text:
The Washington Navy Yard shooter lied about a previous arrest and failed to disclose thousands of dollars in debts when he applied for a security clearance in the Navy.
Then federal investigators dismissed the omissions, and made one of their own — deleting any reference to Aaron Alexis' use of a gun in that arrest.
The gaps in his record eventually allowed him to work in the secure Navy building where he gunned down 12 workers last week, underscoring weaknesses with the clearance process that Navy officials are targeting for change.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recommended Monday that all police reports — not just arrests or convictions — involving an individual must be included when a background check is done. He also recommended that the Navy enhance its management of sailor evaluations and fitness reports by assigning more senior officers to oversee them.
The Navy, in a report released Monday, revealed new details about Alexis' Navy service, including his failure to reveal the 2004 arrest over a parking disagreement in Seattle. And officials said the background report given to the Navy omitted the fact that he had shot out the tires of another person's car during that dispute.
Instead, the report from the Office of Personnel Management said Alexis "deflated" the tires.
Defense officials have acknowledged that a lot of red flags were missed in Alexis' background, allowing him to maintain a secret-level security clearance and have access to a secure Navy facility despite a string of behavioral problems and brushes with the law. Over the past week, they have been struggling to determine what might have been missed, and what changes could be made in order to try and prevent similar violence in the future.
So far, however, the detailed reviews only underscore how subjective the security checks can be and how difficult it is to predict violent behavior based only on minor conduct issues that could easily be overlooked.
A review of Alexis' nearly four-year Navy career was ordered last week by Mabus.
According to a senior Navy official, the police report included information about the gun and said Alexis was arrested, charged with malicious mischief and fingerprinted and spent the night in jail. But when he appeared in court the charges were dismissed and he believed the incident was erased from his record.
The OPM report, provided to the Navy, left out the gun in its description of the incident, saying Alexis deflated the man's tires in retaliation for the man putting an unknown substance in Alexis' gas tank. It was not clear Monday who was at fault for the omission. Officials said they didn't know whether the summary provided to the Navy was compiled by OPM, or if it was put together by the company that investigated Alexis for his clearance — U.S. Investigations Services, or USIS — and passed on to OPM.
The discrepancy, however, prompted Mabus to recommend changes in the process to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Hagel has ordered two sweeping reviews of military security and employee screening programs, and Mabus' recommendation will be considered as part of those studies.
A senior Navy official said military officials only became aware that a gun was used in the tire incident when they went back through all the records last week, after the Navy Yard shooting. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly by name, so spoke on condition of anonymity.
The tragedy has revealed a number of problems with the security clearance system, including its focus on whether someone is a treason threat rather than a potential killer.
When a check of Alexis' fingerprints disclosed the Seattle police incident, it triggered a follow-up interview for the security clearance. An OPM memo about the interview included multiple questions about debts he failed to pay and problems with collection agencies. In each case, the memo noted that Alexis was having financial troubles, was arranging repayment plans and only he and his mother knew of the debts.
"The subject does not feel that knowledge of any of his financial issues could be used against him for blackmail or coercion," the memo said.
The fact that Alexis did not disclose the debts on his security form was dismissed in the memo, which noted that he answered "no" to the questions because he was working on payment plans and thought the issues would be resolved. He also answered "no" to questions about his police record, including whether he had been arrested, charged, convicted or issued a summons, citation or ticket to appear in court in a criminal proceeding.
The OPM memo said Alexis told the investigator he answered "no" to those questions "because the charge was dismissed and he was told by Connell (his attorney) that the charge would be removed from his record."
The Navy also released other details about Alexis' troubled service record, including two efforts by his commander to impose non-judicial punishments for various infractions.
The Navy said Alexis failed to report to work because he was in jail for a disorderly conduct arrest outside a nightclub in Georgia in September 2008. His commander ordered the loss of a half-month's pay for two months and a one-rank demotion, but suspended both punishments because it was Alexis' first offense.
About a year later, he jumped off some stairs at another nightclub and broke his ankle. His commander demoted him, but Alexis appealed. Another commander later concluded there wasn't enough evidence that Alexis was drunk, so the punishment was dismissed.
He was arrested again a year later, for discharging a firearm in his apartment. Navy officials began preparing a less-than-honorable discharge, but it was never completed because he said the incident was an accident, and no charges were filed. Several months later he received an honorable discharge from the Navy.
While in hindsight, the string of events could have set off alarm bells within the Navy, officials said Monday that it is difficult even now to see them as glaring indicators of last week's shooting rampage.
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


text:
The fate of Nazi war criminal Heinrich Mueller, who led Adolf Hitler's Gestapo, has long been a mystery. Now a historian says he has traced Mueller to a Jewish cemetery in Berlin. If confirmed, the discovery would end 68 years of uncertainty about the man who ran the secret police.
After becoming the head of the Gestapo in 1939, he played a key role in carrying out the Nazis' "Final Solution," a plan to exterminate Jews. He "was last spotted in Adolf Hitler's bunker in Berlin the day after the Nazi leader committed suicide in 1945," Reuters reports.
The news agency also notes that Mueller had been known to say he would never be captured alive by Germany's enemies. He is now believed to be in a mass grave in a historic Jewish cemetery in central Berlin.
"Mueller, who was an SS Gruppenfuehrer — roughly equivalent to a major general — was sought for decades after the war by investigators around the world, including Israel's Mossad, the U.S. Office of Special Investigations, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center," the AP says.
Historian Johannes Tuchel, the director of the German Resistance Memorial Center, tells Reuters and Germany's Bild newspaper that he has found proof Mueller died in Berlin in 1945. After being buried first in a temporary grave at the Luftwaffe headquarters, Mueller was interred in a mass burial at a historic Jewish cemetery in Berlin, Tuchel says.
Tuchel "reexamined evidence from a grave-digger after the war, in then communist East Germany," Reuters reports, "who remembered burying a man in a general's uniform in Berlin-Mitte Jewish Cemetery in 1945."
The historian says he then cross-referenced military decorations and documents found on the body to data from German intelligence and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, as well as the Berlin archives.
"The cemetery was desecrated by the Nazis and became the site of 16 mass graves for more than 2,700 people who died in Allied air raids and the fall of Berlin. It is now a Jewish memorial," according to Reuters.
The news that a notorious Nazi war criminal might be in a Jewish cemetery dating from the 17th century has produced new frustrations in the Jewish community — particularly because its religious law forbids exhumation, and Mueller's body could be difficult to identify beyond a doubt.
"The fact that one of the most brutal Nazi sadists is buried in a Jewish cemetery of all places is a distasteful monstrosity," Dieter Graumann, chairman of the Central Council of Jews, tells Bild, in a translation by Der Spiegel. "The memories of the victims are being grossly violated here."
In 1945 and the years that followed, efforts to find the former Gestapo leader were made more difficult by the fact "Heinrich Mueller" is a very common German name, according to the biography assembled by the Jewish Virtual Library.
"Ultimately the Allies would find many Heinrich Muellers in occupied Germany and Austria, but not the right one," the site says.
For years, many people suspected Mueller had somehow eluded capture, perhaps by allying himself with the Soviet Union. Der Spiegel reports:
"After [Adolph] Eichmann, a key architect of the Holocaust, was captured in Argentina in 1960 and taken to Israel to stand trial, he told his interrogators that he believed [Mueller] was still alive. Documents from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) apparently show that Western intelligence agencies, too, long believed that [Mueller] survived the war. In the summer of 1949, it was thought he was hiding in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary, and SPIEGEL reported in the 1960s on speculation that he was alive."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I have not seen many sneak previews of the spaces in the Symphony Show House, with the exception of the kitchen. The Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles blog has featured guest posts on the design of the Show House kitchen by one of Atlanta's preeminent kitchen designers, Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria. Matthew and his team have been working for months on the transformation of the kitchen in the Show House (they gutted the old kitchen), and the results (seen above) are stunning. I took special note of the two small islands; according to one of Matthew's guest posts, the design came out of a desire to improve traffic issues that one long island often causes in a kitchen where there are multiple people cooking. Also, it was noted the two islands creates more usable countertop space.
It was the second time this week I had seen a kitchen with two small islands. At the end of last week, the authors of the Whitehaven blog posted pictures of the kitchen from the house that I featured on my blog on Tuesday (click here for more images). Note that there are two islands, one of which has storage, and one of which is open. I think this is a great combination – the best of both worlds. Architecture by Brad Heppner (who is clearly very talented at kitchen design).
Here is a wider view of the kitchen – you can see the storage island better in this picture (and those fantastic lights are amazing in the space). Brad designed one island to match the cabinetry, and one island to look like furniture. The overall effect is beautiful. Image via Whitehaven.
A charming 1925 Tudor style house that is on the market in Atlanta has a stunning kitchen addition that is filled with light. Although it is hard to see in this picture, there are two islands, each shaped differently. A big island would have really changed the look of this kitchen, but the two small islands give the kitchen additional work surfaces without overwhelming the space. Does anyone know which architect helmed the renovation of this house (I have a guess…)? Image via real estate listing.
This beautiful kitchen is in a Mediterranean style house (circa 1929) that was renovated under the guidance of project architect Rodolfo Castro (who was with Summerour and Associates at the time, but has since started his own firm, Castro Design Studio). Ed Belding also worked on the kitchen design; Ed is a talented interior designer who worked with Rodolfo at Summerour, and has since started his own firm, the Belding Group. The kitchen has two islands of different sizes and shapes, with open shelving underneath. Photo credit: Blayne Beacham; to see more of this house, please visit Limestone and Boxwoods.
Rodolfo told me that the inspiration for the kitchen islands came from Castle Drogo, located near Drewsteignton, Devon, England. Castle Drogo was built in the 1910s - 1920s and was designed by Edwin Lutyens (the island in the picture above was designed by Lutyens for the home). An interesting side note, Castle Drogo was the last castle to be built in England, and more than likely the last private house to be built entirely of granite (source: Wikipedia).
