken its toll on Alexander as well. At a banquet back in Babylon, he drank excessively -- as usual -- then fell ill of a fever, most likely due to malaria. He died a few days later, just shy of his 33rd birthday.

Trained in philosophy by Aristotle

How many of history?s great leaders can claim to have had one of the great philosophers as their personal tutor? Out of all the intellectuals at the prestigious Academy in Athens, Alexander?s father, Philip, chose Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) to instruct his 13-year-old son. Aristotle, who had been the student of Plato, was offered a handsome salary to move to the town of Mieza, deep in the Macedonian countryside. In the nearby Temple of the Nymphs, Aristotle taught the young prince geography, zoology, politics and medicine. Alexander was greatly influenced by the philosopher?s teachings. On later military campaigns, Alexander brought scientists with him and sent plant and animal specimens back to his former mentor.

Tamed the horse Bucephalus

Philip, Alexander?s father, bought a horse called Bucephalus for the exorbitant price of 13 talents (1 talent = 27 kg of gold), but the rambunctious animal bucked all comers. Watching the futile attempts, Alexander noticed that the animal was frightened by its own shadow. He bet his father that he could mount the horse. By turning Bucephalus toward the sun so its shadow was behind it, Alexander was able to climb into the saddle and gallop around triumphantly. To which his father said: ?My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedonia is too small for you.? Bucephalus remained Alexander?s faithful steed until it died in what is now present-day Pakistan, fighting elephant-mounted brigades.

Assumed Father's Throne in Timely, but Ruthless, Manner

Alexander?s father, Philip, was stabbed by one of his bodyguards in 336 B.C. at a wedding banquet. Although few scholars think that Alexander was directly involved in the assassination, he wasted no time dispatching any possible rivals ? even instructing his mother, Olympias, to execute the infant son of Philip?s last wife. Alexander spent the next two years quelling rebellions in the lands conquered by his father. Thebes revolted on a false rumor that Alexander was dead. Showing no mercy, Alexander slaughtered or sold into slavery 30,000 inhabitants before leveling the city to the ground. By setting such an example, there were no significant uprisings in Greece during Alexander?s 12-year Asia campaign.

Perfected Macedonian Military Style, the Phalanx

The most distinctive element of the Macedonian war machine was the phalanx. Developed by Alexander?s father, the phalanx was a tight formation of soldiers ? usually 16 by 16 ? carrying shields and sarisses, which were 20-foot-long spears made of cornel-wood. The back rows of the phalanx held their sarisses upright, hiding the movement of forces behind the lines, while the front rows kept the enemy at bay with an impenetrable wall of sharp pikes. On flat terrain, the phalanx proved unbeatable. Alexander also had at his disposal light auxiliaries, archers, a siege train, and a cavalry. Thanks to his father, Alexander?s army was largely a professional one. In earlier times, Macedonians would stop fighting during the harvest, but Philip and Alexander paid the men enough that they could afford to be soldiers full-time. This meant they were often better trained than their adversaries.

Crossed the Hellespont

After solidifying his rule of Macedonia and Greece, Alexander looked east to Asia and the Persian Empire, which was led by Darius III. Alexander assembled an allied Greek army of 5,000 cavalry and 32,000 infantry to avenge the Persian invasion of Greece in 490 B.C. With 60 naval vessels, Alexander crossed the Hellespont (a narrow strait separating Europe and Asia -? now called the Dardanelles) in 334 B.C. From his ship, Alexander threw his spear onto the shore. As he took his first steps in Asia, he pulled his weapon from the sand and declared that these lands would be won by the spear. But the first order of business was a little tourism! Being quite fond of the Trojan War story -- even keeping a copy of Homer?s Iliad tucked under his pillow, Alexander made a special trip to Troy to perform several sacrifices and to trade some of his armor for a sacred shield in the Temple of Athena.

5 Of The Biggest Gangs

2007-11-25T05:50:00.001-08:00

Gangs and criminal organizations come into creation for a number of reasons or motives. Usually they revolve around money, and use fear, crime and extortion. They can be loosely controlled with no apparent structure, or they can be highly efficient with military like organization. In contrast to general media conception, gangs have been around for centuries in one shape or another, the Chinese Triads for example were started as a resistance to the Manchu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in the 1760s. Here are just 5 of the biggest gangs and criminal groups in existence today.

Yakuza

The term “Yakuza” literally derives from beginnings of the traditional words “Yattsu (Eight)”, “Ku (Nine)” and “Za (Three)” based on the worst hand attainable in the Japanese card game Oicho-Kabu.Prospective yakuza come from all walks of life. In the past they would accept sons who have been abandoned or exiled by their parents. Many yakuza start out in junior high school or high school as common street thugs or members of bosozoku gangs. Some yakuza “goons” are actually mentally handicapped, but recruited due to their large physiques while the leadership levels of yakuza gangs usually consist of very sharp, cunning, intelligent men, as the process to rise to the top-levels in the yakuza can be very competitive and Machiavellian. Members of yakuza gangs cut their family ties and transfer their loyalty to the gang boss. They refer to each other as family members - fathers and elder and younger brothers. The Yakuza is populated entirely by men, and there are usually no women involved. However, unlike many crime groups, women are sometimes involved in its activities. When the Yamaguchi-gumi Family boss was shot in the late nineties, his wife took over as boss of Yamaguchi-gumi for a short time.Yubitsume
Popularized in the west in several movies, Yubitsume is the cutting off of a finger as an act of apology or humility. For a first offense the offender cuts off the tip of his left pinky, giving it to his boss. Sometimes an underboss does this to his boss in order to spare a member of his own gang from retribution. This is so prominent in Japan that when UK kids shows Bob The Building and Postman Pat were imported, the Japanese considered adding an extra finger to the characters’ four fingered hands to avoid scaring children..Symbols Irezumi are full body tattoos, which many Yakuza members have and are often hand-poked, where the ink is injected using a steel or bamboo needle instead of a machine. This can be very painful and take as long as 10 years to complete.

Size
Nationwide, there were some 84,700 known members of Yakuza. Since they are not a secretive gang, their numbers are relatively easy to track down.

