360Digest

Saudi mobile operator Mobily has stopped users from text message voting for an Arab “Star Academy” competition because of an Islamic decree branding the reality shows immoral, the company said on Monday

Saudi religious scholars last May condemned the hugely popular talent show aired by Lebanese channel LBC as a crime against Islam when a young Saudi returned to a hero’s welcome after winning in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

“The decision was taken last night because of a fatwa (religious decree) issued last year, since the program is culturally inappropriate,” spokesman Humoud Alghodaini said.

“It shows men and women living in one house, sometimes semi-naked and in inappropriate situations,” he added……”

Interesting Fatwa on Women and the Internet

It came as a big surprise to the real-estate industry this past year that second homes accounted for more than one-third of annual sales.

Before 2005, the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) survey techniques failed to accurately gauge the size of this market, even though anecdotal evidence had indicated a substantial increase in second-home purchases over the previous decade.

And, although baby boomers make up a large part of the second-home market, a growing number of foreign buyers also are in it, taking advantage of a weaker dollar.

In Seattle, many second-home buyers have children in college here or work in the high-tech industry and live between Seattle and their hometowns. Many folks also have places here for the summer and then go to their condo’s in Palm Springs in the winter.

Seattle Times Article

To document the disparity between wages and rents, the National Low Income Housing Coalition just released its 16th annual national report. By its calculations, an individual or household must earn at least $13.42 an hour to afford a one-bedroom rental in King or Snohomish County, based on an average rent of $698. That’s the equivalent of 1.8 full-time jobs at minimum wage.

The minimum-wage in Washington State is $7.35 an hour.

Seattle Times Report

Though Cuautla is in the Mexican state of Jalisco 2,000 miles from Seattle, the rural community holds a special place in the Puget Sound economy. An estimated 300 Mexican restaurants in Washington have been started by entrepreneurs from Cuautla, a town with a population of roughly 1,000.

The list of Cuautla chains reads like a who’s who of the local Mexican restaurant industry: Azteca, Mazatlan, Las Margaritas, Torero’s, Jalisco, El Tapatio, Tacos Guaymas, Maya’s, Acapulco, and many more.

Azteca Restaurants are probably the biggest Mexican restaurant chain in the Puget Sound area.

As a result, Cuautla now drips in American dollars. A group of 30 or so Mexican-restaurant owners regularly pays for municipal improvements, including roads, a town plaza, a health clinic, church renovations, and a $1 million bullfighting ring used just 10 days in December and three days in May each year.

Seattle/Mexico Connection from Seattle Business Journal

Who has bought the 20 units at the Four Seasons project slated for the corner of First Avenue and Union Street in downtown Seattle? No one’s talking, but they have to have pretty big money to purchase these units, going for $2100 a sq. ft. But they have nice views….

Window’s flag to fly atop new Four Seasons?

Lots of people have looked to musicians and poets for advice on love and life. But advice on how to run a business?

Bill Stainton, comedy writer, professional speaker and longtime Beatles fan wondered if others would be interested in following the Beatles business plan.

So Stainton, perhaps best known in Seattle as part of the “Almost Live” local TV comedy series, wrote and self-published a book on just that theme: “The Five Best Decisions the Beatles Ever Made.” The cover is a takeoff of the landmark “Meet the Beatles” album cover with the four black-and-white mugs of John, Paul, George and Ringo, only with Bill as the fifth Beatle.

Writer taps Beatles for Business Advice.

The Five Best Business Decisions the Beatles Ever Made

Everyone know that Mick Jagger dropped out of The London School of Economics

Kirkland, Washington, December 2005 - Renowned artist and Puget Sound native, Dale Chihuly, has been selected as the 2006 Seattle-King County First Citizen for his indelible contributions to the local community and world at large through his art. Chihuly will be honored with the First Citizen Award on May 10, 2006 at the Seattle Westin Hotel. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.seattlefirstcitizen.com or calling (425) 820-3277.

This photo was taken at Chihuly’s lap pool a while back…

It’s interesting, while he’s the Association of Realtors Man of the Year, he’s involved in a complicated lawsuit over copyright infringement. “When does inspiration cross the line into imitation?”, asks Maureen O’Hagen in the Seattle Times. Seattle Times lawsuit article

That’s the question at the heart of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle claiming two glass blowers have copied Dale Chihuly’s designs and are selling knockoffs at several local galleries.

