Archive for November, 2011

 Miami, Florida. Just the city’s name brings images of bikinis, sunshine, beaches and wild parties to mind. Nowadays, it also makes people think of plastic surgery.

The number of people getting work done by surgeons has increased over the years despite its high cost. One Miami woman decided to sacrifice quality for cost when she went to a “doctor” she’d been referred to by word of mouth. Her goal was to get a “curvier body” by getting butt implants so she could get a job at a nightclub.

The woman, Oneal Ron Morris, she found for the surgery only posed as a doctor. Morris was “born a man” but “identifies as a woman,” and has allegedly performed the surgery not only on herself but on other unsuspecting customers as well. The “toxic concoction” Morris injected in several areas around the woman’s butt consisted of “cement, mineral oil and flat-tire sealant.”

Morris is charged with “practicing medicine without a license with serious bodily injury.” The police only discovered the scheme once the injuries of the Miami woman previously mentioned became too severe for her to bear the embarrassment of telling doctors what Morris has done during previous visits. No other victims have come forward, most likely due to the same embarrassment she faced.

The description of Morris provided in the Gainesville Sun article just adds to the bizarre nature of the whole incident. Hard to believe anyone would entrust his or her health in any way with someone who tells patients: “‘Oh don’t worry, you’ll be fine. We just keep injecting you with the stuff and it all works itself out,’” when “the pain became too intense.” That statement definitely inspires confidence…not.

-Erin Elzo

Words o’ Wisdom: Imani Coppola Edition

Posted: November 30, 2011 by jerkmag in WORDS O' WISDOM
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“Live in the moment, and you’ll never go out of style.” – Imani Coppola

For most people who have traveled within and around Europe, Ryanair is synonymous with cheap flights. Now, it may add pay-per-view porn to its in-flight repertoire, furthering its notoriety for developing “different” kinds of commercial ventures.

Melissa Locker summed up the idea by Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary best in her TIME article: “Yes, the company that charges customers to check-in online and at the airport, may now be helping customers join the Mile High Club from the comfort of their seats.”

O’Leary originally released a statement about the new “service” to the British tabloid The Sun. He explained that the porn would be available “on handheld devices” instead of the typical viewing options for other entertainment services on the screens placed on seat backs. He compared the service to those offered by hotels. However, concern has been raised over the public nature of viewing such kinds of films during a flight where children might be present.

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Carousel Mall made headlines on Black Friday after a girlfight ensued during the midnight opening of Victoria’s Secret. Neither I nor my co-workers know exactly what caused the fight, but it has definitely made for a quality YouTube video. So thank you, to whoever it was that happened to be the innocent bystander to the atrocity that you see here in this video.

This further proves my point that Black Friday is not only worthless, but is a fight just waiting to happen. There is so much tension, chaos and competition to be the first one in the stores that Black Friday has even proven to be life-threatening. It’s not just Wal-Mart dealing with the crazies anymore. The Black Friday dangers have carried into your local lingerie store. But really, all this for a $5 for $26 panties deal? Ladies, come on now.

Our “sales” lasted the entire day long. There was no reason for the mile-long line that wrapped around the mall of shoppers looking to get into our store, or any store. (Unless it happened to be called Best Buy because then it would be understandable.)

Here is both my suggestion, and future business plan:  I will take part in next year’s Black Friday as a consumer, rather than an associate. I will wait in line starting two days beforehand. I will be one of the first people in line, waiting for that shiny new plasma screen TV. Then, just as the store is about to open, I will sell my spot to the highest bidder. Or, just get the damn TV and take a hammer to it in front of everyone.

-Julia Fuino

A look from the collection

Earlier this month, a portion of Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 collection was reported stolen in London. Apparently, they were “burgled in the Mount Street area,” a very posh area in London. The police reported that there was approximately $63,528 worth of merchandise in the shipment. Considering this is the time when the collection would start being passed around for editorials and to celebrities, what will Marc Jacobs do without the garments?

Well according to the New York Times, the stolen shipment contained duplicates and that the original version shown on the runway still exists. Also, considering the large volume of the shipment, it is assumed that only a part of the collection was stolen because it would be worth much more.