Russian Mafia

The Russian Mafia had been around since the 1970’s but became highly established in and after 1991 when the Cold War ended. Many of their members are ex Soviet Army and ex KGB officers who lost their posts due to the large reduction after the end of the Cold War. They have political ties too, due to many officials being desperate for money, eventually turning corrupt or entirely to crime. They also recruit boxers, wrestlers, weightlifters, athletes and martial arts experts. Infighting is common and murders across the Russian mafia take place often. They are highly secretive and maintain this using one significantly morose tactic where they will not only murder an informer or snitch, but his entire family too.

Throughout the 1990’s they attempted and somewhat succeeded hostile takeovers of national banks. Banking executives, reform-minded business leaders, even investigative journalists, were systematically assassinated or kidnapped. In 1993 alone, members of the eight criminal gangs that control the Moscow underworld murdered 10 local bankers. Calling themselves “Thieves in Law”, Russian gangsters murdered ninety-five bankers between 1993 and 1998.

Foreign companies pay up to 20% of their profits to the Mafia as the on-going price of doing business in Russia. Ignoring shakedown threats merely invites tragedy. Most American and other western firms find it necessary to hire private security guards to protect their executives from extortion threats and roving assassins..Size
Intelligence reports emanating out of Russia peg the numerical size of the Russian Mafia at 100,000.

The MS13 Gang

MS13 or Mara Salvatrucha are a huge international gang comprised mostly of Salvadorans, Hondurans and Central Americans, but have also aquired followings throughout most parts of the Western World. Activities typically include drug smuggling and sales, black market gun sales, human trafficking, assassinations for hire, theft, and assaults on law enforcement officials and as such are one of the most hated gangs by police forces and FBI,who declared them the greatest internal threat to national security. In 2005 the FBI began wide-scale raids on suspected gang members and arrested 600 members.

Most Mara Salvatrucha gang members from the Los Angeles were deported either because of their illegal status in the United States, or for committing crimes as non-citizens, or both. This resulted in a huge recruitment drive in the deportees home countries. Some contend deportation policies have contributed to the size and influence of the gang both in the United States and in Central America.

Gang Size
Former gang member Brenda Paz said that MS is well structured, with multiple leaders, and that the gang’s goal was to become the top gang in the United States. Currently the gang is estimated to be at least 100,000 members strong and growing fast.

Gang Symbols
Sign: The “devil’s head” hand signal, which forms an “M” when displayed upside down, is similar to the same symbol common in hard rock. The founders copied this symbol they saw on their visits to rock concerts.

Most Mara Salvatrucha members often cover themselves in tattoos. Common markings include “MS”, “13″, “Salvadorian Pride” the “Devil Horns” and the name of their clique.

Hells Angels

One of the most international groups, Hells Angels are more of a club than a criminal organization, and shouldn’t be considered a gang. In fact in the USA and Canada they even have their own copyrights as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Generally considered to have started up in San Francisco around 1950, virtually all Angels ride a Harley and their website states that members travel on average 20,000 miles per year, come rain or shine. Although the media has always viewed the Angels as a criminal organization, and indeed in the past much crime and even murders were performed by Angels, or on their behalf, they are no longer seen as a major threat to society and organized charity events have been held by the Angels.

Symbols
The Hells Angels insignia is called the Deathshead (pictured above). They also utilize the number 81, 8 for the eighth letter of the alphabet: H, and 1 for the first: A. HA being Hells Angels. They also use the colors red and white.

Size
Due to the secretive nature of the Hells Angels, there is no way to accurately tell how many members they have

The Crips

The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang founded in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by 15 year old Raymond Washington. What was once a single gang is now a loosely connected network of individual sets, often engaged in open warfare with one another. The gang is known to be involved in murders, robberies, drug dealing, among many other criminal pursuits. They have been popularized in many movies, thousands of songs, and even video games like GTA 3.

Gang Size
Through the years the gang has grown to be one of the largest and most powerful gangs in the United States with a membership that exceeds well over 30,000 gang members. Since affiliation is lose and unofficial, the number may be much higher.

Gang Symbols
The gang is notorious for flamboyant use of the color blue in their clothing. However, this practice has waned due to contentious police crackdowns on gang members. It’s thought to be from the school colors of Washington High School in South L.A. Another theory is the co-founder, Stanley Williams, had a good and close friend called “Buddha”, who wore blue shirts, khakis, shoes, and a blue bandanna from his back left pocket. When Buddha died, Williams made blue the Crip color in honor of Buddha.

Due to the infamous rivalry with the Bloods, some Crips will change words containing the letter B or choose another word to replace it, the best being a word with a C. If no word can reasonably be substituted, the letter B may be crossed out. Sometimes excessive use of the letter C also occurs, such as “be right baCC” to refrain from using the initials “ck” which stands for “Crip Killer”. Also, the letter B can be written Bk as in “Blood Killer”.

Notes
The Crips are known to have an intense and bitter rivalry with the Bloods as well as with some Chicano gangs.

Many famous entertainers have Crip affiliation including:

Afroman
Coolio
Ice T
Snoop Dogg
Xzibit

Top 10 Bad Things That Are Good For You

2007-11-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

1.Maggots

They're creepy, slimy and altogether ooky, but maggots can save your life. These squirmy larvae are science's newest wonder-cure and were approved in 2003 as the Food & Drug Administration's only live medical device. Placed on serious wounds, maggots mimic their "wild" lifestyle and munch on bacteria and dead tissue, stimulating healing and helping to prevent infection.

2.Marijuana

It's medicinal, we swear! Marijuana, often associated with memory loss is ironically now being hyped as a way to stave off the ultimate form of memory losseAlzheimer's. Recent studies on mice suggest that anti-inflammatories found in the drug prevent the clumping of brain proteins, one major cause of the disease. So when should you start preventative therapy? We suggest waiting for the human studies to wrap up.