What do you think of two small islands in a kitchen? I like the look, provided there is enough storage space in other places in the kitchen. I can definitely see the advantages from a traffic flow perspective, and I love the idea of having multiple independent work surfaces (during busy times in my kitchen, we have small battles for countertop space). The one concern I have is losing the storage that is in a large island. I am looking forward to seeing the kitchen in the Symphony Show House in person, and I will be paying special attention to those kitchen islands!
The Atlanta Symphony Decorators' Show House opens this weekend (April 17, 2010), and runs through May 9, 2010. For more information, please visit the show house website: http://www.decoratorsshowhouse.org/
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text:
Baku-APA. Syria is ready to hold talks with the armed opposition trying to topple President Bashar Assad, the country's foreign minister said Monday, in the government's most advanced offer yet to try to resolve the 2-year-old civil war through negotiations, APA reports quoting Associated Press.
Walid al-Moallem did not say whether rebel fighters would first have to lay down their arms before negotiations could begin, a key sticking point in the past. Still, the proposal marked the first time that a high-ranking Syrian official has stated publicly that the government would meet with opposition fighters.
"We're ready for a dialogue with anyone who's willing for it," al-Moallem said in Moscow ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart, "even with those who carry arms. We are confident that reforms will come about not with the help of bloodshed but through dialogue."
One rebel commander welcomed the idea of talks, but only on the condition that Assad and those who are responsible for the bloodshed are put on trial.
Syria's 23-month-old conflict, which has killed more than 70,000 people and destroyed many of the country's cities, has repeatedly confounded international efforts to bring the parties together to end the bloodshed. Russia, a close ally of Assad and his regime's chief international advocate, offered last Wednesday, in concert with the Arab League, to broker talks between the rebels and the government.
The proposal — which the Kremlin would be unlikely to float publicly without first securing word from Damascus that it would indeed take part — suggested the regime could be warming to the idea of a settlement as it struggles to hold territory and win back ground it has lost to the rebels.
Syria's rebels have scored several tactical victories in recent weeks, capturing the nation's largest hydroelectric dam and overtaking airbases in the northeast. In Damascus, they have advanced from their strongholds in the suburbs into neighborhoods in the northeast and southern rim of the capital, while peppering the center of the city with mortar rounds for days.
On Thursday, a huge bomb blast near the ruling Baath party headquarters in Damascus killed at least 53 people, according to state media.
While the momentum may be subtly shifting in the rebels' direction, the regime's grip on Damascus remains firm, and Assad's fall is far from imminent — or certain.
Ahead of the meeting with al-Moallem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated his call for Syria to negotiate with the opposition, saying that "the situation in Syria is at a crossroads now." He also warned that further fighting could lead to "the breakup of the Syrian state."
Past government offers for talks with the opposition have included a host of conditions, such as demanding that the rebels first lay down their arms. Those proposals have been swiftly rejected by both activists outside the country and rebels on the ground.
The prospect of negotiating with the armed opposition is made all the more difficult by the fractured status of those fighting to topple the regime. There are dozens of armed brigades and groups across the country and no unified command.
The head of one group, Free Syrian Army chief Gen. Salim Idriss, said he is "ready to take part in dialogue within specific frameworks," but then rattled off conditions that the regime has rejected in the past.
"There needs to be a clear decision on the resignation of the head of the criminal gang, Bashar Assad, and for those who participated in the killing of the Syrian people to be put on trial," Idriss told pan-Arab Al-Arabiya TV.
He said the government must agree to stop all kinds of violence and to hand over power, saying that "as rebels, this is our bottom line."
Both sides in the conflict in recent weeks have floated offers and counter-offers to hold talks to resolve the crisis.
In a speech in January, Assad offered to lead a national dialogue to end the bloodshed, but said he would not talk with the armed opposition and vowed to keep on fighting. The opposition rejected the proposal.
This month, the leader of the Syrian National Coalition, the umbrella group for opposition parties, said he would be open to discussions with the regime that could pave the way for Assad's departure, but that the government must first release tens of thousands of detainees. The government refused, and even members within the Coalition balked at the idea of talks.
Speaking to reporters Monday in Cairo, SNC chief Mouaz al-Khatib accused the regime of procrastinating and said it had derailed his dialogue offer by not responding to the Coalition's conditions.
"We are always open to initiatives that stop the killing and destruction but the regime rejected the simplest of humanitarian conditions. We have asked that the regime start by releasing women prisoners and there was no response," he said. "This regime must understand that the Syrian people do not want it anymore."
Countries in the region have watched the Syrian conflict with trepidation, fearful that the bloodshed could drag in neighboring states.
Turkey, which has taken in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees and has exchanged fire across the border with government troops, is among those most concerned about the fallout.
Speaking to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused Damascus of using "every instrument to turn the legitimate struggle of the Syrian people into a sectarian war which would engulf the entire region in flames."
"The longer this regime is allowed to wage its campaign of violence, the harder it will be to prevent such a dreadful eventuality," he added.
Meanwhile, the fighting inside Syria rages on.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group reported heavy clashes Monday outside a police academy in Khan al-Asal just outside Aleppo.
Rebels backed by captured tanks launched a fresh offensive on the facility on Sunday. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said at least 13 rebels and five regime troops were killed in the fighting.
In another part of Aleppo, rebels downed a military helicopter near the Mennegh airport, where there have been fierce clashes for months.
A video posted online by activists shows a missile being fired, a trail of white smoke and then the aircraft going up in flames. Voices in the background shout "God is great" as a man raises both hands in the air in celebration.
The video appeared to be authentic and corresponds to other AP reporting.


text:
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Mmmm, Chest Hair.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
(UPDATE: This Wreck has been claimed! Thanks to baker Alicia for being such a good sport.)
If you prefer to be shot through the heart, though, you could request the "V-neck special" slice from this Bon Jovi cake:
Don't get me wrong; those frosted highlights are totally rad, dude, but, like, where's his nose? And those stars of David - Oy vay! Get me some bad medicine, stat; this cake is giving more than love a bad name*.
Hmm. You know, I'm thinking this post just isn't Wrecky enough. [Virtually rifling through submissions] AHA!! Here we go:
The best part? It's called a "Macho Man Cake". [Cue the Village People] That's right: it's not an 8-year old boy; it's a MACHO man. Who waxes. And, er, drools black stuff. And likes to lay in a bed of mustard. And has some serious groin grooming issues. And - oh, you get the idea.
*Mini Wrecks contest: whoever works the most Bon Jovi song titles into their comment wins! Not an actual prize or anything, you know; just fame and glory. ;)
149 comments | Post a Comment
- Mel said...
Is it just me, or is Jon Bon Jovi wearing a skort?
- September 4, 2008 at 7:54 AM
- Wonderful World of Weiners said...
Selelcks chest hair looks like brown maggots....or ants.
Bon Jovi looks like he's wearing a skirt.
And the last guy? PEDOPHILE!!
Hallie - September 4, 2008 at 7:55 AM
- The Queen of Fifty Cents said...
Lordy, every time I think the cakes can't get any worse--but they always do! Thanks for the early morning laugh!
- September 4, 2008 at 8:04 AM
That Tom Selleck cake is very good technically; it's just really damn scary.
I was going to say something about the "Macho Man" cake looking like an 8-year-old boy in lipstick, but it's too scary to post. - September 4, 2008 at 8:18 AM
- Jade said...
I only have on song title, but I think it sums up the entire post: Captain Crash And The Beauty Queen From Mars.
- September 4, 2008 at 8:20 AM
- Leigh said...
I think the creator of the Bon Jovi cake was intimidated by making hands, so they copped out and put one in the pocket of his denim skirt.
- September 4, 2008 at 8:20 AM
Please, oh please, do not tell me someone *paid* for the "macho man" cake. What is that on the sheet... Nacho cheese?
(sorry, not a Bon Jovi fan, no lyrics) - September 4, 2008 at 8:24 AM
- Andrea said...
Is that a third nipple?
as done by Bon Jovi - September 4, 2008 at 8:24 AM
Say it ain't so! That last cake is a Runaway poster child for Social Disease! (Did you see the "hair" coming out of the suit???) Raise Your Hands if you agree! What we need is some Justice in a Barrel, Billy Get your Guns!! I can't wait to Come Back... you Always have the greatest posts!!! Keep the Faith!
- September 4, 2008 at 8:25 AM
I thought that last one was a cake based on that operation game. Um...but I don't know any Bon Jovi songs. Was "Something for the Pain" Bon Jovi?
- September 4, 2008 at 8:27 AM
this macho man cake gave me a shot through the heart. i think his legs are to blame. judging by how skinny this mach man is, he's been livin' on a prayer, and not much else. he's not going down in a blaze of glory anytime soon. looks like he had some bad medicine. but, ya know, he'll be there for you! although i can't say he's wanted dead or alive.
- September 4, 2008 at 8:33 AM
- The Courteous Chihuahua said...
I'm not even going to attempt the Bon Jovi challenge.
I loved Tom Selleck back in the day, but I never wanted to eat his chest hair.
That last one reminds me of the game Operation, except I think he's already dead, so maybe it's now called Autopsy. It looks like even Macho Man was embarrassed by his Cake Wreckiness and tried to slide off the board. - September 4, 2008 at 8:37 AM
- Margie said...
These cakes are living on a prayer but I guess I'll be there for them otherwise I will be forced to flee and be wanted, dead or alive. Any tres leches cakes? I hate those slippery when wet cakes, yuck.
Sambora!!! - September 4, 2008 at 8:59 AM
This dude doesn't look too "lucky".
Maybe he was "wanted dead or alive" and was "shot through the heart" or he could have been playing "roulette" or taken some "bad medicine". At any rate he is no longer "standing". "Breathe" dude "breathe"! Well I don't think he's "alive". I hope he has "no regrets". Maybe he can send us "postcards from the wasteland".
