Thursday, March 26, 2009

Skateboarding Parrot Stolen


An unwelcomed intruder has bird-napped a beloved, skateboarding parrot from his cage in front of his owner's home in Baldwin Park, CA Wednesday morning.

A neighbor's security camera next to Fred Mireles' home recorded the crime in progress.
Surveillance video captured loud shrieks from Gordo the Parrot as the 30-year-old bird was taken from his cage just after 10 a.m.

Gordo is a well-known icon in the Baldwin Park neighborhood.

Gordo's owner Fred Mireles often takes the bird on walks with his skateboard.
"He's not your regular bird. He's like a little kid," Mireles said.

Mireles just wants Gordo back and hopes a tipster will come forward with information about the incident.

If you have any information about incident, contact the Baldwin Park Police Department at (626) 960-1955.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

AmphiCoach can get you to Alpine Valley





It's a Bus?
It's a Boat?
Well the AmphiCoach GTS1 is actually both and looks like the most kick-ass Jimmy Buffett tailgate bus that you will ever see.

The Coaches hulls are built using 6mm Marine Grade Aluminium (Hydro 5083). This is the best suited material for this application, due to its lightweight and superior strength qualities. The uniquely designed watertight compartmented hull design includes collision bulkheads which help to make the coach relatively unsinkable. In the unlikely event that the hull is breached or swamped, the vehicle will remain completely upright and afloat, making it in our opinion and of our experts surveyors, the safest amphibious passenger vehicle in the world.

The Amphicoach utilises a marine jet drive unit specifically designed for the amphicoach by one of the worlds leading manufacturer in jet propulsion, this is driven by the vehicles main power plant. An electric propulsion system is also available, and is the ultimate in green power for areas which would benefit from the silence and zero emission levels achieved from this technology. This would still provide equal performance to the standard marine propulsion. An onboard whisper quiet generator is incorporated into the drive train, so that the vehicle can be used as long as required without any loss of power. The system is then recharged by a high powered alternator system whilst on the road segment of the journey.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bikini Body Shots




A body shot is a shot of alcohol (such as tequila) that is consumed off of a person's body, usually from erogenous zones such as the navel or the breasts.

Rum cream, a Jamaican original, is considered an ideal liquor for body shots since it has the consistency of Bailey's Irish Cream, therefore lingering in the erogenous areas longer before "running south," enabling a longer licking time.


In one version of the body shot, the person taking the shot holds a shot glass of tequila in one hand, while the person giving the shot holds a wedge of lime (or lemon) in his or her mouth. The person taking the shot then licks a body part of his or her choosing on the person giving the shot, sprinkles salt on that body part, and then licks the salt off of the body part. He or she then downs the tequila and then takes the citrus wedge out of the subject's mouth using only his or her mouth.


Another version of the body shot requires licking the partner's body as the shot runs down them. In example, the person having liquor poured on them lays on a table, floor, or any other flat surface, slightly propped up, leaning on an arm perhaps. The person taking the shot positions him or herself around the belt buckle. A third person then pours the shot slowly into the navel of the person laying down, and the person taking the shot must lick or suck the liquor up before it runs into the clothes of the person laying down. This can also be done on the breasts, and with practice, the thighs, penis or buttocks.


This practice can be very arousing if done correctly. In some cultures it is a form of foreplay.
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Jimmy Buffett Coconut Bra




A coconut bra is a bra that is made out of half shells of a coconut. Generally, these bras are associated with temperate regions of the North Pacific and South Pacific, including Hawaii, Polynesian areas and other various archipelagos dotting the region. Today, the coconut bra is mainly used as a novelty item in themed parties.

While at some point in the past there may have been a practical use of the coconut bra, this is no longer the case. Softer, more flexible, and more supportive materials have taken the place of the coconut bra. While in the past, islanders may have had to use whatever resources they had on the island, a globalization of the economy has ensured that is no longer the case.

Manufacturing a coconut bra comes from the harvesting of coconuts, which comes from certain species of palm trees. While not every palm tree will produce coconuts, the ones that do usually produce a fair number of them. It only takes one coconut to make a complete coconut bra.

Once the coconuts have been harvested, the next step is to prepare the coconut to be used as a bra. Doing this involves splitting the coconut in half horizontally, then drying the coconut. Once it is tried, holes can then be bored into several parts for the attaching of the string or whatever other material will be used hold the coconut bra cups to the body.

While coconut bras may be considered bra alternatives, they are generally not for practical use. They are extremely uncomfortable and not very flexible. Therefore, they are very rarely used when comfort is the main concern. However, there could be other situations where the coconut bra is a bra of choice.

When going to parties where the theme is important, the coconut bra can be a very interesting conversation piece. Those who do not want to buy a coconut bra may decide to purchase a shell bra. Both are generally the same concept; they simply use different materials for the bra cup.