Therefore, the day will be saved in time to allow the collection to be successful. This comes as a relief even though the company will have to spend the money on production all over again. Good thing they can afford it.

-Nadjma Sako

There isn’t a better combination than The Shins’ third studio album “Wincing the Night Away” + studying for finals + a Syracuse rainy day. If you aren’t familiar with this band’s work yet (a lot of you probably know them from the popular indie film “Garden State”) you should definitely give them a listen. But might I warn you, their hit song “New Slang” and my choice for Song of the Week sound completely different. But, they’re both really good so you should listen to each of them.

“Sea Legs” is one of my favorites off of “Wincing the Night Away.” It’s relaxing, yet not slow enough to make you want to fall asleep. This is for anyone whose musical taste ranges from Elliott Smith to Spoon to Zero 7. It’s one of those songs that just works from start to finish–perfect for people who like electronic indie rock or even your classic acoustic sound.

So, with the stress of trying to finish the semester on a good note, give yourself a break and kick back while listening to “Sea Legs.”

-Elizabeth Kahn

To the delight of elementary school children and college frat boys everywhere, pizza can officially be considered a valid part of an everyday diet.

Congress declared pizza – or, more specifically, the tomato paste on pizza – a vegetable this past Monday, after it finalized a version of a spending bill that would reverse the Agriculture Department’s proposal of healthier school lunches.

Potatoes (read: french fries) were also on the edge of extinction in the Agriculture Department’s proposition for school lunches that would ultimately limit sodium intake and push children to consume more whole grains and actual vegetables.

Thank goodness for the Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee, who saw error in the Agriculture Department’s plan of keeping children healthy.

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In the age of models, no model has persisted in her career quite like Gisele.
Other models have stayed in the game for very long periods of time, but none as
consistently as Gisele Bundchen.

After maintaining her place as the world’s highest earning model for several
seasons, Gisele left her lush Victoria’s Secret contract. Since that time, she married an NFL quarterback (Tom Brady), had a child and started just a few businesses all over Brazil. And now, without every truly leaving, she is making a comeback.

Recently, Terry Richardson shot her for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Brazil, and today there are photographs of her in an ‘editorial-like’ photo shoot with Riccardo Tisci. What? Could this mean that longtime friend, model Mariacarla Boscono, has been replaced as Tisci’s muse? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

-Nadjma Sako

If you have a heart, chances are it has been broken before. Maybe a relative died or an ex broke your heart (word of advice: don’t blog about it. Yikes!), but something happened that put your ticker through some emotional distress.

For most of us, a broken heart is just a figure of speech. Sure, you can’t eat, you can’t sleep and you don’t enjoy the things you once loved, but there’s little physical pain attached to the heartache. For a select few people, however, a broken heart can mimic the agony of an actual heart attack.

Broken Heart Syndrome was first identified in the 1990s by Japanese medical researchers. The condition, caused by a sudden rush of hormones and adrenaline, can actually cause one’s heart to begin behaving as though it’s having a heart attack. But while the body’s experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack, it isn’t suffering from the physical damage associated with such a medical trauma. Sure, broken hearts are a pain, but they don’t actually clog your arteries. (The food consumed during a broken heart, however, just might.)

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Slashfilm, otherwise known as /Film, is the kind of blog film geeks like me die for.  Back in 2005 the blog was launched by film critic Peter Sciretta, and in the six years since its inception /Film has become one of the blogosphere’s largest film communities. Run by Sciretta and a team of four or five contributing writers, it’s heaven for both the casual moviegoer as well as the more serious film connoisseur.

/Film is the go-to for industry news, trailer premieres, film reviews, interviews, information on special deals and random finds from the web–something I tend to geek out over. Over the years, the blog has expanded to cover topics that extend beyond the film universe, including television and the occasional tidbit on celebrity gossip. The blog has also added its weekly podcast series /FilmCast, which has featured interviews with and commentary from big names like directors Kevin Smith (“Clerks”) and Rian Johnson (“Brick”).

As a frequent /Film visitor, I have found it to be a great forum for discussion with other film geeks like myself. It’s one of the few blogs where I find the comments section equally as intriguing as the actual content of the posts. I would especially recommend browsing the comments of anything having to do with comic books.

-Dee Lockett