Thursday, April 03, 2008
Alycia Martin Picture Gallery
Alycia Martin has been identified as the prostitute that Senator Debbie Stabenow's husband, Thomas Athans, hired for oral sex. The 46-year-old founder of TalkUSA Radio met 20-year-old Alycia through a Craigslist ad, paying $150 for the experience. If you think that's weird, then you need to check out the relationships section on your local Craigslist.
On February 26, 2008, Athans was questioned by police as he left the Residence Inn in Troy, Michigan, but he was not charged with any crime. He was unlucky enough to be caught in a police sting operation at the hotel, instigated by suspicious postings on online classifieds websites indicating prostitution activity in the area.
According to the arrest report on Smoking Gun, Alycia Martin is "described as being approximately 5'4", 110lbs, blonde hair, with tattoos on her wrist and hips, and a belly button ring" and "performed oral sex on Mr. Athans until completion."
What kind of savvy marketing encouraged Athans to book Alycia and raised the suspicions of the police? On February 11, 2008, Alycia Martin posted an online classifieds ad under the Detroit Escorts section of Craigslist-clone Backpage.com, enticing clients with an all-caps come hither:
YOUNG BLONDE HOTTIE HERE FOR YOUR TOTAL ENJOYMENT!
BLONDE HAIR~~BLUE EYE'S~~5'5,115LBS~26~30...
SWEET SEXY PROVIDER SEEKING A NICE GENTLEMEN WHO LOVE'S
THE COMPANY OF A REAL LADY AND LOVES TO BE PAMPERED. I'M
A MIXTURE OF BEAUTY AND A GREAT TIME... 100%SATISFACTION
GUARANTEED GOOD TIME THE WHOLE TIME... I HAVE A GREAT BODY
AND PERSONALITY THAT WILL KEEP YOU COMING FOR MORE... PLEASE
BE POLITE AND DISCREET WHEN YOU CALL AVAILABLE NOW AND FOR THE
REST OF THE DAY...
In exchange for her escort services, the 20-year-old hooker asked for $225 an hour, $160 for 30 minutes, and just $100 for a 15 minute session. To set up the appointment, you'd call 586-843-8917.
Martin's MySpace profile, which has been set to private, has the following quote:
"**If you cant handel me at my worst, den you dont deserve me at muh best** Life too short for sadness alwayz smile its worth it no matter wut! BELEIVE IT!!
She'll need that positive attitude to get her through the tough times in jail.
The 57-year-old Stabenow married Athans in 2003.
Alycia Martin Photo Gallery
Alycia Martin
Alycia Martin on MySpace
Senator Debbie Stabenow and Thomas Athans
KanyeTravel.com: Kanye Travel Ventures
Rapper Kanye West, winner of 9 Grammy Awards, has started a travel website, KanyeTravel.com. Kanye Travel Ventures will let Kanye's fans book airline tickets, cars, and hotel rooms along with, eventually, Kanye concert tickets all in one place.
Although the move may seem counterintuitive, the LA Times argues, "It makes perfect sense to start a travel business when you have a gazillion fans who want to follow you around the globe for every show — or any one show for that matter." Travel industry consultant Neil Abrams agrees:
While celebrity brand-driven travel programs have been attempted in the past, none have demonstrated long-term viability due to the lack of resources, commitment, and expertise deployed by the management company and the endorsing celebrity. KTV, however, has been designed with Kanye and his executive team, and his energy and resources have been devoted to this innovative product offering. By securing industry expertise, partnering with global reservations systems, and negotiating high-volume discounts with air, lodging and ground transportation suppliers at varied price points, West Brands has assured that the KTV travel experience will reflect Kanye's style and approach to living.
However, though the idea is to custom-tailor KanyeTravel.com to fit the needs and tastes of Kanye's fans, the travel website as it currently stands just slaps a Kanye West label onto a generic travel site, making it no different from traditional sites like Travelocity or Expedia. Hopefully, that changes soon.