3.Red Wine

A crucial ingredient in the diets of the world's heart-healthiest populationselike those Bordeaux-guzzling Frenchered wine has long been known to have potent anti-cancer and artery-protecting benefits. The key, some studies indicate, is an antioxidant found specifically in the skin of red wine grapes, called resveratrol. The latest studies even link resveratrol to greater endurance, a reduction in gum disease and Alzheimer's. White wine, which is fermented after the skins are removed, is less beneficial according to some studies.

4.Chocolate

Chocolate lovers rejoice: study after study lately has touted the magical benefits of the indulgent treat, which is packed with the antioxidant flavonols that prevent certain cancers and keep your arteries from clogging The most recent news? These powerful chemicals may even increase blood flow to the brain, warding off dementia. Just stick to the highest cocoa content possibleethe bars packed with sugar don't help your health one bit.

5.Sex

Scientists have found that the benefits of sex go beyond immediate, ahem, gratification and satisfying the goal of procreation. Besides the obvious evolutionary purpores , we can all take pleasure in the news that having sex is an easy way to reduce stress, lower cholesterol and improve circulation throughout the body. As if you needed another excuse

6.Beer

The newest bad kid on the block, beer has long been overshadowed by its healthier alcoholic cousins. While no one's suggesting you switch that glass of antioxidant-rich Pinot Noir for a tall glass of lagerethere's still that beer gut to worry aboutenew research has suggested that moderate beer intake can actually improve cardiovascular function. Now if only a scientist will discover the health benefits of ballparks franks and chicken wings. Heaven.

7.Anger

f you're one of those people who tends to bottle things up, only to explode ... don't hold it in so long. Studies show that bursts of anger here and there are good for health and can be an even more effective coping mechanism than becoming afraid, irritated or disgusted. Anger, like the consumables in this list, however, is best in moderation: stay angry for long periods of time and you'll be plagued with a host of health issues, like blood pressure, sleep disorders and lung damage.

8.Coffee

Java is one of the most debated substances around. Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? Both? The consensus, now anyways, seems to favor those who enjoy their morning jalt eunrelated studies claim coffee is a major source of antioxidants in our diet and can help lower your risk of diabetes. Something in the beans is also thought to ease the onset of cirrhosis of the liver and pancreatitis, good news for those who like to party hard all night before their morning caffeine boost.

9.LSD

We're definitely not in the business of advocating drug use. But check out this interesting science: In heavy drinkers, small doses of LSD have been thought to help bypass the rock-bottom stage of alcoholism and prevent relapses. These studiesesome decades oldewere done in closely monitored, clinical settings; many patients haven't had a drink in the many years since. It's an interesting finding that needs a lot more investigation, and not a remedy that should ever be tried at home. Meantimeeand this may come as no surpriseea recent study of 36 volunteers who took an LSD-like drug in a lab setting had them reporting mystical experiences and behavior changes that lasted for weeks.

10.Sunlight

Exposure to the sun's rays is necessary to survive, but can also kill you in gross, cancerous quantities. Asthmatics, at least, could benefit from measured doses of ultraviolet rays, according to scientists. Sunlight suppressed the immune reactions that cause asthma in some lab studies with mice and could be used to treat humans afflicted with the disease in the future. And sunlighteeven if indirect, such as on a shaded porcheis known to boost the mood. Extra sunlight can help office workers avoid afternoon droowsiness a recent study found. There's still no excuse to head outside and bake, however

Is it a Real Drawing? It Seams Simple..!!!

2007-11-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Tiniest Tiny Houses

2007-11-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

1.Lofcube Not only is the LoftCube tiny, it can be strategically plopped on a rooftop so as to not consume any additional footprint. Especially in urban environments where there’s nowhere to go but up, LoftCube provides a small but clever solution to your housing needs. Built by Werner Aisslinger, LoftCube also boasts an affordable pricetag at just $55,000, and can be easily transported to your next rooftop location via helicopter.
2.Sustain Mini Home
The Sustain MiniHome is quite the compact green machine, packing a ton of green materials
and technologies into a small but very livable space. No vinyl, formaldehyde, toxic adhesives or finishes, all water-based or plant oil-based finishes, FSC certification, natural ventilation… the list goes on and on. Not to mention, it’s portable, modern, and cutely compact!
3.tinytumble weed house
Founded on his personal philosophy and desire for low-impact living, Jay Shafer’s Tiny Tumbleweed House has represents what he calls “subtractive design,” rejecting typical spatial assumptions and opting for clarity through conscientious use of space. This tiny house ranges from 40-500 square feet and accommodates a whole slew of needs from home office to vacation home or full-time residence. They’re also road-ready for the ultimate nomadic portability.
4.Weehouse
At just $125 per square foot, the WeeHouse is a single module that can be plopped on just about any site, including a rooftop. The basic unit is framed with steel and wood, and comes with tongue-and-groove bamboo flooring, and Ikea cabinetry, kitchens and sinks. Despite what the name implies, don’t let it size fool you- this is one awesome modern residence.
5.Micro Compact House
This tiny residential cube packs a highly-functional punch, providing a double bed, bathroom, lobby, dining space for 4-5 people, and state-of-the-art entertainment technology, all for just 50,000 Euros. And size-wise, it measures in at a tiny 2.65 m cubed (roughly 77 sq ft), but incorporates everything a person needs in a home in its super compact design.

Quit Complaining About Your Job

2007-11-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

Before you complain about your job - consider these below

Top 10 Party Cities

2007-11-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

One way or another, you’re gonna blow your dough on booze, chow, and women—at least let us tell you where to do it.
1. Las Vegas, NV
IF debauchery were a religion, Vegas would be Mecca. The Strip is America’s longest continuous stretch of playground, with neon lights 24/7 and casinos and strippers proudly sucking your wallet dry. To which we say, thank you, sir, may we have another!2. Milwaukee, WI
Recently named America’s “thirstiest” city, Milwaukee eats, sleeps, and burps beer. Home to the Miller Brewing Company, Brewers ball club, and over 500 bars, it guarantees a drinking buddy and a tasty, kraut-covered brat at every turn. Bottoms up!
3. New Orleans, LA
Katrina be damned—when it comes to partying, the Big Easy’s still as hot as a Cajun crawdad. Landmarks like Pat O’Brien’s and Mid City Lanes are still standing, and Mardi Gras—America’s cheapest, longest-running titty-show—is back in full effect. 6. Austin, TX
No geezers here—over a third of the city is between 20 and 34, probably thanks to the now-legendary music scene. Besides the yearly South by Southwest festival, Sixth Street District’s live venues book up-and-coming bands nightly. Can’t handle it? Then move back to Russia!

