While I’m not big on celebrity gossip, especially when it comes to this blog, there are those every-so-once-in-a-while occasions where I will break down and make a pop culture-related post. This is one of those occasions.

Most of the focus on Hollywood love triangles tends to relate to “in the now” type of affairs. Tinsel Town gossip reporters are constantly doing whatever they can (quite often illegally) to get the latest scoop in celebrity X’s love life. Not surprisingly then, it has become pretty easy for fans to find out who their favorite celebs are shacking up with.

But what about the past? I stumbled across a site called Who’s Dated Who that focuses on identifying which celebrities other celebrities have dated, and making connections to other celebrities throughout the industry. Here is the top 10 celebrities who have dated (defined by the site as marriage, relationship, or sexual encounter) other celebrities:

• 10. Mamie Van Doren (25)
• 9. Lindsay Lohan (25)
• 8. Alyssa Milano (28)
• 7. Madonna (30)
• 6. Howard Hughes (31)
• 5. Leonardo DiCaprio (33)
• 4. Paris Hilton (36)
• 3. Frank Sinatra (37)
• 2. Terri Garber (44)
• 1. Warren Beatty (49)

Some surprises on this list but also some usual suspects. After perusing through them I think Leonardo DiCaprio has had the best love life of all of the celebrities listed here. His past love life includes actresses, models and singers, with names such as Alicia Silverstone, Natasha Henstridge, Sara Foster, Virginie Ledoyen, Claire Danes, Demi Moore, Bridget Hall, Carmen Electra, Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta, Paris Hilton, Gisele Bundchen, Bar Refaeli (current girlfriend), Christina Aguilera, Emma Bunton, and Mariah Carey. Clearly Leo emerges victorious.

Let me state for the record that I am unsure where this site gets their information from, but even if only half of those are true he’s still cleaning house. To see the complete list of “Who’s Dated Who” visit the Player List.

After months and seemingly years of speculation the rumors have finally molded into something of substance, and the Roxy nightclub in New York City will officially be shutting its doors on March 10th. Shortly after the nightclub is closed demolition will take place to make room for a new set of residential apartments.

Roxy has been a fixture in Manhattan nightlife for nearly two decades, after having been converted into a nightclub from a truck warehouse. It began as a skating rink and still continues to host a night of two or skating each week, however it wasn’t until the 1980s that it began to feature dancing nights and breakdancing competitions.

Over the years Roxy has hosted virtually every pop star, including Madonna, Cher, Bette Midler, etc., as well as countless world-renowned DJs: Junior Vasquez, Peter Rauhofer, Paul van Dyk, Victor Calderone, and others.

I, for one, will certainly miss this place. Although it has been quite a while since I’ve gone here for a night on the town, I have a myriad of memories from this place as it was the first nightclub I partied at in New York City, as well as the place I have seen Paul Van Dyk perform the most often (twice at Roxy, once at Exit, and once at Glow in D.C.).

Here’s to memories from the Roxy; all New Yorkers have them…

Over the weekend Pope Benedict condemned genetic engineering of humans and other scientific methods that allow for people to predetermine what their children will look like. Additionally, the Pope spoke out against artificial insemination, and the use of tests that detect diseases and inherited disorders in the womb (while it’s not bad to check on the health of your child, I can see this leading to a higher rate of abortion).

“In developed countries, there is a growing interest for the most sophisticated biotechnological research to introduce subtle and extensive eugenics methods in the obsessive search for the ‘perfect child’,” the Pope said.

Benedict said the right to life is being increasingly challenged, with countries in Latin America seeking to legalize abortion and some of the richest countries considering euthanasia as law. He also denounced the increasing practice of civil unions as an alternative to marriage.

I agree 100% with his criticisms of genetic engineering to create so called “designer babies.” Have we lost all appreciation for the sanctity of life that we can potentially throw away our naturally-bred children for ones we like better? Picture mothers dropping their children off at preschool in the beginning of the day then returning to pick them up in the afternoon, but rather than grab their own children to return home with, they choose one that they like better, for whatever reason from physical attractiveness, personality, maybe even a lack of handicap. It doesn’t matter. This is just wrong, and not even from a Christian standpoint alone, but from what it means to be human.

Isn’t the whole point of having children to create a human life that reflects both mother and father, as the child-to-be comes from both mother and father’s chromosomes? If you genetically alter ANY of the natural process, you are tainting the innate connection between you and your child. In which case, if your offspring aren’t really you, why even bother?

In the latest sign that cell phone technology keeps breaking new boundaries, the leading mobile service operator in Japan, DoCoMo Inc., announced today that it plans to offer electronic payment services at McDonald’s fast food restaurants in Japan.