Kanye Travel Ventures is held through West Brands, LLC, which is a holding company owned by Kanye West.
Kanye Travel
Kanye Travel Hotel Booking
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
How to Save Money Dining Out
Food prices have risen dramatically this past year as higher commodity and energy prices are passed downstream to consumers shopping at supermarkets and eating out at restaurants.
Just how bad are prices getting? The Associated Press reports:
Overall, food prices rose nearly 5 percent in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That means a pound of coffee, on average, cost 57 cents more at year's end than in 2006. A 12-ounce can of frozen, concentrated orange juice now averages $2.53 — a 67-cent increase in just two years.
And a carton of grade A, large eggs will set you back $2.17. That's an increase of nearly $1 since February, 2006.
Internationally, there have even been food riots in countries like India, Burkina Faso, Mexico, and Pakistan.
Given the crisis in world food prices, you can expect to see higher prices at your favorite restaurants, but you can still find creative ways online to cut your dining bill down to size.
For instance, DinnerBroker lets you book reservations at local restaurants and earn points for dining out, which you can then redeem for gift certificates. They even offer special discount reservations that give you a 10% to 30% discount if you're willing to eat during off-peak hours.
For example, you can get an (unspecified) discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages at Chez TJ, one of a select few restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area to receive two prestigious Michelin stars, by booking through DinnerBroker.
Another option is OpenTable, which lets you earn points for every reservation you make with every 100 points equivalent to $1 towards a gift certificate. However, although OpenTable has a larger selection of restaurant partners than DinnerBroker, it doesn't offer the immediate gratification of discount reservations.
On the other hand, you earn 1000 bonus points when you make a reservation at selected restaurants during qualifying hours.
You can find other useful savings suggestions at SmartMoney.
DinnerBroker
OpenTable
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Pasta Hut: Pizza Hut Changes Name
Pizza Hut has officially changed its name to Pasta Hut. Despite the timing, this is not an April Fool's joke. To reflect the seriousness of the makeover, they'll be changing the logo on their Dallas, Texas company headquarters to reflect their new food focus, starting today.
You can expect to see the new Tuscani Pastas on the menu the next time you step into a Pasta Hut. Currently, there are two just choices: Meaty Marinara and Creamy Chicken Alfredo. Priced at $11.99, the 3-pound trays of pasta are meant to feed four people and will be baked just like the pizzas.
The first inklings of the big change came when Trademork uncovered a trademark claim by Pizza Hut, Inc. for the mark "Pasta Hut" in January 2008. But why the change from pizza to pasta?
Partly, it's a result of higher cheese and flour prices, which have made pizzas a lower margin product. The other is that pizza sales have stagnated with 2006 sales falling to $5.2 billion from $5.3 billion the year before.
Here's an ad spot for Pasta Hut:
Pasta Hut
Nomophobia: No Mobile Phobia
Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. At least that's what a survey done by the Post Office of British mobile phone users has found. Up to 53% of mobile phone users, or 13 million Britons, may be afflicted with nomophobia.
These days mobile phones have become lifelines for connecting to family and friends and have grown more and more powerful, not only acting as phones but also like mini-computers letting you send email, check the news, and surf the web. Not to mention your job might depend on being constantly reachable by mobile phone. No wonder people are feeling stressed out about their phones.
Ask yourself: do you feel anxious if you see your cell phone running out of battery power? Are you nervous if the number of signal bars, indicating signal quality and strength, drops to one? Do you worry about losing or forgetting your phone?
If you said "yes" to any of these signs of nomophobia, the Daily Mail has some suggestions that you can use to ease your pain:
Researchers advise those keen to avoid nomophobia to keep their credit topped up, carry a charger at all times, give family and friends an alternative contact number and carry a pre-paid phonecard to make emergency calls if your mobile is broken, lost or stolen.
Other tips include keeping a record of your numbers in case you lose your handset and carrying the phone in a closed pocket or bag to avoid loss or theft.
Of course, to completely cure yourself, try spending some quality time away from your phone.