4. Houston, TX
The best things in life aren’t free, but sometimes they’re real cheap. Drinks in H-town average $3.75 a pop, and when you factor in the finger-lickin’ barbecue and down-to-earth Texan girls (think Jenna Bush), the city doesn’t seem as bad as it actually is.

5. Nashville, TN
Get yer boots shined up for a trip to the country music capital. Visit honky-tonk joints like the Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, where American badasses Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash used to toss ’em back, and do your best to follow in their footsteps
6.Atlanta, GA
Welcome to the Dirrrty, home of Lil’ Jon, Michael Vick, an exhausting 100 festivals, and a ridiculous collection of sizzling Southern belles. Watch ’em shake their booties at DJ haven Mark Ultralounge, and see if the city lives up to its nasty nickname.10. Chicago, IL
Grow a ’stache and get down, Midwestern-style. Choose from 887 bars and clubs, like Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge, where you can pound Schlitz and play Duck Hunt with the silver-haired owner till 4 A.M.—that’s just hours away from a Windy City hangover.

7. New York City, NY
Get ready for an endless entertainment assault. From lighting up at Cigar Bar to filling up on Gray’s Papaya hot dogs, you can do anything you want, anytime you want here, period. Got a problem with the place? Take it up with the friendly locals.

8.Portland, OR
This hippie haven offers more than just vegans and patchouli oil—like the best punk and indie-rock shows this side of Seattle, and an unsettling concentration of protest-happy anarchists. For your own safety, try to contain your manic pro-Bush rants.
9. Austin, TX
No geezers here—over a third of the city is between 20 and 34, probably thanks to the now-legendary music scene. Besides the yearly South by Southwest festival, Sixth Street District’s live venues book up-and-coming bands nightly. Can’t handle it? Then move back to Russia!
10. Chicago, IL
Grow a ’stache and get down, Midwestern-style. Choose from 887 bars and clubs, like Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge, where you can pound Schlitz and play Duck Hunt with the silver-haired owner till 4 A.M.—that’s just hours away from a Windy City hangover.

23 Things That Sound Dirty At Thanksgiving, But Aren't

2007-11-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

"Whew, that's one terrific spread!"

"I'm in the mood for a little dark meat."

"Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist."

"Talk about a huge breast!"

"It's Cool Whip time!"

"If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst!"

"Are you ready for seconds yet?"

"Are you going to come again next time?"

"It's a little dry, do you still want to eat it?"

"Just wait your turn, you'll get some!"

"Don't play with your meat."

"Just spread the legs open & stuff it in."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once?"

"I didn't expect everyone to come at once!"

"You still have a little bit on your chin."

"Use a nice smooth stroke when you whip it."

"How long will it take after you stick it in?"

"You'll know it's ready when it pops up."

"Wow, I didn't think I could handle all of that!"

"How many are coming?"

"That's the biggest one I've ever seen!"

"Just lay back & take it easy...I'll do the rest."

"How long do I beat it before it's ready?"

Amazing Inventions for the Year 2020 by Philips

2007-11-04T08:30:00.001-08:00

1. Off The Grid: Sustainable Habitat 2020

This Design Probe is the most ambitious for it aims to create an environment where light, air, water, and waste interact with a live environment... buildings and homes, for example, that respond to their environment. The goal is that a new approach to building and building materials would conserve the earth's already dwindling resources.

Philips has more pictures and an interesting short video on the sustainable habitat page that I recommend you visit. I think it worthwhile to visit the whole Design Probe section and to participate in the feedback survey.

The open model of development represented by Philips' Design Probes suggests a very cooperative innovation process; indeed Philips has already partnered with other organizations to work on the Design Probes. It does seem that there would be fewer needless products coming to market and failing, less waste of inventory and packaging, and more of a positive global impact from innovation.

How should the independent inventor structure his innovation pipeline? Let us know your ideas in the comments section below.

2. Skin: Dresses

The dress above is one of two designs Philips created as a prototype of how electronic textile development can react to subtle changes in the skin

3. Skin: Tatoo

This Design Probe involves a tatoo technology that is brought out by touch. These images show the tatoo filling out as the lovers embrace. There's a short sensual video of the entire tatoo revelation on the Philips website

4. Vibe: Emotion Sensor

The Vibe neklace picks up a variety of biometric signals that can be picked up by other wearers of the necklace. This is achieve by a combination of conductive ink and textile sensors

5. Skintile: Electronic Sensing Jewelry

A wireles stick-on sensor forms this jewelry's special attraction . As Philips writes: "It explores a range of functionalities in new product forms that are playful, sensual, mood affected, bio activity stimulated, and arousal enhancing. It is a semi disposable, bio compatible, non-allergenic, breathable, mass customizable, self contained body worn accessory."

6. Smell

In this image, a dog is wearing a prototype of a mask designed to detect illness in humans by elements in their body odors. Dogs are being trained to detect humans with cancer, so perhaps some of the eventual technology will be derived from learning more about dog's sensing abilities. The object of this smell device, though, is to enable humans to identify illness in each other.Humans are strongly affected by smell anyway... either attracted or repulsed by it. Philips brought this bit of information out on its website that I thought I'd share with you: "Tests have shown that women can identify the most genetically suitable partner for reproduction purely on the basis of smelling a T-shirt he has worn."

Things You Don't Know About Sex

2007-10-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Kama Sutra is much more than just sex.

Written about two thousand years ago, the Kama Sutra is widely considered to be the standard work on love in Sanskrit literature. Only one section deals specifically with sex - including the famous 64 positions. Other sections deal with acquiring a wife, the appropriate conduct of the wife - and the chief wife when there are other wives, how to deal with wives of other people, choosing lovers and dealing with courtesans, and how to be attractive to others.