Macho Man? He might have had "secret dreams" of being "king of the mountain" Sounds like "all talk no action" to me – especially with that "social disease"!
That's 14. *smiles*
Oh – love the Tom Selleck cake! The Bon Jovi one is well done too.
Your commentary is hilarious as usual! Thanks for the laughs! - September 4, 2008 at 9:02 AM
- Ruth said...
Is it me, or does Jon Bon Jovi look like he's wearing a denim mini-skirt on that cake?
- September 4, 2008 at 9:08 AM
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU when you blow out the candles on your next BLAZE OF GLORY. With any luck, you won't need to pass out IN THESE ARMS (or on a BED OF ROSES) after seeing what cakewreck you'll surely be presented with. But seriously, don't RUNAWAY! There's more terrible song titles for you to LAY YOUR HANDS ON in this comment! Voters, be sure to RAISE YOUR HANDS if you think DaveX is the pathetic winner here, and if he's LUCKY, there won't be any need to make the official count be STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN.
- September 4, 2008 at 9:15 AM
- The Creeper said...
Oh, I wish I had a picture of the cake I ordered for a friend's bachelorette party back in 1994. It had a naked guy on it, covered only by a colored plastic Speedo. I was getting even with her for the gawd-awful bridesmaid dresses she picked out. Awful.
- September 4, 2008 at 9:22 AM
Ok, that Tom Selleck thing is way too awesome. I think I might get one for my mom for her b-day next year!
- September 4, 2008 at 9:27 AM
Did anyone else notice that the seams on Bon Jovi's jeans and jacket don't match up? Maybe it's a mini skirt with the zipper on the side seam? That, or his spine is broken, thusly able to rotate like old GI Joe dolls?
- September 4, 2008 at 9:35 AM
- Lori said...
I have no Bon Jovi quotes to throw in, which disappoints me more than you know, but is that a denim mini skirt he's wearing?
- September 4, 2008 at 9:45 AM
- Yvonne said...
Boy, that cake would go well with some Bitter Wine. It's just Crazy! Maybe instead of the stars of David, the cake could use a Bed of Roses. I guess we should be Lucky that he's at least got the vest on.
Days Like These, as well as Any Other Day, I could use a good laugh. This blog always makes me Come Back.
The Tom Selleck cake makes him look like he's Burning for Love.
(I would write more but I'm at work and time is precious!!) - September 4, 2008 at 9:49 AM
- Etiquette Bitch said...
that last cake...no way was it done by a professional. still hilarious. i think the black drool is supposed to be a cigarette. hilarious!
- September 4, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Does this Bon Jovi cake make my butt look big?
- September 4, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Why pink flowers on the Tom cake I wonder. Did you notice the board under is matching?
- September 4, 2008 at 9:57 AM
- RachelRenae said...
These cakes make me want to 'Runaway'.
Yeah, 1 reference. Pretty sad. - September 4, 2008 at 10:00 AM
- Chrissie A said...
Yikes--how delightfully gag-worthy!!
I just discovered this blog; instantly subscribed to it--what fun!! - September 4, 2008 at 10:01 AM
- aleta meadowlark said...
The one at the bottom there looks like either a blow up doll or the dude from Operation. Macho is not a word I use to describe either of these.
- September 4, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Well, I don't want to "Fall to the Fire" here, but those cakes were worse than "Bad Medicine" and "Bitter Wine". The last time I saw a cake even half as bad as these, it was "August 7, 4:15", and I was at the "Church of Desire".
I know I am new to the Cake Wrecks site - I'm just "A Stranger in this Town" - but "I Believe" I'd much rather be laying in a "Bed of Roses" with a "Diamond Ring" and "Living in Sin" than eat those cakes.
Maybe the baker was just "Misunderstood" - or maybe she was "Naked" and suffering from "Neurotica", but it would take a "Miracle" for someone to not "Runaway" at the sight of them! She must be "Livin' on a Prayer" if she thinks that anyone would touch these things!
Eating them would be like playing "Roulette".
Seriously! "I Want You" to "Raise Your Hands" if you would honestly eat these monstrosities!! "The Answer" is NO!! Tell me we're all "Undivided" in this!
Maybe "It's Just Me", but I need "Something for the Pain" just after looking at those "Ugly" things!
"Keep the Faith", my friends and never "Fear" - there will be cakes that are worse than these! This post is definitely not the "King of the Mountain". "Don't Lie to me" - you know that's true.
Well, I gotta "Bounce" because I have to go "Save the World", but remember that "Every Word was a Piece of my Heart". I "Never Say Goodbye", so.. until next time... Ciao!
Love, "Rosie": "The Queen of New Orleans". - September 4, 2008 at 10:05 AM
- Movie Maven said...
I've been shot through the heart, and these cakes are to blame. I mean, I want them (dead or alive), but maybe a bed of roses would have been better than a bed of mustard. Maybe the groin-grooming problems are more of a social disease than anything else. But keep the faith, y'all - it's not like the cakes are bad medicine. Get ready, because even though these decorators are livin' on a prayer, their designs are gonna go down in a blaze of glory.
- September 4, 2008 at 10:09 AM
- Dea said...
OMG, too funny! Guess these are cakes for decorators who refuse to wear hair nets???
I'm bad at the title work-in, so yeah - not even trying! LOL! - September 4, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Say it isn't so. This cake is livin' on a prayer. I wouldn't want it dead or alive. Would you want to lay your hands on this? It gives cake a bad name. If you ever want to send this cake down in a blaze of (un)glory, I'll be there for you, always. I'd rather be living in sin on a bed of roses than pay money for this. Who says you can't go back to the store and return it? It's your life. In the meantime, I'll keep the faith that someone will destroy this monstrosity. Have a nice day!
- September 4, 2008 at 10:16 AM
- Rambler said...
"Get Ready", here comes the winner.
What a great contest! "You Really Got Me Now", or at least my interest. I didn't really want to spend time at work doing this but then I said "It's My Life" and "These Days" it's hard to find a good hairy cake or a good contest. Don't "Lie To Me", you know you want to "Lay Your Hands On..." Tom Selleck. Hopefully they didn't get any real hair in that cake though. We wouldn't want a "Social Disease" outbreak.
The decorator is going to have to "Make a Living Out of Loving You" because he/she may not get any good word of mouth "Without Love". Their business might just be "Livin On A Prayer". But I hope they don't "Say Goodbye" to the cake business.
"Raise Your Hand" and "Lay Your Hands On Me" if you think I won this contest of Bon Jovi wits and we'll celebrate "One Wild Night" by "Rockin In The Free World" and getting "Naked" and "Wild In The Streets" of this "Little City". We can "Bang a Drum" and "Let It Rock". But don't get too crazy or the cops might yell "Billy Get Your Guns" and they'll want us "Dead or Alive" and we may get "Shot Through The Heart". Then we'll be labeled a "Runaway". "Come Back" they'll say, "Never Say Goodbye". Or maybe we'll just be "Shot Through The Heart" and no kind of good or "Bad Medicine" will save us. But when we die, they'll lay us down in a "Bed of Roses" and tell eveyone to '"Keep the Faith", they went down in a "Blaze of Glory".'
I could go on for the "Next 100 Years", but I have work to do. - September 4, 2008 at 10:18 AM
- Brandi said...
I Always Run To You* when I need a good laugh. However, these cakes make me want to Runaway*. I have Always* had Secret Dreams* of one day being a cake decorator, but, I Fear* it'd probably be a Miracle* if I didn't end up on Cake Wrecks myself. It is sure hard, These Days* to find a quality cake decorator. Okay.. I'm off, I will Come Back* soon!
*All Bon Jovi titles :P (Okay I know it kind of sucks but I thought I'd give it a go anyhow. Yes, I was looking at track listings, I am not THAT big of a fan - September 4, 2008 at 10:22 AM
- sassypackrat said...
OMG!!! You made my morning! I laughed so hard I almost choked on my cereal! I really needed that laugh today. I just love your blog and read it every day.
- September 4, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Macho man? And here was I thinking it was a little boy with gigantic crotch worms and a habit of smoking licorice whips!
Your contest makes me wish I'd spent more (okay some) of my misspent youth listening to Bon Jovi albums.
Now if it was a Melissa Etheridge or Beatles or Jethro Tull contest...there I could be a serious contender.
Cakes of famous people may be popular, but I must admit they unnerve me slightly.
Besides, who wants to the one who gets the piece that's all Tom Sellick's chest hair? Not appetizing. - September 4, 2008 at 10:35 AM
- Lizard said...
so many disturbing cakes, all at once!
the pink flowers around Tom are almost as bad as the extremely gross chest hair.
Bon Jovi looks like he's wearing a nice denim skirt. Either that, or he's put on a few. Something about the perspective in that one is not working for me at all.
And the macho man.... where to begin? So disturbing. So so disturbing. And what is that yellow stuff? shudder - September 4, 2008 at 10:37 AM
That Tom Selleck cake was awesome! I'd get one for my mom's birthday if I could. The hair was only funny to me.
On the other hand, Bon Jovi's proportions really irk me. He's packing a whole lotta junk in the trunk for that tiny little head. And Macho Man gets a hefty bag of NO. - September 4, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I'm totally not a squeamish person...okay, there was the time I saw the poster for the Testicle Festival in Montana (there's one phrase you thought you'd never Google). I also really like cake, but I don't think I could put a spork to any one of these!
- September 4, 2008 at 10:42 AM
These cakes are like bad medicine! Although, I am in and out of love with Tom Selleck. I might want to runaway with him! He gives love a bad name, indeed.
On the other hand, it's my life, right? I don't want to be livin' on a prayer forever. We could go down in a blaze of glory, cuz who says you can't go home, right? So let it rock! I'll be there for you, Tommy! Know that you are wanted dead or alive! - September 4, 2008 at 10:51 AM
- Risha said...