The copyright-infringement suit, filed Oct. 27 by Seattle-based Chihuly Inc. and the world-renowned glass artist’s publishing company, is asking for at least $1 million in damages

Chihuly Screwed Me!

Chihuly Website

Trey Parker bought an $850,000, two-bedroom condominium in downtown Seattle a few months ago. He is part of an influx of wealthy buyers behind a building boom in downtown Seattle. New restaurants, boutiques and bars are springing up alongside the condos, to the dismay of some locals priced out of the changing neighborhood. Me, I’m glad Belltown in getting a bit more gentrified. However, the result will probably be lots of rich people in the condo’s and the drug-dealers and other skanks still roaming the streets and shooting up in the alleys.

Seattle Market Goes Crazy on Bloomburg

Apparently there’s a big uproar in the surfing industry. A major manufacturer of surfboard “blanks” has unexpectedly ceased manufacture of the foam-based products, citing pressure from governmental agencies. Expect a surfboard shortage for a few months while other manufacturers scramble to fill the void. L.A. Weekly - “Foaming at the Mouth”

I had no idea. It never occured to me. Who would think, with all the publicity about the dangers of anorexia, that an entire subculture of Pro-Anorexics would sprout up? They’re identified as Pro-Ana’s. There are websites (some banned) that come and go, but there appear to be some perennial favorites…. Want some “Thinspiration”? Try www.Pro-Ana.us for trips and tricks, pep talks, photos and poetry. Want to lose a few pounds quickly? Your body has to work overtime to stay warm if you’re cold. Try cold baths, turning the heat off in the winter, wearing a thin coat… your body will burn 200 calories an hour, just trying to stay warm…..

Wikipedia says that Pro-ana is a largely Internet-based movement which views the eating disorder anorexia nervosa as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical condition. In some circles of the pro-ana movement, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are personified as women named Ana (for anorexia; hence the pro-ana movement) and Bella or Mia (for bulimia). Members use this to illustrate the anorexic’s loneliness: “Ana” is the anorexic’s only reliable friend whom they can rely on when everything else feels out of control. Pro-ana sites involve anorexics coming together to talk about their experiences with their shared “best friend”. Wikipedia Pro-Ana

What’s the difference between anorexia and that guy Walford who lived in that biosphere in Arizona? He found physiologic changes similar to those seen in calorie restricted rodents, in the food restricted Biospherians. Among the findings in the study subjects-in addition to weight loss–was a 35% drop in serum cholesterol levels, a marked decrease in serum glucose levels, and improvements in lymphocyte and neutrophil function, two measures of the health of the immune system. The conclusion of the study was that “…radical and possibly beneficial changes in physiologic risk factors can be produced in normal affluent individuals in Western countries quickly and reproducibly by dietary manipulation. ” The Walford Diet. In other words, there is evidence to support his theory that by purposely reducing food intake, one is able to significantly extend ones life. His website touts his diet at “The Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality”. And that is different from anorexia how???

I can’t find the story now, but I read an article a few years ago in praise of anorexia. The premise was, we should be praising, worshiping the anorexic, admiring her stamina, her self-control. We praise the athlete who practices 12 hours a day, why not the anorexic, who practices her own form of self-sacrifice and self-control 24 hours a day?

Plague Angel

CRON Diet

Time Magazine “Anorexia Goes High-Tech”

Tractor-Craft’s Annual Holiday Sale on December 11th from 11am to 4pm. Buy gifty items (like tee shirts, stationary, purses, powder mirrors, magnets, and other inexpensive goodies) from Lisa Petrucci, along with crafty pals Liz Cole (Retros), Lisa Lomano, Sara Lanzilotta, and Christine Olsen. The event is at the Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW in Seattle (Ballard neighborhood)

And can you believe it, Lisa just recently came out with a new line of cell wallpapers too.

-Gamut Industries - Images can be seen in the Go To > Features category!
Lisa Petrucci Wallpaper

-DaDa Mobile - Images can be seen in the “Dolls” category!
More Lisa Petrucci Wallpaper!