"Formicophilia" is the fetish for having small insects crawl on your genitals. Just so you know, most of the sexual orientations popularly called fetishism are regarded as normal variations of human sexuality by psychologists and medical doctors. Even those orientations that are potential forms of fetishism are usually considered unobjectionable as long as all involved persons feel comfortable. Does that include the insects?
The largest penis in relation to animal size belongs to a duck.

And he's not giving it up. But seriously, a specimen of the Argentine Blue-bill was found with a remarkable 17-inch long penis (compared to the average for this species of 8 inches). The flaccid penis remained coiled inside the body, but fully erect it was twice the size of the bird. It would be like a man having a 12-foot penis. Yowsa.

iagra may make your man more cuddly too.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison report recently reported that sildenafil (the chemical name for Viagra increases the amount of oxytocin released by stimulation of the posterior pituitary gland, the small organ under the brain that regulates hormone levels in response to neural signals. The finding is the first indication that erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra may have physical effects besides increasing blood flow to sexual organs, according to Meyer Jackson, a physiology professor at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and author of the study.

Sometimes called the "love Hormone" or "cuddle chemical," oxytocin plays several important roles in social interactions and reproduction, including triggering uterine contractions and lactation in women. But it is also released during orgasm and has been linked to sexual arousal in both sexes. Animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer, more relaxed, more social and less anxious.

Oral sex is ancient history.

According to historians, oral sex has been around since the beginning of sex. "It's prehistory," said Jim Petersen, author of Playboy's "History of the Sexual Revolution" series. "You can find oral sex in almost every ancient culture from Egyptian paintings to stone carvings in Indian temple walls." But there have always been interesting attitudes about it.

In pre-Christian ancient Rome, sexual acts were also expressions of submission and control, as is apparent in the two Latin words for the act: irrumare (to penetrate orally), and fellare (to be penetrated orally). In this ancient culture, it was considered to be abhorrent for a male to be in any way penetrated (or in other words, controlled) by another person of lower social standing during sex.

Warning: the penis can explode.

If your lover ever tells you his penis is so hard he feels it might burst, take heed. According to a news story on a British website, the penis of a 28-year-old Romanian man actually exploded while he was making love to his girlfriend.

The young man, Ilarie Coroiu was taken to hospital in the Transylvanian town of Cluj after his girlfriend, Magdalena, 18, "felt something strange" and noticed that the bed was covered in blood.

Dr Angela Domocos, head of the accident and emergency department at Cluj General Hospital, said: "It is very rare for this to happen. We call it an exploded penis because it happens when the blood cavities in the penis burst."

Men have "G" Spots too.

A man's "G" Spot should actually be called the "P" spot, because his magical male part is the prostrate gland. Nestled in his pubic bone and surrounded by the pelvic muscles, the prostate gland responds to pressure applied either inside the rectum or from outside in the space between the scrotum and rectum. When the prostate is stimulated, it can intensify your man's orgasm significantly. In fact, some men are able to achieve orgasm from this stimulation alone.

Doctors invented vibrators to treat "hysteria"

From ancient Greece to Freud's time, doctors stimulated orgasms in women via "medical massage" to treat the catchall female ailment known as hysteria. Galen, a prominent physician from the second century, wrote that hysteria was a disease caused by sexual deprivation in particularly passionate women. Hysteria was noted quite often in virgins, nuns, widows and, occasionally, married women. The prescription in medieval and renaissance medicine was intercourse if married, marriage if single, or massage by a midlwife as a last recourse. In the late 1800s, various massage devices were developed to efficien tly deal with "hysteria." By 1870, a clockwork-driven vibrator was available for physicians. In 1873, the first electromechanical vibrator was used at an asylum in France for the treatment of hysteria.

Condoms were first promoted by an Italian in the 1500's.

Gabriele Falloppio was one of the most important anatomists and physicians of the sixteenth century (and a contemporary of Renaldus Columbus). In his time he was regarded as somewhat of an authority in the field of sexuality. In his treatise on syphilis he advocated the use of condoms, and initiated what may have been the first clinical trial of the device. It was only later that condoms were used as birth control. And on a separate but very related note, your Fallopian tubes (well, maybe not yours exactly) were first described by Falloppio, which now bear his name.

Urolagnia or urophilia is the practice of deriving sexual pleasure from urine and urination.

People with urolagnia often like to urinate in public, or urinate on, or be urinated on by other people. These activities are often described by the euphemisms "golden showers" or "watersports" (which should not be confused with water sports, i.e tubing and waterskiing). An alleged urophiliac is Latin heart-throb Ricky Martin, who in an interview with Blender magazine, stated that he enjoyed giving "Golden Showers" and "Yellow Rainbows."

Ok, now you can light up a cigarette. Or brush your teeth.

Was Gandhi an Anarchist?

2007-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Visionary promoted decentralized, direct democracy as key to peace; power resides in the individual and in self-rule
Anarchy is about abolishing hierarchy. According to the original, Greek meaning of the word, Anarchy stands to create a world where there is no separation between the rulers and the ruled--a place where everyone rules themselves. (An-archy in Greek means without rulers.) An anarchic vision of society is nonviolent, self-managed and non-hierarchical, and Anarchist thinkers hold dear to the ideal of democracy--rule by the people. They suggest political confederations of local organizations; a "commune of communes" was how the 19th century Parisians Anarchists articulated it. Anarchists seek to dissolve power instead of seize it. Therefore, they seek a social revolution instead of a political one. The social revolution throws into question all aspects of social life including family organization, schooling, religion, crime and punishment, technology, political organization, patriarchy, environmental concerns as well as others. Anarchists are identified "as enemies of the State," because they do oppose the existence of a hierarchical, top-down State.