I must say that the Tom Selleck cake is truly excellently made, despite making me gag a little.
- September 4, 2008 at 10:54 AM
You'd think any Bon Jovi fan would be running "Wild in the streets" for a cake with their lead singer on it, but I think I'd be more likely to become a "Runaway" following this disaster. No, I'm sorry, "I Believe" this cake just has to be thrown "To The Fire" - or at least I "Fear" that if that cake was "In These Arms", it would be thrown to the fire.
The person who paid for this disaster will just have to put it down to bad luck, and"Blame It On The Love Of Rock n Roll". The cake maker on the other hand, if they have "A Little Bit Of Soul", will surely not be able to sleep at night, and will probably even admit, "Hey God", I'm shit at making Bon Jovi cakes. Either that or "Keep The Faith" and try again, if "That's What It Takes" to be a good Bon Jovi cake maker anyways. That being said, by the looks of things, this guy could make cakes for the "Next Hundred Years" and be "Just Older", as opposed to being 100 years older and being able to say to his customers "We Got It Going On" where Bon Jovi cakes are concerned. In this scenario, some cool Bon-Jovi-cake-wanting-dude will be able to say "I Want You" to make my bad ass BJ cake.
Well folks, thats all the BJ songs I can be bothered to come up with. I guess the cake maker just had a "This Left Feels Right" moment, when baking it at "7800 degrees Fahrenheit". (are there bonus points for album titles?!?!).
"Have a nice day".
16 songs
2 album titles - September 4, 2008 at 10:59 AM
- marybindc said...
Those jeans make Bon Jovi's butt look big.
- September 4, 2008 at 11:02 AM
- Jared Crookston said...
I'm not sure if that's a generic "macho man" or it that is not in fact the worst "Macho Man" Randy Savage that I have ever seen.
- September 4, 2008 at 11:02 AM
- Sabina E. said...
oh dear god. Hairy man's chest on a cake? eewwwwwww. No thanks. I just barfed in my mouth LOL
- September 4, 2008 at 11:08 AM
- Karen said...
When I first saw these cakes I wanted to "Runaway", I felt like I had been "Shot Through the Heart", they were that terrible. But then I decided to "Come Back" and "Get Ready" to make some comments on the cakes.
Did the Macho Man cake have a "Breakout" or some sort or a "Social Disease" ....those are weird black marks on his body. I think "Only Lonely" people would find that attractive. They might even have "Secret Dreams" about eating Macho Man (ewwww).
The Tom Selleck cake is a pretty good rendition of him, actually. Tom Selleck is on my list, if you know what I mean. I'd love to say to him: "Lay Your Hands on Me". But the chest hair? "I Believe" that's taking it a bit too far. I "Fear" this cake will make me lose interest in Tom and I won't be a "Woman in Love" anymore.
My sister would love the Bon Jovi cake, she loves him. I "Blame It on the Love of Rock & Roll", because to me he's nothing special. But "These Days" you've got to have "Something to Believe In", and I guess Bon Jovi is better than nothing.
Now, don't "Lie to Me", you think the first 2 cakes are pretty good except for the chest hair. To be honest, the macho man would look better lying in a "Bed of Roses" rather than that ugly mustard stuff.
I want you to know that I check this blog "Everyday" and while some cakes may be "Misunderstood", I "Always" think the cakes are pretty awful wrecks. "I Am" glad I found ths blog.
"Have a Nice Day" - September 4, 2008 at 11:10 AM
- Maryogim said...
This was a Macho Man cake? Say It Isn't So! The baker must be Wanted Dead Or Alive for that monstrosity. Honestly, If That's What It Takes to mark the march of Father Time I think I've Misunderstood something. I just want to Runaway from that Damned thing. Please Lie To Me and tell me again how to Get Ready for a birthday? I mean Hook Me Up here, we all want The Answer. It must be to Breakout a dose of Bad Medicine Everyday and keep Livin' On A Prayer – that or set it afire in a Blaze Of Glory
- September 4, 2008 at 11:11 AM
- LadyCiani said...
Enh, I'm a bit too young to participate in the Bon Jovi goodness, but my first instinct on the "Macho Man" cake was that it was some kid's submission into the county fair (you know, based on the name card just above and to the left). Turns out it's not, but the "mustard" must be Cointreau.
- September 4, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Hairy cakes? "Say it isn't so"! Eww, I think I'll "Runaway" from that one. It's not "Everyday" you see pubic hair depicted in frosting. But could it be the intent is "Misunderstood"? Maybe it was meant for someone with a "Social Disease". Okay, stop laughing long enough to "Breathe", would you? :o)
(stupid, huh? LOL)
~Amy B - September 4, 2008 at 11:15 AM
- Hereward said...
Is it just me or does the Bon Jovi cake make it look like he's wearing a denim skirt, 'cause wearing a 'sweater' AND a denim skirt, THAT'S hott!
- September 4, 2008 at 11:19 AM
- Unknown said...
I quite like the Tom Sellack cake... fun blog!
- September 4, 2008 at 11:24 AM
- Moominmama said...
I have to say I think the Tom Selleck cake is, in fact, fabulous. I would love to get that for my birthday. I'll even forgive the pink flowers!
- September 4, 2008 at 11:29 AM
I have a deep need to understand only why Jon Bon Jovi is wearing a denim mini skirt. The rest makes perfect sense!
- September 4, 2008 at 11:41 AM
- Jessica said...
Get ready for this...These cakes are wild in the streets. I am sure that these cakes are just misunderstood. Maybe someday the fear of those chest hairs will vanish. Just jump aboard the mystery train, its open all night for anyone who wants a slice of that love for sale macho man cake. Just remember to keep the faith, because everyday there will be more cake wrecks just waiting to be discovered. We will Always come back to read about the real life cake wrecks.
Have a nice day
~Jessica - September 4, 2008 at 11:42 AM
the selleck cake is actually really well executed!
sorry... not a bon jovi fan. couldn't come up w/ anything pithy. :( - September 4, 2008 at 11:55 AM
- Keith said...
That Selleck is pretty rad.
- September 4, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I totally call the piece with the Tom Selleck chest hair. Mmmm chest hair.
- September 4, 2008 at 12:01 PM
"You really got me now" - Jen -- I tried to "runaway" from this blog, but I can "never say goodbye" -- "I believe(d)" I could, but "it's (too) hard, letting you go" and I thought that "with a little help from my friends" I "imagine(d)" I would "have a nice day" without cake wrecks, but (sigh), "everybody's broken" and "you know how to make a memory" -- and even though it's "complicated" I'll "keep the faith" and "stay" since "no one does it like you" -- I guess that means I can "never say goodbye"
"I thank you" - "Keep the faith" ;)
Beensie - September 4, 2008 at 12:05 PM
- mere9 said...
lest he lay in a 'bed of roses', because he was 'shot through the heart' (first album people, yes, it IS a song title), this cake is a 'runaway' winner. i'd be remiss not to mention gina, who was 'living on a prayer' when this cake arrived, it was if she was 'in and out of love' with her man who said, "baby, 'i'd die for you', and that's why i'll 'never say goodbye'".
'lay your hands on me'.. err, this cake, and i bet you'll 'keep the faith'.
now... 'have a nice life'.
:) - September 4, 2008 at 12:12 PM
OH I just about pee myself every time I read this blog! I could just die about the 8 year old boy-ish cake! Major issues there!
Ok so I know I'm a nobody but I'm giving you this little "I love your blog" award, so feel free to post it! From a nobody who happens to LOVE your blog!
http://www.lifewithguys.blogspot.com/ (just copy the award and put it on your blog!)
Thanks for making me laugh. - September 4, 2008 at 12:16 PM
- Miss Kolleen said...
i know what im ordering my friend for his next birthday. a tom selleck cake is just what he needs.
- September 4, 2008 at 12:54 PM
- Michelle.Meyers said...
This is hilarious! We LOVE your blog! We check it daily! Thanks for keeping us laughing :)
- September 4, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Oh, my goodness. Poor Bon Jovi would be upset to know he's been in a cake mashup with the characters from South Park.
Say It Isn't So, but I may have a Cold Heart Heart, or maybe it's that I've had a taste of Bad Medicine downed with Bitter Wine(I needed Something for the Pain), but seeing this cake made me lose a Little Bit of Soul.
We all need Something to Believe In, but this cake ain't The Answer. Bon Jovi's miproportioned body parts are Ugly. I'm talking real Guano City. It might be extreme, but I think the decorator should be listed as Wanted Dead or Alive, If That's What it Takes.
I know that was harsh, but Every Word Was a Piece of My Heart. - September 4, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Bon Jovi also appears to have a dislocated shoulder. He looks rather South Park-y around the arm region. He looks like Ms. Garrison, actually. Ponderous.
- September 4, 2008 at 1:19 PM
- Miami Mama said...
I've been a cake wreck reader for some time but I was waiting for just the right moment to comment...Bon Jovi seems to be it! Here it goes....
Its my cake....its now or never.....machoman's going live forever....I just want to make hairy cakes while Im alive....
Its my cake!
My cake is like a work of art...
Like Jennie said I did it MY way, I just want to make hairy cakes while I'm alive...
It's my Cake!
Macho Man cake you Better stand tall when they're calling you out.
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down....
It's my cake!.....
For another Bon semi song:
Live, Love & Let Loose: Mondays are such a drag......
BTW, I actually love the Tom cake and like some other readers mentioned I think my mom would L-O-V-E a cake that resembles him so well...too bad its missing the bottom half...opps, might've gone to far on that one.
To the maker of the Macho man cake: You give cakes a bad name! LOL
To all: "Have a nice day! ;)"
-xo Gina - September 4, 2008 at 1:25 PM
ya i can make cakes way better than all these ones
- September 4, 2008 at 1:28 PM
I just have to say that I absolutely heart your blog. I could understand the Tom Selleck cake if this were, say, 1986, at the height of the Magnum, PI era. But I don't understand it now, in 2008. Unless, of course, Emma is about 60 and still pining for her lost youth with Magnum and his short shorts.
