"San Francisco-based Bondage.com was founded in 1996 to deliver an exciting, educational, and erotic experience to BDSM devotees and the curious. The free site features photos of members, stories, columns on topics relating to Bondage, Fetish, BDSM, personals ads and active chat rooms. The company has developed advanced technology to deliver a unique adult internet experience. Various plans to run Bondage.com as a completely separate site to preserve it's unique chemistry and community."

In this latest acquisition, Penthouse purchased Various, Inc. for an approximate $500 Million USD. Included in the sale is over 25 social networking sites, including Bondage.com, Alt.com, Adultfriendfinder.com, Gradfinder.com and Bigchuch.com, etc.

Current plans by Penthouse are to retain all sites previously owned by Various, Inc.

It's the metaphysics, stupid

As Obama points out often, this is a particularly American perspective. When the Founders wrote "We hold these truths to be self-evident," they were not only not self-evident; they weren't even true. Americans have gone a long way toward making them true because we've shown, time and again, that despite slavery and sexism and economic inequality, we believe they should be true.

If it's a message so catchy that it has now made the rounds of cyberspace as a star-studded video, it's also one with roots as deep as Immanuel Kant. The "Critique of Pure Reason" is not easy reading, but it makes some startling claims. Kant tells us that Plato's ideal of a perfectly just state was always dismissed as a utopian dream; but if everyone had worked to realize those ideals, they would be true today.

Gregg Kobel Joins Mishawaka AA in Indiana

MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Just like an owner of a professional ball team tracks and lands a talented player out on the free-agent market, auction owner Jay Smith pursued and signed industry veteran Gregg Kobel to join his executive team at Mishawaka Auto Auction, whose name will soon change to South Bend Mishawaka Auto Auction Kobel divested his interest in the Tri-State Auto Auction of Chicago late last year and recently announced that he was partnering with Smith, who has owned the independent auction since 1985. Kobel will serve as its executive vice president and general manager. Smith was at one time looking to turn the Mishawaka AA's leadership reins over to his stepson, Joshua, but he was tragically killed in an automobile accident on Dec. 7, 2002, five months after Smith had moved the operation into a new facility. The 67-year-old Smith has two other sons, but he said they are successfully employed as a police officer and school teacher. "So, as you can imagine, I've been looking for the past few years for somebody of Gregg's experience and stature to help take the auction to the next level," Smith told Auto Remarketing. "When I heard Gregg was available, I thought this was a perfect opportunity and the best person for our auction," Smith pointed out. "We did a lot of dating before we started dancing," he said, laughing. "But seriously, we could not be more pleased, and we are tremendously excited to bring on board somebody who has so much knowledge and the wealth of contacts built up over years who can help make our sale one of the premier auto auctions in the Midwest," Smith indicated. Kobel, who has 37 years of experience in the auction industry and is past president of the National Auto Auction Association, also expressed enthusiasm about his new venture.

Gov't puts pressure on ISPs over illegal downloads

A pity they don't spend the time chasing paedophile downloaders. I don't honestly see how the companies are losing anything. In the good old days I used free downloads. Buying the CD was decided by whether I liked the download or not. The company lost nothing, and often gained a sale. I am not paying 79p to download a track I may, or may not like.I can understand being banned by my ISP for downloading hard core pornography or paedophilia, but apart from that, which websites I visit is my business. This is not supposed to be a Police State, yet 6,000 different organisations already have the right to tap my phone for spurious reasons, and my mail and emails can be read by any of these people without my consent. Now they propose to snoop into my Internet use as well? George Orwell's 1984? It'll be the Thought Police next.

BOOKS-US: Outing the "Israel Lobby"

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Center for Security Policy, William Kristol, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Congresspersons such as Eliot Engel of New York, and others.

Mearsheimer and Walt also detail the extent to which the lobby and its supporters have employed, in the words of Michael Massing, "bullying tactics" to silence Israel critics. Massing wrote the most substantive critique of the initial article in the New York Review of Books, writing that "despite its many flaws," the Walt-Mearsheimer essay had "performed a very useful service in forcing into the open a subject that has for too long remained taboo."

After publishing their article, the two authors themselves were accused of being anti-Semites, a charge they go to great lengths in their book to rebut.

All for one - more trips for singletons

Tell a hotel you're a single traveller and you run the risk of spending your stay in the equivalent of the broom cupboard. Fortunately, Exclusive Escapes has recognised that solo travellers want luxury too. This year, they are banishing single supplements at several of their boutique hotels in Turkey and Cephalonia, and on all group learning holidays (vegetarian cooking, yoga and pilates, and creative writing). Beyaz Yunus, Faralya is a stylish hideaway, with safari-style rooms in a forest clearing 14km from Olu Deniz, on a mountainside set back from a dramatic coastal road following the Lycian Way. Trek, swim from private coves or try sea-kayaking. From £500pp per week B&B, including flights.

If you can't afford to hire Richard Branson's new £35,000-a-week ski lodge, try Cold Fusions Chalets' flagship chalet in Chamonix, which comes with an outdoor hot tub, a large Mont Blanc-facing terrace, and its own chef.

Police: Tucker man went on 20-hour crack binge after killing ...

A Tucker man went on a 20-hour crack drug binge after bludgeoning his girlfriend to death last week, Gwinnett County police said Thursday.

The Book Page

All the entries posted in February.

Unravelling carbon's chemical secrets

Researchers have come up with a physical argument to explain carbon-14's anomalously long lifetime. A peculiar balance of fundamental forces in the nucleus of the atom may keep it stable for thousands of years longer than expected — thus making radiocarbon dating possible.

Hi..........

Reporter: Susan Ramsett

The death of Chicago news anchor Randy Salerno is receiving national attention after a snowmobile accident in Vilas County. The 45-year old Salerno died January 24 after a crash near Sayner. The driver he was riding with, Scott Hirschey is now facing charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. A criminal complaint says Hirschey's blood alcohol level was .22% four hours after the crash. The legal limit to drive in Wisconsin is .08.

Whenever the topic of drinking and snowmobiling comes up - fingers point in lots of different directions. Should there be stricter laws and stiffer penalties? Should there be more authorities patrolling the trails? Can we blame the bartenders who serve the drinks? Or is it a matter of personal responsiblity - resting entirely on the shoulders of those who drink and drive? Maybe think drinking and snowmobiling isn't a problem at all.