While new for McDonald’s, electronic payment via mobile device is not something new for the Japanese. The number of mobile users in Japan with electronic chips that feature purchase-making capability has been steadily increasing, and currently the Japanese are able to swipe their cell phones over special readers to make purchases at train stations and some retailers.

I remember hearing a few months back about the existence of this technology, but didn’t write about it at the time. Now with McDonald’s hopping on the bandwagon I felt compelled. Although the U.S. mobile market is far behind in comparison to Asia and Europe, McDonald’s, in typical MNC fashion, is in a perfect situation to take technology from one area of the world and help to promote it in another. Usually this would be done in globalization fashion, with the company enforcing suggesting advances in technology to developing countries. However, in this particular situation we could benefit greatly from the reverse, if McDonald’s were to use its might to help get this type of technology implemented here.

Hey if it works easy and plays into their business model, it’s not too far of a stretch.

A study from BBC News says that the position in which a person sleeps provides valuable insight about the individual’s personality. Professor Chris Idzikowski of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service studied six common sleeping positions and found that the way people sleep is connected to personality characteristics.

I’m a cross between the foetus and yearner positions, which according to Idzikowski, means the following:

Foetus
Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

Yearner
People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.

The study concluded that the freefall position was the best for digesting food, while the soldier and starfish positions led to snoring and bad sleep most frequently.

To find how what your sleeping pattern says about you, visit the BBC study on sleep positions.

Tonight during the Oscars Apple ran its first ever commercial for the upcoming iPhone. It didn’t reveal any new features about the product slated to debut in June, rather its purpose was to stir up excitement for Apple’s most innovative product since the iPod. The commercial shows a bunch of celebrities answering phones and…well, here, watch for yourself:

In the latest bit of seemingly unending absurdity, the City Council of Clifton, NJ is expected to introduce an ordinance this week that would place a limit on how long dogs will be able to bark. According to the council, “noisy canines” are those who bark for an excess of 30 minutes on two consecutive days. Fines for violators of the ordinance, if it passes, would begin at $250.

Am I the only one who thinks this is just beyond ridiculous? There are people dying all over the world from genocide and starving from famine, not to mention the serious national issues we have here in the US like health care, immigration and security, and the people of Clifton are upset about some dogs barking. Give me a break.

The people of New Jersey are often stereotyped as arrogant and selfish, and unfortunately its behavior like this that validates these stereotypes and makes them truths. We should be focusing on something like global warming, not how to shut up the next door neighbor’s dog because we can’t sleep in till 10 A.M. on a Saturday.

The Muslim Council of Britain, the country’s the country’s most well-connect and Islamic front group, laid out a set of demands for a ban on “un-Islamic” activities in British schools. “Un-Islamic actiivities,” according to the MCB, consist of playground games, swimming lessons, school plays, parents night, and even disease vaccinations. In addition, the group calls for all children to be taught in Taliban-style conditions and even has the support of one senior British government official. Professor Tim Brighouse, current chief advisor to all London schools, is expected to attend the event which will take place in London’s biggest mosque.

Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society referred to the MCB report as a “recipe for disaster.”

“Schools with even just a handful of Muslim kids will find they have to follow these guidelines because there aren’t the staff to have one set of classes for Muslims and another for the rest.”

The report also seeks to limit certain activities during Ramadan, Islam’s holy month. Such activities would include sex-related topics and exams, amongst other items. In a testament to the absurdity of this report, it calls for a ban on swimming-related activities during Ramadan, lest students swallow the water while they are in the pool (Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink anything in daylight hours during Ramadan). It adds that when swimming is allowed, boys should be covered from navel to neck, and girls must continue to be covered at all times, save face and hands. Additionally, it calls for sporting activities and school trips to be single-gender.

Of all the ludicrous demands the MCB lays out, perhaps the most outrageous is that it insists all British children should learn about Islam, but that Muslim children should not have to learn about Christianity or any other faith. So much for equality.
In a sign of hope, other Muslim groups criticized the report, claiming there were no negotiations between the MCB and other Islamic organizations. The Sufi Muslim Council, which claims to represent more Muslims than the MCB, says the report misunderstands Ramadan.

“This is not what Islam or Ramadan is about. Ramadan is about training yourself while carrying on with everyday life.”

All I can say about this is wow. This is a crystal clear example of the Islamization that is occurring throughout Europe. It’s rather remarkable for us as Americans too, as we consider Britain to be our closest ally in Europe, with all our historical ties and cultural similarities. I think its unfortunate that Western governments are allowing radical Islamists to have their way for fear of reprisals. Surely Enlightment thinkers would be disappointed in their fellow countrymen and women of today’s generation.