- September 4, 2008 at 1:31 PM
- evil cake lady said...
it looks like the macho man is under the weather--doesn't he look a little clammy and pale to you?
is that REALLY a professional cake? seriously? - September 4, 2008 at 1:39 PM
The Macho Man must be really nervous or self-conscious to be sweating so profusely. I mean look at the surface of that cake. It is absolutely glistening with perspiration.
- September 4, 2008 at 1:49 PM
- Chrissy said...
Is it bad that my sister Emma has a birthday coming up and all I can think is that I wonder if anyone in Tucson can recreate that Tom Selleck cake? It is? Oh, okay....
- September 4, 2008 at 1:51 PM
- Avoluv said...
Oh, you really got me now!
Dyin' ain't much of a livin', so I better runaway before I die of some damned social disease - I need some bitter wine to flush that post down, or otherwise something to believe in to prevent me from paying blood money to manage a breakout - get ready, by the time I'm done I'll be wanted dead or alive!
But still I believe I may have a Crush on the 'Macho Man'. It's all about lovin', you must understand. I wouldn't want to be misunderstood! Please don't think I am complicated now. I wouldn't want to give love a bad name, so raise your hands if this is too much.
Some day I'll be a wildflower, but not next saturday night, because then I'll always, everyday, be asleep these days.
Please, though, for the hairy chest-man? Say it isn't so, and if it is, at least give me something for the pain, mmkay? Just make sure it isn't some kind of bad medicine. I'll just have to keep the faith in you.
Get ready 'cause I will come back! Reading CakeWrecks is like playing Roulette during a silent night - once you're in it, you never say goodbye!
Have a nice day and thank you for loving me - maybe. At least a little bit =)I'll be there for you tomorrow to laugh at more of your priceless commentary!
---Avocado Love
(That's 36 to save you the counting :P) - September 4, 2008 at 1:56 PM
I tried to read all the comments to see if anyone else noticed that the Macho Cake is in fact a blow up doll! Yikes!
I can't hold in my laughter most days. Thank you so much for adding to my lame days!
I'm not even going to attempt to add any songs! I'm just not that creative! - September 4, 2008 at 1:57 PM
- JP said...
Jesus Harold Christ, Jen! This is, by far, one of the best-worst entries ever! Oh, God, I think I'm crying tears of joy...
- September 4, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Whoever created the cake should bounce. I get it- you're saying, "It's my life", however there is no excuse for bad medicine, or in this case, bad cake. Always give people noses, otherwise they can't possibly have a nice day. Furthermore, any cake should not make someone want to runaway or feel like they were shot through the heart. Get ready because that cake is most definitely something of a social disease. Raise your hands if you feel that whoever commissioned that cake is livin' on a prayer, hoping to make everyone wild in the streets. Never say goodbye to good sense, keep the faith that I'll be there for you regardless of inappropriate chest hair. Finally, you have to wonder who this cake was made for- are they in and out of love with Bon Jovi? Because that cake is just living in sin.
(Total: 16) - September 4, 2008 at 2:15 PM
- Trevor said...
Is it just me, or does the tag next to the last cake say "Catering by Design?" Um, WHO'S design would be? Someone who's never seen an adult male it seems. Or perhaps is just a man-hater to give him such and odd STD and fat lip!
Sorry, no Bon Jovi lyrics here, but I thought that cake was some professional wrestler at first! - September 4, 2008 at 2:22 PM
That Bon Jovi cake is wrong on so many levels. First off, check out that booty! Secondly, what's with the forearm being longer than the upper arm? Is Bon Jovi actually a little person? And, where is his other arm?
I may come back and comment on the macho man cake after I've uncurled from my fetal position and stopped sucking my thumb. Scary... - September 4, 2008 at 2:37 PM
- Christy said...
Okay, Tom Selleck looks like he has WORMS crawling all over his chest. Disgusting!!!
- September 4, 2008 at 2:48 PM
- Elizabeth said...
How sad that the maker of the 'macho man' cake put their card next to it!! Ickk!!! He is DISGUSTING!!!
- September 4, 2008 at 2:51 PM
I can't work the song lyrics, but does this cake make JBJ's ass look big? I mean, messing up that booty is a travisty!
- September 4, 2008 at 3:18 PM
- Kelly said...
Tom cracks me up because there he is, in all of his hairy manly glory, surrounded by pink flowers.
- September 4, 2008 at 3:18 PM
- alicia policia said...
Ok, so I'm a big fan of this blog, and an avid reader.
And I've been waiting for my cake to pop up on here for over two months now. Today is my lucky day!
I am the infamous Tom Selleck cake decorator!
I'm cracking up about being included on Cake Wrecks, especially with such primo company. Wow, that last one takes my breath away... I'm speechless.
And just so everyone knows:
- No, I am not a professional cake decorator.
- The Tom Selleck cake was an intentionally bizarre cake made for my friend's birthday. She loved it.
- No, Emma is not over 60.
- And despite hair + icing being a gross out factor for many, the chest hair pieces were being claimed before the cake was even cut, and were the first to go, followed by the mustache pieces!
I wrote an email to Jen with some more info and history on the Tom Selleck cake in case you're interested.
Meanwhile, I am simultaneously honored, thrilled, and disgusted to be included on Cake Wrecks. Thank you, one and all!
And who knows, you might see me here again...
...If you only knew how many people have been emailing me with requests for David Hasselhoff cakes! What's more, I'm actually considering doing it. - September 4, 2008 at 3:59 PM
- Boozy Tooth said...
There's just no visual on earth that can compare to a Tom Selleck cake with brown icing (right?) chest hair. Especially first thing in the morning. Mmmm indeed.
- September 4, 2008 at 4:28 PM
- Meichelle said...
The Pedophile comment makes me laugh. I seriously thought that too!!
- September 4, 2008 at 5:17 PM
- merbear said...
I'm a personal friend of the person who made this cake, and she's not a professional. She's just awesome. She made the cake for a friend's birthday and was not paid for it.
Here's her blog entry about it:
http://aliciapolicia.blogspot.com/2008/06/tasty-tom-selleck.html - September 4, 2008 at 5:34 PM
- wavecloud said...
When the cake gets in my way, I say, "Have a nice day."
- September 4, 2008 at 5:39 PM
- NinStarch said...
- September 4, 2008 at 7:00 PM
- fuzzandfuzzlet said...
Who made the Jovi cake? I think "She`s a Little Runaway" probably "Living on a Prayer" since her cake making skills leave something to be desired. If you eat chest hair you will need some "Bad Medicine". You can still"Have a Nice Day" tho.
I have to admit I think Bon Jovi is Hot. He could make me fall "In and Out of Love". I would keep him for "Always". In my house he is "Wanted Dead or Alive" (hey that is my ringtone) I would"Never Say Goodbye"
Now back to the Bon Jovi Cake. If I want a Bon Jovi Cake I will have one... hey "It`s My Life" so "Hush" because " I Want to Be Loved" by "The Last Man Standing"
If you want to come over and help me eat cake "I`ll Be There For You" and I will remind you that "You Can`t Lose at Love" even if you take "My Last Cigarette"
I bet the person that made that cake is "Wild as The Wind" it could be worse, she could have some "Love For Sale" ( ick "Say it Aint So") Maybe she holds up a big sign that says "Lay Your Hands On Me" or maybe she is just "Living in Sin" ohhhhh I hope she does not have a "Social Disease"
Remember to use caution if you take the cake outside it is "99 In The Shade"
Hey cake lady can make a baby shower cake that says " You were Born to be my Baby" or maybe she is "On a Homebound Train" after all "Who says You Can`t Go Home" The hair cake may be gross but I still say "Stick To Your Guns"
The cake WAS a good idea ( gone bad) Jon makes a girl want to say "Ride Cowboy Ride" and he can still "Let it Rock" and make you "Raise Your Hands".
Hey without a good ol fashioned school girl crush we would all just be "Wild in the Streets" "Without Love" like a "Wildflower"
We live in a country represented by "Bells of Freedom" so she can make any darn cake she wants.
I bet that cake was "Complicated". If you eat too much of the chest hair you may need "Novocaine" unless your teeth are "Unbreakable"
I could go on and on. I could try to work in songs like "Dirty Little Secrets" or Welcome to Wherever You Are" but that would be obnoxious... so I will quit. - September 4, 2008 at 7:08 PM
- fuzzandfuzzlet said...
LOL naming all of those songs put me in the mood for some Bon Jovi. Since he is not around I had to settle for listening to his Crossroads CD.
"Keep The Faith"
L - September 4, 2008 at 7:32 PM
- Amy Ellen said...
Oh my gosh those are too funny, I can not belive the things some people make and then eat, blech!!! I do have to say though someone did capture Tom Sellecks looks pretty well although seriously chest hair on a cake, blech!!! Again, LOL
- September 4, 2008 at 7:37 PM
OK, that is just frightening!
- September 4, 2008 at 8:04 PM
that last cake is just 'eeewwww' on so many levels!
- September 4, 2008 at 10:29 PM
It's nice post.
- September 4, 2008 at 10:46 PM
I apologize for this ahead of time...You'll be alright once this is over - "Just Older"...much older this comment is LONG.
"Get Ready". This comment will go "The Distance". "I Am" "Complicated" and that's the "Story of My Life". But "It's My Life" and "I'm Livin' on a Prayer" - "Prayer '94", to be exact, but it's "99 in the Shade". Hope it won't take "The Next 100 Years" to read this. It's just that "I Want to be Loved", valued, "Wanted Dead or Alive" and not "Misunderstood". So, "Welcome to Wherever You Are" and "Thank you for Loving Me" even though "You Give Love a Bad Name".
"Let it Rock"...