Mohandas Gandhi opposed the State. The State is the military, police, prisons, courts, tax collectors, and bureaucrats. He saw the State as concentrated violence. "The State represents violence in a concentrated and organized form. The individual has a soul, but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence." Gandhi recognized that the State claims to serve the nation, but he realized that this was a fallacy. "While apparently doing good by minimizing exploitation, [the State] does the greatest harm to mankind."1

According to Dr. Dhawan, Gandhi was a philosophical Anarchist because he believed that the "[the greatest good of all] can be realized only in the classless, stateless democracy."2 While Gandhi advocated democracy, he differentiated between direct democracy and western democracy. Commenting on the parliamentary system, Gandhi says, "If India copies England, it is my firm conviction that she will be ruined. Parliaments are merely emblems of slavery."3 He had no more appetite for majority democracy of America, "It is a superstition and an ungodly thing to believe that an act of a majority binds a minority."4 By centralizing power, western democracies feed into violence. Thus, he thought decentralization was the key to world peace.

In Gandhi's view all the political power that was concentrated in the State apparatus could be dissolved down to every last individual. He stated "Power resides in the people, they can use it at any time."5 Reiterating the idea of Anarchy, Gandhi said, "In such a state (of affairs), everyone is his own rulers. He rules himself in such a manner that he is never a hindrance to his neighbor."6 Gandhi had no illusions about the enormity of the task, but he took it on anyways. He believed that by reforming enough individuals and communities, society at large will change. Gandhi's concept of swaraj elucidates the connection between the individual and society.

Swaraj translates into "self-rule" or "autonomy". For Gandhi, every individual had to take steps towards self-rule in their lives; then India would naturally move towards self-rule as a nation. Gandhi insisted, "Everyone will have to take [swaraj] for himself."7 He continued, "If we become free, India becomes free and in this thought you have a definition of swaraj. It is swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves." 8

Gandhi angered some of his cohorts by extending his notion of power and swaraj to the history of colonization. While acknowledging the British Empire's cynical intentions in India, he places the responsibility of the disaster of colonization on the India people. "It is truer to say that we gave India to the English than that India was lost... to blame them for this is to perpetuate their power."9 Because power resides in the people and they can only lose it by relinquishing their own power (often through coercion by others), petitions to the government get a new meaning with Gandhi. "A petition of an equal is a sign of courtesy; a petition from a slave is a symbol of his slavery." Gandhi will petition the government as an equal and he used love-force to back himself up. "Love-force can thus be stated: 'if you do not concede our demand, we will be no longer your petitioner. You can govern us only so long as we remain the governed; we shall no longer have any dealings with you.'"10

"The individual has a soul, but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence."
-Mahatma Gandhi

The principle of swaraj ultimately leads to a grassroots, bottom-up, "oceanic circle" of self-ruling communities. In 1946, Gandhi explained this vision:

"Independence begins at the bottom... It follows, therefore, that every village has to be self-sustained and capable of managing its own affairs... It will be trained and prepared to perish in the attempt to defend itself against any onslaught from without... This does not exclude dependence on and willing help from neighbors or from the world. It will be a free and voluntary play of mutual forces... In this structure composed of innumerable villages, there will be every-widening, never ascending circles. Life will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom. But it will be an oceanic circle whose center will be the individual. Therefore, the outermost circumference will not wield power to crush the inner circle but will give strength to all within and derive its own strength from it."11

In apparent contradiction to these ideals, Gandhi battled for national liberation and he expressed a lot of patriotism towards Indian civilization. He redefined the terms 'nationalism' and 'patriotism' to fit his vision. Nationalism, for instance, meant many different things. Gandhi said, "Every Indian whether he owns up to it or not, has national aspirations--but there are as many opinions as there are Indian Nationalists as to the exact meaning of that aspiration."12 Gandhi's nationalism stood to disband the Congress Party upon independence, "Its task is done. The next task is to move into villages and revitalize life there to build a new socio-economic structure from the bottom upwards."13 He also understood patriotism differently than his contemporaries, "by patriotism, I mean the welfare of the whole people."14

But Congress did not disband after independence in 1947. Gandhi recognized that there would be a national government, and his anarchic, oceanic circle would not yet be possible. Nevertheless, he used the terms of nationalism to move towards the ideal of Anarchy. He advocated for a minimal level of State organization to fund some education programs and to promote his economic concept of trusteeship. Hence, Gandhi was a compromising Anarchist.

To Gandhi, ideas were worth having. He defended his vision of Anarchy in India on this point, "It may be taunted with the retort that this is all Utopian and, therefore, not worth a single thought... Let India live for the true picture, though never realizable in its completeness. We must have a proper picture of what we want, before we can have something approaching it."15

By trying to understand Gandhi's worldview, certain questions jump out with contemporary relevance. First off, what is our culturally appropriate "utopian" picture of America or of the communities in which we live? Secondly, what practical steps can we make towards swaraj amidst the current global empire? Finally, if Gandhi is right that all power resides in individuals, and that power is derived from an "indomitable will" than how do we reclaim the latent power within us, both individually and collectively?

References:

Institute for Social Ecology: online library at http://tinyurl.com/8au7e

Guerin, Daniel. Anarchism. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/guerin/contents.html

Bhattacharyya, Buddhadeva. Evolution of the Political Philosophy of Gandhi. Calcutta Book House: Calcutta, 1969.

Jesudasan, Ignatius. A Gandhian Theology of Liberation. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash: Ananda India, 1987.

Murthy, Srinivasa. Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy Letters. Long Beach Publications: Long Beach, 1987

Parel, Anthony (ed.) Gandhi: Hind Swaraj and other writings. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1997.

1 Jesudasan, Ignatius. A Gandhian Theology of Liberation. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash: Ananda India, 1987. pp. 236-237.

2 Bhattacharyya, Buddhadeva. Evolution of the Political Philosophy of Gandhi. Calcutta Book House: Calcutta, 1969. p.479

3 Parel, Anthony (ed.) Hind Swaraj and other writings of M.K. Gandhi. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1997. p. 38

4 Ibid. p. 92

5 Jesudasan, Ignatius. A Gandhian Theology of Liberation. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash: Ananda India, 1987. pp. 251.

6 Murthy, Srinivasa. Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy Letters. Long Beach Publications: Long Beach, 1987. p. 13.