That being said I can’t imagine anything like this happening in America. I think Americans are much more steadfast in their battle to maintain a separation of church and state. Furthermore, another reason why the radical Islam would never be allowed to materialize in the US is because the evangelical movement is far too powerful, not to mention fearful of Islam, to allow radical Islamists to gain any political leverage that would let them promote strict Sharia law practices.

Let me wrap this up by saying I mean radical Islam as practiced by groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban, not your everyday practicing Muslim. I share a duplex with a Muslim family and they are some of the nicest and most hospitable people I have ever met. It just goes to show that we really can live together in peace, and that the individuals responsible for promoting this hatred and violence are a small minority in the global Muslim population.

Here’s to promoting peace and love for all peoples, regardless of race, religion or color. It’s our only chance for surviving as a species.

The BBC is reporting that an Egyptian court has sentenced blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman to four years in prison for insulting Islam and the president of Egypt. During a seemingly brief five-minute court session, the judge said that Soliman was guilty and would be required to serve three years in prison for insulting Islam, and an additional year for insulting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. His trial marks the first time that a blogger has been prosecuted in Egypt.

Soliman had used his blog to criticize al-Azhar university, Egypt’s top Islamic institution, in addition to calling Mubarak a dictator. He was a former pupil of the university and referred to it as the “university of terrorism,” and make accusations that it was withholding free speech.

I think it goes without saying that his accusations were pretty much on the mark as he’s now being punished for his words. It’s easy for the mainstream media to kind of brush this off, but the blogosphere certainly will not. It seems difficult to comprehend a blogging environment where we are not allowed to say what he want, because here in the United States we have been fortunate enough to enjoy this freedom for a long time now; similarly for European countries. But the reality is that in many parts of the world the concept of a “free society” simply isn’t a reality. And it’s unfortunate that a relatively democratic Middle Eastern country like Egypt would respond in this manner, this is an act that one would expect a country like Iran to commit. I’m reminded of the European middle ages, where any disagreement with the ruling government meant sure punishment and often death. It’s disheartening that developing countries in today’s world have not learned from the mistakes the West made centuries ago while we were all developing countries.

That being said I want to commend Soliman. Surely he knew the risks he was taking in writing about highly sensitive issues, and it took a lot of courage to publish his works on a blog. While it is cruel and unjust for him to be sent to prison for his remarks, I think in the big picture it is a necessary and unavoidable step in the bigger picture of opening up Egyptian society to eventually accepting free speech. Don’t be surprised if 10-15 years from now Soliman is referred to as a “hero” or “visionary.”

This company just cannot get its act together. Today, in continuation of the seemingly endless array of problems it faces, New Jersey Transit derailed a train on a rail switch between the Main and Bergen lines. Note to readers: the Bergen line is the one I commute on twice daily.

Thankfully I woke up at 6 A.M. this morning to make church at 7 A.M. for Ash Wednesday, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this post on a train right now, I’d still be waiting. Typically I take a train at around 8:30 A.M., which once transfers are all said and done will put me at work between 9:15-9:30 A.M. However today I reached the train station at 7:40 A.M. just after mass.

The train station looked crowded upon arrival, but I was excited thinking I would catch the 7:45 A.M. train and arrive at work a bit early today and get some extra stuff done. To my dismay, I stood amongst the masses for approximately 10 minutes with absolutely zero inkling of what was occurring just a few stops away. Finally a woman’s voice came through the loudspeaker, and said “due to mechanical problems, all trains are indefinitely delayed in both directions.” Funny I thought, “mechanical problems,” they seem to be fond of that one.

A little more waiting and finally some rumors started to circulate through the crowd about a train derailment a few stops away. Nothing was official, so we continued to wait, patiently scanning the tracks looking for some sort of activity. The rumors continued to build, and I whipped out my Sidekick to log onto to NJ Transit’s web site. Yup, rumors confirmed, the web site acknowledged the derailment and said to expect significant delays.

Another loudspeaker announcement a few minutes later said that all eastbound trains would be arriving on the westbound side of the track, so me and 400 other people made the trek to the opposite side of the train station. After waiting a few minutes on that side, another loudspeaker announcement claimed that there would be over one hour delays on all trains. OK, we thought, but was this effective as of now or retroactive to the trains that were supposed to arrive 2 hours ago?

Our question was answered when a train finally arrived a few minutes later, but not before media helicopters starting buzzing around overhead. So it appears as if I will make it into work on time today, but only thanks to Ash Wednesday. The Lord works in mysterious ways.