I'll be "Damned" - The Tom Selleck cake is quite a good likeness and seems to be saying "Lay Your Hands on Me" but I wouldn't recommend it. I "Believe" that icing will "Stick To Your Guns"! They say "You Can't Lose at Love" but you can lose at cake-making, as evidenced by the crawly things on his chest.
Oh, "Say It Ain't So"! That creepy "Last [Macho] Man Standing" is not a man at all and isn't standing. It's (she's) laying in a bird poo-like substance and a "Bed of Roses" would surely be preferable. She (Rosie) is scantily clad and "Ugly"/underdeveloped because of "Bad Medicine". "She's a Mystery" on a "Mystery Train" - not a "Homebound Train" - headed for "Social Disease". She's obviously "Living In Sin" and has "Love for Sale". What is life "Without Love", after all? But "Love Lies", so I had her "Shot Through the Heart" for "Blood Money" on "One Wild Night" in a "Two Story Town" even though "She Don't Know Me". "I Got and the Girl" and she needs "Something For the Pain" but no amount of "Novocaine" will help. I know it's harsh but "This Ain't a Love Song" and I didn't see a "Diamond Ring". She smoked her "Last Cigarette", "Burning for Love" in a "Blaze of Glory" crying " I don't want to 'Fall to the Fire'"....and so on....
(Wow, most of that had nothing to do with cake. Sorry.)
As for the Bon Jovi cake - "I Want You"! "You Were Born to Be My Baby". I "Fear" I shouldn't have cake "These Days", however. "(It's Hard) Letting You Go", frosted frosting hair and all. But If "That's What it Takes" to lose a couple pounds, I'll do it."Keep the Faith"! "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" and "I'll be There for You", "In and Out of Love". "I'd Die for You", even. Plus, "Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars" have come to "Save the World" with a "Miracle"!
And there's more good news: This comment is almost over! So "Raise Your Hands", ring the "Bells of Freedom" and run "Wild in the Streets", "Wild is the Wind", like a Wildflower!
Question: "Who Says You Can't Go Home?"
"Answer": "The King of the Mountain" and the "Queen of New Orleans". They are lonely and would like you to stay.
However, you know you can "Brakeout" and "Runaway" but "Never Say Goodbye" because you know you'll "Come Back" - So "Hush".
Sorry that was long but "It's Just Me" and "Every Word Was a Piece of My Heart".
Well, gotta' "Bounce" - "My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arms", getting "Blood on Blood" so I should probably clean it up..
As "Always", "Have a Nice Day"... "Everyday".
P.S. "Don't Lie To Me". You are all "Undivided" in your hatred for my "Neurotica", aren't you?
I believe that's almost all of 'em ...except "Roulette"...which I used just now. :)
Again, I apologize. This was just awful. - September 4, 2008 at 10:49 PM
- C. B-ger said...
PS: The Tom Selleck cake may be a wreck conceptually, but it's also pretty dang awesome!!
- September 4, 2008 at 11:26 PM
- Kim and Dave said...
The last cake looks like an autopsy of Flat Stanley, after one of his many trips ended in tragedy.
- September 5, 2008 at 1:12 AM
Okay, now I feel like a pervert, because I'd so totally be all over that Tom Selleck cake. It must be the chest hair. That hypnotic, swirly, tasty cake-decoration chest hair. :( :( :( What is wrong with me? :D
- September 5, 2008 at 2:33 AM
lol, so funny! with the selleck cake, omg.
"Would you like some chest hair or eyebrows?"
I can't do the Bon Jovi title thing, because it would mean admitting that I know the name of more than 2 Bon Jovi songs. ;) - September 5, 2008 at 2:52 AM
- Pademelon said...
That Tom Selleck cake is AWESOME! It's a shame that with how well done the whole cake is, the chest hair looks like little worms (my first thought was actually maggots, ugh!)
- September 5, 2008 at 3:11 AM
- alexis giselle said...
oh wow. the first is my favorite. can i have the middle hairy piece??
- September 5, 2008 at 4:45 AM
- Taking Heart said...
Don't get me wrong... CAKE is my favorite food... but I just couldn't go there. Nope.
takingheart.blogspot.com - September 5, 2008 at 5:32 AM
- Lovey said...
God, I LOVE Tom Selleck! I WANT THIS CAKE!!! :)
- September 5, 2008 at 8:50 AM
- P.L. Frederick said...
Lucky Emma! That's one delicious nest of birthday worms to dig into there. Unless Tom Selleck gets to 'em first.
P.L. Frederick (Small & Big) - September 5, 2008 at 9:34 AM
- Queen Mutha said...
My first laugh in the morning. I love the last one.
- September 5, 2008 at 9:37 AM
Love your site.
- September 5, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Oh! Zoom in on Macho Man cake and see how it's right shoulder area has been patched back together. It looks like there's red (blood?) under his left arm, too.
Cointreau Dark Chocolate Cake by Catering By Design (sign next to it) is something I 'll be wary of for the rest of my life!
Thanks for the laughs! - September 5, 2008 at 11:11 AM
I have to agree with the majority ... Bon Jovi is definitely wearing a skort.
But the Macho Man cake seems to have somewhat of an explanation. If you look closely, it seems the tag next to it says Cointreau Dark Chocolate Cake. I'm guessing the - ahem - chef (and I use that term loosely) drank a little bit too much of that Cointreau while decorating, got "creative", and it ended as the tragic icing accident you see before you. - September 5, 2008 at 11:27 AM
- Unknown said...
speedos are so not macho. i pity the person who got that slice!
- September 5, 2008 at 1:44 PM
I refuse to believe that last one is a cake!! It looks like a ginormous wad of silly putty that some kid who needs severe counseling drew a person onto. The more I look at it, the more disturbing it is!!!The facial features are quite feminine. The raging pubes and third nipple speak for themselves... When you look close (if you dare!) you see several large cracks, like someone dropped it. I love the expertly drawn fingers and toes! Seriously, macho?! This can't possibly be professionally made. I think someone forgot to take their meds...
- September 5, 2008 at 2:27 PM
- SolaMommy said...
Um...I don't like body hair in my food, icing or not. Blech!
- September 5, 2008 at 3:00 PM
I think that looks a lot more like Corey Feldman than Jon Bon Jovi. Hmmm. Crossover cakes! Yummy!
- September 5, 2008 at 5:17 PM
my aunt would love the hairy chested tom selleck.
- September 5, 2008 at 5:38 PM
That Tom Selleck cake is amazing. I mean it, if I don't get one for my next birthday, heads will roll!!!
- September 5, 2008 at 6:18 PM
I think the Selleck-cake's design is awesome. The array of daisies transforms it into some sort of 60's latin-lounge masterpiece. I would have been honored to get this cake for my birthday.
- September 5, 2008 at 6:19 PM
- Wendee said...
I am literally LAUGHING MY BUTT OFF (lmao...just didnt cut it this time) reading these comments. My children are staring at me questioningly...but what else is new! :O)
- September 5, 2008 at 6:26 PM
- Unknown said...
I think macho man got shot in the family jewels and the brown goo oozing out of his mouth and out of his speedo is supposed to be blood. It might explain why he's lying down looking like a corpse. That's far more palatable than unkempt groin hair! This cake is disgusting on so many levels... Perhaps that third nipple is an additional gunshot wound...
Cheers to Jen. This site makes me laugh till I cry :) - September 5, 2008 at 6:52 PM
- Unknown said...
There seems to be something wrong (to me anyway) about Tom Sellek on a cake with pretty peach and pastel green flowers... The Bon Jovi cake just makes me laugh. I haven't been able to take him seriously in years (since he tried acting), but the fact that he is noseless, neckless, wearing a skirt and apparentley Jewish on this just make sit all the more comical. I don't really know what to say on the last one other than the fact that the decorator needs help if he thinks there is anything macho about that cake *shudder*
- September 5, 2008 at 8:49 PM
what? no one ever thought to bake a Magnum P.I.-E?
- September 5, 2008 at 9:28 PM
- purple-goat said...
LOL, my mom loves Tom Selleck. I wonder if the local Walmart bakery will make me a copy of that cake for her next birthday? ;)
- September 5, 2008 at 10:27 PM
- empty hand said...
hey cake looks yummy!!
- September 6, 2008 at 1:57 AM
- Earthseed Detroit said...
What disturbs me about the "macho man" cake (aside from the pubic hair, you have to wonder WHAT is going on in there???) is that it looks like excess flesh just oozing out from the outline of him...ugh.
- September 6, 2008 at 10:12 AM
- fug estate said...
Selleck is undressing us with his eyes and frigtening us with his profuse chest hair. Seriously. I have to keep looking at his eyes to see if they follow me across the room.
Macho Man: I didn't know one could commission a cake that looks like a blow-up doll, but there he is. - September 6, 2008 at 10:56 AM
- Rachael M. said...
Oh my...macho man and his issues cracked us up here today. Said my husband, "I was wondering when police stopped using chalk to outline dead bodies and started using mustard."
I mean, bless his heart...his outlines all ran and then he slid nearly off his aluminum foil bed.
I have seen the Tom Selleck cake before. It pretty much wins :-) You know you've hit the top when you're immortalized in icing! - September 6, 2008 at 3:31 PM
- Unknown said...
I think the Tom Selleck one is awesome.
The third one is pretty awful - September 6, 2008 at 9:39 PM
- willowsprite said...
Where's Jon's neck? Looks like they ran out of room...lol
- September 6, 2008 at 10:43 PM
ohh my God !
- September 7, 2008 at 9:07 AM
The Tom Selleck cake isn't that Wreck-y--I mean, it's executed well. The horror is that someone wanted that cake.
However, the Macho Man cake more than makes up for it. I don't know what's wrong with that Macho Man, but I think it might be fatal. (Also, darn it, I have "Macho Man" stuck in my head now....) - September 7, 2008 at 9:44 AM
- Mel said...
Oh my goodness, you don't even know how hard you make me laugh. Like I can hardly breathe, I'm lauging so hard. I love your description on the last cake. The laying in mustard, grooming issues, ahh! Actualy TEARS are coming out of my eyes from laughter. The best blog ever.