7 Ibid. p. 112. 8 Ibid. p. 73. 9 Ibid. p. 41. 10 Ibid. p. 85. 11 Ibid. p. 189.

Life Streets of the Lost!!!

2007-10-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

LIFE STREETS OF THE RUNAWAY KID'S EKE OUT A MEN LIFE OUT OF THE SEATTLE

Photo by:Mary Ellen Mark
Text;Cheryl McCall

Patti's tender side is reserved for her boyfriend, Munchkin.
Patti, 16, was arrested minutes after this brawl, cited for simple assault and released. Like many runaways, she learned violence at home and doesn't hesitate to use it-even though she's now four months pregnant-to settle all disputes. She is one of nine children, six of whom prefer the terror of the street to life in their Seattle home. "I split three-and-a-half years ago. My mom used to abuse me, and she drank a lot," says Patti. "My stepfather drinks and he made life pretty miserable. I used to get hit with things." She says she's been dragged into cars and raped seven times, once at gunpoint, but she's not tempted to return to her family "There's no chance of it working out if I'd go back," she says flatly. Patti and her boyfriend, Munchkin, 17, used to share motel rooms with a group of kids. Then Munchkin struck a deal with a motel manager in which Patti exchanges sex with him for a room of their own each night. But they haven't yet found a solution to the $16 jaywalking and $125 littering tickets they-and all the kids-get almost daily. These are a form of police harassment, and one unpaid littering fine (the only means they have of paying is by prostitution or theft) means five nights in jail. Like teenage lovers anywhere, they can't bear to be apart. When they're broke, Patti robs weaker girls or bullies them into turning tricks and giving her the money. No one interferes "Down here if you can't hold on to what you've got, then you don't deserve to have it," says a local drug dealer. "That's the rule." But as her pregnancy advances, Patti is becoming vulnerable. She's more hungry than she used to be and tired most of the time. She often suffers from severe stomach cramps and has swollen feet. Her only pair of jeans is too tight, and her shoes cause blisters. Sometimes, overwhelmed by it all, Patti sobs like the child she is and sucks her thumb.

Erin and her stepfather argue when she's home. "He doesn't want me around," she says. "He wants my mom all to himself."

Erin, 14, has been arrested twice for prostitution. Her probation order states that she must live with her family, not on the streets. Home is a one-room apartment over a tavern in downtown Seattle, and her bed is the couch. Her mother and stepfather, both unemployed, spend most of their time in the bar downstairs. During the year she was on the streets, Erin was raped, was lured into posing for pornographic photographs and supported a pimp by turning tricks. She now has gonorrhea. Her story would be irredeemably bleak if no one cared. But the one positive contact she made on the streets was Teresa Kiilsgaard, 28, an outreach worker from the St. Dismas Youth Center. Kiilsgaard gives Erin advice, takes her for medical treatment and even rescued her last winter from an armed kidnapper. "I found Erin in a restaurant," says Kiilsgaard. "The guy was trying to sell her to the customers and wouldn't even let her go to the bathroom. She couldn't get away." Fortunately, programs like the Dismas Center exist in other cities too. The National Runaway Switchboard lists 7,000 agencies around the country that counsel or help youngsters in various ways, and approximately 300 shelters provide emergency housing for runaways. Congress allocated $21 million in 1983 to fund hotlines and teenage shelters but, by its own estimate, those facilities serve only 45,000 kids a year, a mere fraction of the needy. More help is required, especially in Los Angeles, where there are no shelters at all. Father Ritter's Covenant House programs have become the yardstick by which others are measured. His aim is simple: to provide as many beds as possible each night to give kids an alternative to selling themselves. In New York, he takes in 12,000 a year; the Toronto center handles 3,000 more. The Houston shelter, which opened in June, expects 5,000 this year. Ritter plans another for Boston in early 1984 because the existing facilities there, Common Life and Place Runaway House, have only 31 beds in all. Covenant Houses are staffed around the clock, ready to provide food, clothing and medical care to any youth who asks. In New York, homeless teenage mothers with their babies are also helped. "It never occurred to me when I designed our program," says Ritter, who opened his first crisis center in 1972 in New York's Times Square, "but we have a nursery now." Covenant House receives no federal funds because current guidelines restrict the number of beds in shelters to 20 and require that the facility be located outside areas of prostitution. Ritter contends that it is in the seamy neighborhoods that crisis centers are most needed. "Honest to God, in all my life, I've never met one boy or girl prostitute who didn't start out as a runaway," he says. And how can we prevent runaways? The key, Ritter says, is at home. "Kids ordinarily don't run away from warm, loving families," he says. "And those who do almost invariably return home."
A GIRL WITH A GRUDGE AGAINST THE WORLD

Dark-haired Patti waited until her victim's pimp was out of sight and then jumped this girl because she never returned a borrowed jacket.
Shaken but unhurt, the girl finds her pimp. He calls the cops.
James, 18, sleeps under a waterfront viaduct.
Rat and Mike call rummaging for food in trash bins behind restaurants dumpster diving.

When Mike and Rat, who had lived on the same street for four years, ran away from Orangevale, Calif., last January, they met a Seattle merchant seaman who showed them the ways of the hobo: panhandling, rolling cigarettes, brushing their teeth in public rest rooms and eating $1 meals in skid row missions. Unlike many other male runaways, they have never resorted to prostitution. They sleep in a spooky, abandoned hotel that has no water or electricity, where they cleared one block-long hallway so they could roller-skate. Because the building is boarded up, they climb in at a second-story window. If police cars are parked behind the hotel at night, the boys go to a pay phone and report a nearby fight. When the duped cops take off, Mike and Rat sneak inside. Often for dinner they'll phone Shakey's and order several pizzas "with something like pineapple on them that nobody else would want." When the unclaimed food is thrown out, they grab it from the garbage bin. Mike doesn't approve of Rat's occasional shoplifting of clothes, saying, "We have enough laundry to do already." Both boys, whose parents are divorced, were excellent students. They lived with their fathers until they got into trouble with the law. Rat was caught selling marijuana in school and says his father, an aerospace technician, had warned him never to come home if that happened. "I took him seriously," says Rat. He has been in touch with his mother twice but says he stopped calling her because "she was crying and everything." Mike was charged with several counts of driving without a license alter wrecking three cars. He says his father, a career Marine, threatened to send him to the state Boys' Ranch. To pay for their bus trip to Seattle, both Mike and Rat stole money from their fathers and claim they now fear them more than the authorities. "My dad literally wants to kill me," Rat believes. A more immediate threat, however, lies in the streets. After Rat was attacked by a crazed heroin addict, he sold his Pentax camera and Mike his two beloved Stratocaster guitars to buy their Colt .45. Despite this chaotic, dangerous way of life, Rat says he enjoys his freedom. Mike, however, is frankly miserable. But he knows that when he turns 18, his juvenile record will be wiped clean. "I can't wait until my birthday so I can go home again," he says
Rat gives the finger to a man who ignored his begging.
This window is the only entry into the hotel.
Mike, passing for 18 with a fake I.D., earns $30 a week by selling plasma.

Friends Rat, 16 (far left), and Mike, 17, have this Colt .45 only for defense, they insist, against men who try to pick them up or rob them. "I get hassled a lot" says Rat. "Mike's my protection." They picked Seattle because Mike had once lived there.
Laurie, 14, says she was promised $80 by a middle-aged doctor who sexually abused her but reneged on the payment. She recently left Seattle to live with a Christian group in Kent, Wash.

Every city in America has them. There are a thousand in Seattle alone-homeless teenagers who use only their first names to hide their identities. And more alarming than that gun in Mike's hand is what these street kids represent today: a new generation of runaway and abandoned children struggling to survive on their own. Each year more than one million American youngsters between 11 and 17 run away. More than half are girls, and the majority are never reported missing by their apparently indifferent families. These kids aren't looking for '60s-style hippie adventure. Many leave home because living there has become impossible for them. Most are fleeing turbulent households racked by conflict, violence, neglect and-in a disturbingly high percentage of cases-sexual abuse. "Some of these kids are running for damn good reasons. The most logical option they have is to get out of there," says Gordon Raley, staff director of the House Subcommittee on Human Resources, which gathers data on runaways. But a growing number are casualties of the prolonged recession. "The economy has had a tremendous impact," Raley continues. "There are a hell of a lot of kids literally kicked out and thrown away." Each year some 5,000 unidentified teenagers end up in unmarked graves, according to federal records, and another 50,000 simply disappear. No one knows what happens to them. Too young to get jobs or to receive welfare, a significant majority resort to theft, peddling drugs, and prostitution to support themselves. Father Bruce Ritter, a Catholic priest, whose Covenant House crisis centers in New York, Toronto and Houston aid thousands of kids each year, believes that 80 percent of runaways use sex to survive. "Without dealing in myth or exaggeration, there are 500,000 kids younger than seventeen involved in prostitution," says Ritter. "Nobody will dispute that. They have nothing to sell but themselves." Government programs and privately funded centers like Ratter's shelter roughly 10 percent of the chronically homeless at any given time. In Seattle, where 6,000 runaways are reported each year, there are only a single eight-bed facility, The Shelter, and a few impoverished church-run programs like the St. Dismas Center to provide help. Fending for themselves, most street kids spend the nights in abandoned buildings, unlocked cars, steam-bath cubicles, under bridges and even in cemeteries. Some pool their cash to rent cheap motel rooms, with as many as 15 sleeping on the floor. To illuminate this growing national problem and encourage more effective solutions to it, LIFE here examines these children's dangerous and pitiful lot.

"Being on the streets is tough, but it's kind of a challenge," says Christy, 16, who left her suburban Seattle home five years ago when her mother moved in with a drug dealer. "Everybody here just goes day to day. A lot of us wonder where the next meal is going to come from, where we're going to sleep." To answer those needs, many of Seattle's street kids risk arrest-and worse- by becoming prostitutes, what they call "turning dates." Boys and girls, who stash their clothes in bus station lockers during the day, drift near the waterfront's Pike Street Market and wait for offers. "I've been raped eight times by dates. One held a gun on me and almost broke my arm," says Sam, 17, a professor's daughter from Idaho who ran away. "After a while, you can't handle it. I started crying all the time, having these really weird fits. I thought I was crazy. So I stopped, but then I had to start again." While boys operate independently, female prostitution is controlled by pimps, who use drugs, sex or threats to keep the girls in virtual bondage. "A girl doesn't think she can sneeze without her pimp," says Linda Reppond, executive director of the privately run Shelter. "He makes his girls dependent on drugs in order to control them. Boys do drugs to survive the humiliation of turning tricks, just to live with themselves." Tragically, trafficking in drugs is considered a step up-street kids find it less degrading than prostitution. Those are the only choices, they insist. None of these kids can go to school-even if they wanted to. They have no permanent address, and schools will not admit them. (One undersized 16-year-old, Itty Bitty, hasn't been to school since fourth grade.) Regulations ban those under 18 from adult shelters, but most of the street kids are too proud to sleep in a room full of alcoholics and bums anyway. Shadow tried it when he turned 18 this spring. "I'd rather sit in an all-night coffee shop," he says. "The government thinks if it makes it hard enough on the streets, we'll go home. But there's no place to go."

FLIRTING WITH DEATH
This young dealer is injecting a 14-year-old customer with MDA (methylene dioxy amphetamine) in a crash pad for runaways. At $5 a capsule, MDA is the drug of choice among Seattle street kids-though marijuana is commonest, and LSD is making a comeback. MDA users need at least five capsules to attain the desired "body rush," a violent shuddering later followed by sudden vomiting, clenching jaws and twitching eyes. The $1 "rigs" are disposable insulin syringes, but addicts dangerously reuse them as many as 50 times, honing dull needles on matchbook strips and lubricating the plungers with Vaseline.

Within an hour of leaving this motel room, the two 14-year-old girls on the right were arrested for prostitution. They call the boy on the bed their "popcorn pimp" because he is only 18.