- September 8, 2008 at 1:51 PM
- AmandaLee said...
You should definitely just show case this masterful blog to some magazine. It's beyond entertaining. Egads-thanks for teaching me a new expression! Moreover, how shameful of the cake makers. That's rather disturbing. eww.
-amanda decosta. - September 8, 2008 at 5:17 PM
I think the Tom Selleck cake is more of an "Odd Topic for Cake Decoration" than a wreck. If I was Tom Selleck's biggest fan, I'd be pleased as punch to taste that frosting chest hair. The cake decorator should be praised for taking a crazy request and making something good-looking out of it. :)
- September 8, 2008 at 5:34 PM
- Shop With Amy said...
that last one is just wrong...WRONG I SAY!!! I have sooo enjoyed reading your blog...thanks for the laughs!!
Amy - September 8, 2008 at 6:57 PM
- keldie said...
I feel like I've had a brush with nearly-almost-fame, having gone to high school with the Tom Selleck cake decorator (where she was already known as an incredible artist.)
As a matter of fact, I recognized the cake as hers before I read that she'd already claimed it! I was so psyched to send it to her on facebook, too. - September 9, 2008 at 10:06 AM
- Jordan said...
Gahaha, love the first cake! I know so many people who would DEMAND a chest-hair slice. The flowers make it even better.
The second one...wait. Wait a second. Last time I checked, Bon Jovi had a neck, didn't he? - September 9, 2008 at 7:38 PM
The Tom Selleck cake is awesome! Heck... Tom Selleck is awesome! I would love that cake for my birthday. The decorator did a fantastic job. When you think of Tom...you think chest hair and mustache and she definitely nailed that image perfectly!!!
- September 10, 2008 at 5:50 AM
Ha! I happen to be watching a rerun of "Friends" and Tom Selleck was ON SCREEN when I saw the cake. Bwahahaha!
- September 10, 2008 at 4:45 PM
- marsmellow said...
My 8 yr old son said,
"It looks like worms are in his underpants" - September 13, 2008 at 10:52 AM
I wouldn't mind having a "piece" of Tom Selleck...lol. She did a fantastic job! Love the chest hair. Best cake ever!
- September 18, 2008 at 2:51 AM
Jon Bon Jovi's chest hair looks like it's flipping someone off.
- September 19, 2008 at 11:33 PM
I would totally love that tom seleck cake! it's cheesy, but looks pretty good. :)
Meg - September 22, 2008 at 6:12 PM
- TB Tabby said...
The "Macho Man" cake looks more like an Operation cake. All that's missing is the red nose. The Crappy Cake for Dippy Doctors!
- September 23, 2008 at 8:54 AM
- Red Wolf said...
Ohhh, I thought it was a Burt Reynolds cake...
- September 28, 2008 at 2:48 AM
- verminjerky said...
Aww... I think the Tom Selleck one is pretty good, actually! It's probably exactly what they requested, and the baker can't help that. She did a great job giving the customer what they wanted!
Now Macho Man, on the other hand... - October 19, 2008 at 7:28 AM
- Koi said...
She's friends with one of my friends!!!
OH MY GOD I'M IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO WRECKAGE!! - January 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM
- Koi said...
Or rather, a friend of a friend got the TRIBUTE Tom Selleck cake! holy crap!
- January 19, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Actually, I looove that Tom Selleck cake. XD I'm amazed that the baker was able to get the likeness of Tom so well in icing! And I for one think the chest hair part is just silly enough to work.
I wasn't even old enough to be a Tom Selleck fangirl when magnum pi was on tv, but it still makes me squee just a bit when I see that cake. XD He can make even us young spring chickens a little happy, I suppose. hahaha
LMAO, I actually have a family member who would probably laugh hard if she got this cake for her bday. She used to babysit me when I was a baby and tell my mom how she was going to get me addicted to Tom by watching Magnum PI with her. XD It instantly made me think of her. - March 13, 2009 at 2:36 AM
My name is Emma, and this actually really freaked me out when I saw it....all I could think was 'No! Nooooo! *quickly scrolls away from the horror*'
- April 23, 2009 at 1:37 AM
Today's my birthday; it's cakes like these that make me very glad I have my mom and friends to make my cake, I know it's in good, capable hands.
- August 6, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Oh no... you've already seen the Tom Selleck cake (although, how could you not have?)
I found that one awhile back when I googled him. All I have to say is
chest hair on a cake?
it terrifies me. - August 13, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Totally cool how the Selleck cake background decoration matches the cake board.
- February 19, 2010 at 9:48 AM
- Miss Didi said...
That tom sellick cake looks pretty& sexy--I mean, that 'stache?! Those flowers?! I REALLY REALLY want one of these, and would happily pay lots of money for it! The girl who had a friend make it for her is one lucky lassie!
- August 14, 2010 at 7:52 AM
- SRumzis said...
Ok I'm gonna Bang the Drum to announce my personal attempt at a Blaze of Glory as I try to be Superman Tonight and use the most Bon Jovi songs, if only to Make a Memory.
I say make No Apologies for that Tom Selleck cake... These Days I'm Burning for Love with that Miracle of a man on my mind. I think I might just Runaway to Mr. Selleck's house so I can join him on a Bed of Roses as we thoroughly enjoy Living in Sin. Hey, It's My Life!
On the other hand, Mr. Waxman can't even remember When We Were Beautiful, as his Ugly limp body cries out from the cake board, "Are you Happy Now? Give me Something for the Pain!!!" (like a Bullet). Mr. Waxman, I would love to tell you to Keep the Faith, that you're only Misunderstood... but I wouldn't want you to Lie to Me either, and this is Real Life, so I gotta Say It Isn't So.
Well I Make No Apologies at this shameless stretch of "words put to lyrics", I know I'm Livin' on a Prayer with this one for sure. Well, as Always, Have a Nice Day! - April 15, 2011 at 1:13 PM
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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.
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- Going to the Dogs, Continued
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- Sunday Sweets to Make Henson Proud
- Adding Insult to Injury
- The Great Cupcake Cake Debate Continues
- Any Occasion Will Do
- My Youngest Wreckporter
- Why We Need More Male Cake Decorators
- Sunday Sweets: Cake Journal
- Dead Men May Tell No Tales, But Wrecked Cakes Sure...
- Mixed Signals
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- What's in a Name?
- Cupcake Cakes: Always Wrecktastic. Always.
- Wall-E, the Cake Wreck(er)
- One Really IS the Loneliest Number
- Inappropriate, Much?
- Is This a Wreck? You Decide.
- Don't Do It, Billy!
- The Cake Head Diet Aid: Killing Appetites Since 2007
- The Painted Cake Cometh
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- Rather Good Cake Video
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This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.
And I'm David Greene.
For months now, the Obama administration has promised to reveal more about America's secret drone program, and today could be the day. The president will speak this afternoon at the National Defense University, and he's planning to discuss America's fight against terrorism. He is expected to address everything from drones to the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
NPR's Dina Temple-Raston has this preview.
DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, BYLINE: The president conceded in his State of the Union Address that his administration could be more open about its battle against terrorists.
TEMPLE-RASTON: So, today, he's expected to announce two things that would make counter-terrorism efforts more accountable: that the U.S. drone program, operating in Africa and in Yemen, will be transferred from the CIA to the Pentagon, and that he intends to redouble his efforts to move detainees out of the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Jennifer Daskal is a former Obama Justice Department official. And she says the announcements are meant to send one message: That the fight against al-Qaida has changed.
JENNIFER DASKAL: I think, I hope that what you will hear in the speech is a discussion about making use of military force not the matter of first resort in the fight against terrorism, but a matter of last resort.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Shedding some light on the drone program, she says, is part of that process. One first step: the administration formally acknowledged yesterday that it killed four U.S. citizens, including the targeting and killing of cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen.
And Yemen is where there could be the biggest change in how the drone program operates. Control could shift from the CIA to the military's Special Operations command.
The military's special ops drone program is also secretive. But there's a mechanism in the military for accountability, including after-action reports, for example.
Jennifer Daskal, the former Justice Department official, says all this is incremental.
DASKAL: But it is not clear, at least in the short-term, that there's going to be much of a change.
TEMPLE-RASTON: CIA control over the drone program in Pakistan is not likely to change, though that may not matter much. Drone strikes there are down dramatically. According to the New America Foundation, which tracks drone attacks, there have been a dozen drone strikes in Pakistan so far this year. Three years ago, in 2010, there were 10 times that many.
The president is also expected to focus on the Guantanamo Bay Prison. The president promised to close it in 2009, but it's been harder to do than he expected. But there are options.
MATTHEW WAXMAN: Any practical alternative to Guantanamo probably would have to involve two major elements.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Matthew Waxman is a professor at Columbia Law School and a former Pentagon advisor on detainee issues.
WAXMAN: One is transferring or releasing a lot of detainees to home countries or to third countries. And the other major element would be bringing many of the Guantanamo detainees into the United States.
TEMPLE-RASTON: So send them abroad or hold them here. Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress last week that the administration was reviewing the cases of one group of detainees that might be sent home: 56 Yemenis at Guantanamo cleared for release.
DAPHNE EVIATAR: That's a large number out of the 166 there.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Daphne Eviatar is a senior counsel at Human Rights First.
EVIATAR: It should not be a major problem for the United States to develop a process by which it can transfer detainees to Yemen. They can get some sort of a hearing there. If necessary, they can be detained there, or they can go through a rehabilitation program if that's more appropriate. There are a lot of ways that the United States can handle that transfer.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Officials say the president will say as much in his address. He's expected to appoint someone whose sole responsibility will be to move detainees out of Guantanamo. And the Yemenis are likely to be the first ones to go.
Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Welcome to your new Wix blog!
Now you can attach a blog to your Wix site! Blogging is easy and fun, and as a bonus greatly improves your online visibility by increasing your presence across major search engines. In the meantime- let's go over some tips to get you started:
Personalizing your blog
Before you start posting, you will want to make your blog look and feel a little more you. We have a selection of templates to choose from, but the fun does not end there. You can edit your blog simply by clicking on any element of the page once you are in the Design and Settings mode. Change the background. Add a picture and tile it… or don't. The choice is up to you. Go crazy!
Design and Settings
You can change the layout and design of your blog at any time. To make design and layout changes to your blog, simply click Design and settings on the top menu of this page.
Now you can drag and drop elements. Click on the different items on your blog to open a property menu for that item. Click an element from the property menu to customize that element.
Don't forget to click Save to make your changes appear on your blog!
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Adding posts to your blog is as simple as clicking on Add new post from the top menu of this page. In the Add
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[sub header, proliferated nice spacing between paragraphs]
For more help and answers to all of your questions, click here.
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The Mail and Receiving Services Offices at the School of Public Health are located in Building I, B-5.
The address for delivery to the School of Public Health loading dock is:
Harvard School of Public Health
200 Longwood Avenue (Left at bottom of ramp.)
Boston, MA 02115
The hours of operation for Mail and Receiving Services are the following:
Mail Room | Receiving Dock |
Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tel. 617-432-2217 |
Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tel. 617-432-2217 |
The Mail Services Office handles all incoming and outgoing United States Postal Service letters and parcels, express overnight mail, priority mail, air mail, certified mail, and registered mail.
There is only one mail delivery and pick-up runs per day at approximately:
- 11:30 a.m.
The Mail Room will accept hand delivered mail until 4:00 p.m. Package deliveries continue throughout the day as incoming packages arrive.
United States Mail boxes are located outside in front of 677 Huntington Avenue.
There is a Federal Express drop box located outside the revolving door at the main entrance to Building III. Pick-up from this box occurs Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m..
Receiving Services accepts all vendor deliveries, United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express, DHL, etc.. Receiving Service also handles outgoing UPS and other vendor returns. Please refer to the vendor return form for all required vendor returns.
When ordering any large piece of equipment or materials please observe the following rules:
- There is a (100) pound limit to any one package to be delivered by receiving personnel.
- Please have exact measurements of the pieces you are ordering to be sure that they will fit through doorways and onto elevators.
- All equipment should be delivered directly to the office/laboratory in which it will be used/installed. (The area available for off loading on the receiving dock is too small to allow storage of large crates and the interior hallways must be kept clear by order of the Boston Fire Department.) There will be a charge to the department for these services.
- If you are a satellite facility of the School of Public Health (i.e. 9 Bow Street, 718 Huntington Avenue, 716 Huntington Avenue, 90 Smith Street, Landmark Center.), deliveries of materials/equipment must be delivered to your site and NOT 200 Longwood Avenue.
Mail Services Links
- United States Postal Services Home Page
- United Parcel Services (UPS) Home Page
- Federal Express Home Page
- DHL Home Page
Mail and Receiving Services Staff
- Troy Clark
Mail and Receiving Services Phone Number: 617-432-2217


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Job Description
Text "HIREME" to 30437!
At Outback Steakhouse, we believe that people want to be part of something they can be proud of, is fun, and values you. Our goal for you as an Outbacker is to allow your BOLD personality to shine, make it a great place to work, while exceeding concentrated customer service and serious food standards, bringing our Guests an AUS-SOME experience.
Join for the Fun, Stay for the Career!
If you are looking for a great place to work, have fun, and make money mate, click to apply.
Do you like hosting the party? Come join the Outback family as a Server, where you will make memorable first and last impressions with all your customers. You will support our commitment to bringing the best of who we are to deliver perfectly tailored service to each and every Guest. As a Server, you'll help to provide each customer with an AUS-SOME dining experience in the restaurant, that makes each guest's day better. Have no worries, just fun!
The Server is also responsible for:
- Efficiently managing assigned table section including the pace and experience of each Guest following Outback hospitality standards
- Making memorable first and last impressions
- Using food and beverage menu knowledge to share favorites and provide recommendations
- Anticipating needs, processing Guests orders, and taking payment in a hospitable, timely manner
Perks & Benefits that we offer at Outback Steakhouse:
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- PTO (when eligible) to take the time for you!
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- Rewards and recognition programs (we appreciate all that you do).
Compensation Range: Varies by Location plus tips
Bloomin' Brands, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/D/V are encouraged to apply.
Application Instructions
Please click on the link below to apply for this position. A new window will open and direct you to apply at our corporate careers page. We look forward to hearing from you!
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First, I'm serving up more evidence to support my bold claim that the residential real estate market just hit rock bottom (also backed up by my colleague, Karim Rahemtulla).
Then, it's on to a cautionary tale from the tape about homebuilding stocks.
So without further ado…
Can You Feel it, Baby?
I'm pretty sure the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) isn't going to hire Marky Mark to start conducting its builder confidence survey. But they should. Because homebuilders are definitely feeling "good vibrations."
Earlier this past week, the NAHB reported that the NAHB Index rose for the fifth straight month to hit 29. That's the highest level in more than four years.
Of course, we're still well below the key threshold of 50, which indicates that the majority of builders are optimistic. But as NAHB Chairman, Barry Rutenberg, said, "Builder confidence has doubled since September as measured by the HMI."
[ad#Google Adsense 336×280-IA]In my book, that certainly qualifies as a trend worth tracking.
Especially since the Index tends to be a leading indicator for housing starts.
And wouldn't you know it? Thursday morning the Commerce Department reported that housing starts did indeed pick up, too. Ahead of expectations.
Starts checked-in at an annual pace of 699,000. And starts for the previous month were revised upward to 689,000 from 657,000.
In the famous words of LL Cool J, "Don't call it a come back."
Not yet, anyway! But we're getting close.
The Roof, the Roof, the Roof is on Fire
Before you respond to the positive data by piling into homebuilding stocks, take a look at the next chart. It pretty much cements our belief that the stock market is a forward-looking animal.
Ever since October 2011, homebuilding stocks have been on fire! PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM) and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) have both more than doubled.
I'm afraid that's a little bit too far, too fast. You see, if we compare the valuation metrics for each homebuilder to their 10-year averages, they're trading at significant premiums.
Bottom line: As I predicted last week, the real estate market is indeed bottoming out. But you should stick to finding deals in your local real estate market, instead of buying homebuilding stocks. They've gotten too far ahead of the rebound and are overdue for a pullback.
Ahead of the tape,
Louis Basenese
[ad#jack p.s.]
Source: Wall Street Daily


text:
A powerful magnitude 8.0 earthquake off the Solomon Islands generated a tsunami of up to 5 feet that killed at least 5 people, a hospital official says, while the death toll is feared to rise as officials inspect dozens of damaged homes.
Authorities on Wednesday canceled warnings for tsunamis on more distant coasts.
Solomons officials reported two 1.5-meter (4 foot, 11 inch) waves hit the western side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging between 70 and 80 homes and properties, said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. Many villagers of the South Pacific island chain had headed to higher ground as a precaution, Herming said. Dozens of aftershocks stronger than magnitude 5 followed the quake
Augustine Pilve, who is Lata hospital's director of nursing, told a New Zealand television station that five were killed, including a boy around 10 years old, Reuters reports.
Solomon Islands Police Commissioner John Lansley earlier said local police patrols had reported that several people were presumed dead, though the reports were still being verified.
"Sadly, we believe some people have lost their lives," he said. "At the moment we potentially know of four, but there may of course be more."
One of the people presumed dead was fishing in a dugout canoe when the first wave hit, sweeping him out to sea, Herming said. Officials were searching for his body. Another woman was believed to have drowned when the water rushed into her village, Herming said.
Four villages on Santa Cruz were impacted by the waves, with two facing severe damage, Lansley said. Other areas of the Solomons did not appear to have been seriously affected.
Disaster officials were struggling to reach the remote area after the tsunami flooded the airstrip at the nearest airport and left it littered with debris.
The tsunami formed after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck near the town of Lata, on Santa Cruz in Temotu, the easternmost province in the Solomons, about a 3-hour flight from the capital, Honiara. Temotu has a population of around 30,000.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami of about a meter (3 feet) was measured in Lata wharf. Smaller waves were recorded in Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
The center canceled warnings for tsunami waves further away.
Richard Dapo, a school principal on an island near Santa Cruz, said he lives inland but has been fielding calls from families on the coast whose homes were damaged by the waves.
"I try to tell the people living on the coastline, `Move inland, find a higher place. Make sure to keep away from the sea. Watch out for waves,"' he said.
He said he heard the waves swamped some smaller islands, although he was not aware of any deaths or serious injuries. He said it was difficult to contact people because cellphone coverage was patchy in the region.
In Honiara, the warnings prompted residents to flee for higher ground.
"People are still standing on the hills outside of Honiara just looking out over the water, trying to observe if there is a wave coming in," said Herming, the prime minister's spokesman.
Atenia Tahu, who works for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. in Honiara, said most people were remaining calm.
"People around the coast and in the capital are ringing in and trying to get information from us and the National Disaster Office and are slowly moving up to higher ground," Tahu said. "But panic? No, no, no, people are not panicking."
Dr. Rooney Jagilly, the medical superintendent at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, said the hospital asked about half its 200 patients to leave and stay with families or friends as a precautionary measure because the hospital is located near the shoreline. Those patients who weren't mobile enough to move stayed, but the hospital remained ready to evacuate them.
Jagilly said there had been no flooding and he hoped the hospital would return to normal Thursday. He said his staff was ready to mobilize to Santa Cruz because the small hospital there has no doctor after the previous one recently died.
An official at the disaster management office in Vanuatu said there were no reports of damage or injuries there.
More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007 when a magnitude-8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.
The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. They lie on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday's quake struck 50 miles west of Lata at a depth of 17.8 miles.