Those who are in the market for a coconut bra may want to consider trying to be fitted in person, rather than ordering online or through a catalog. Due to the inflexible material, choosing an exact size is important. Otherwise, it could become quite painful, or at least very uncomfortable, to the wearer. If being fitted in person is not possible, then it is wise to make sure it is ordered well ahead of time, in case returning it becomes necessary.
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Saturday, March 14, 2009

2008 Stephen C. Smith Memorial Regatta


The SCSMR is for the benefit of the American Cancer Society in memory of Stephen Smith, a local sailor who died from a rare form of leukemia at the age of 29.

Jimmy Buffett Virgin



Ah, a Buffett virgin.

So sweet, so pure, so full of promise....

A Virgin (or maiden) is, originally, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse. Virginity is the state of being a virgin. It is derived from the Latin virgo, which means "sexually inexperienced woman", used typically of adolescents, but also of older women, and even goddesses.

As in Latin, the English word is also often used with wider reference, by relaxing the age, gender or sexual criteria. Hence, more mature women can be virgins (The Virgin Queen), men can be virgins, and potential initiates into many fields can be colloquially termed virgins, for example a Jimmy Buffett "virgin". In the last usage, virgin simply means uninitiated.

Also by extension from its primary sense, the idea that a virgin has an emotional "blank slate", without complications for her potential intimate emotional life with men, leads to the abstraction of unadulterated purity (see below). Hence, virgin can even be used with non-human referents. Unalloyed metal is sometimes described as virgin. Some cocktails can be described as virgin, when lacking the alcoholic admixture. Similarly, olive oil may be called virgin if it contains no refined oil and has an acidity below 2%, or extra-virgin if it comes from a cold pressing with an acidity below .08%.

The last instance also incorporates yet another association of virginity—the notability of its loss. More properly, the association is with the significance of the addition of a new status, rather than a loss. Hence this association is typically found in references to the first instance of a potentially extended series of like events. Just as extra-virgin olive oil is from the first pressing, so a maiden or virgin speech is an incumbent's first address. The same metaphor, using the synonym maiden, is applied to the first or maiden voyage of a ship. A woman's maiden name is the surname she had when she was (presumed to be) a virgin—her first surname. In cricket, a maiden over is an over from which no runs were scored. Maiden Castles are those with the reputation of never having been captured.

Every girl remembers her first....

June 10, 2006
Alpine Valley, WI

Credit to Gbfan for picture.

Jimmy Buffett Alpine Valley Tailgate 2006




Thanks to Gbfan for checking in from Alpine Valley.
That poll dancing activity looks like it was fun!
June 10, 2006
Alpine Valley, WI
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Friday, March 13, 2009

John Rich: Shuttin Detroit Down Video











The Buffett Book normally avoids politics but we have deeply rooted history, family and livelihoods with deep roots in the industrial midwest and the American auto industry. It's sad that's it's come to this but this area of the country and industry still plays a vital role in the employment of millions of people.

Everyone seems to have an opinion and we respect that.

John Rich of Big $ Rich fame has a new record with his spin on it as well.

We say job well done and thanks for the support.

If you do need a new car or truck and you have not been in a domestic showrom in a while, make sure you give the guys from GM, Ford and Chrysler an honest shot.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Jimmy Buffett, Mogul Of Margaritaville







By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It's like the world's biggest beach party, hosted by the world's richest beach bum. The 15,000 fans packing the sold-out MGM Grand arena were enjoying the final concert of the season by Jimmy Buffett, the singer whose popularity and fortune grow greater even as his hair grows grayer.

Buffett, who turned 62 on Christmas Day, long ago became an icon of certain baby boomers - perhaps the least-hip demographic in the country - by offering the dream of throwing off their responsibilities for his tropical party vibe. But in the past decade, this chronicler of Margaritaville has really cashed in on his image.
How big is Buffett? With an estimated annual income of more than $40 million, you might mistake his portfolio for that of Warren Buffett (not a relative). And he's done it by sailing beyond most musicians' ticket, T-shirt and poster revenue stream.
The title of his most popular song is showing up on restaurants, clothing, booze and casinos. Among the products he's involved with are Landshark Lager, the Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chains, clothing and footwear, household items and drink blenders. The Margaritaville cafe on the Las Vegas strip is said to be the top grossing restaurant in the nation. Buffett writes best-selling novels. There's Radio Margaritaville on Sirius. Even his recording career is booming as the music industry tanks: His recent album, "License to Chill," was the first No. 1 album of his career.

In October, Buffett was chosen by Vanity Fair as No. 97 on a list of the 100 most influential people. In the world. He's nestled between Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris and anti-poverty crusader Jeffrey Sachs. But the exact scope of the Parrot Head empire is secret. Buffett's privately held Margaritaville Holdings LLC does not publicly disclose its finances, and his publicists declined numerous requests for interviews with the singer or anyone connected with Miami-based Margaritaville Holdings.

"He wants to be known as an artist and musician, but he's an extremely savvy businessman," said Brian Hiatt, an associate editor for Rolling Stone who covers the concert industry.

Buffett is somewhat unique among aging crooners in that his fan base is broad, and is not tied solely to a string of past hit songs. For most of his career, Buffett had only one Billboard Top 10 hit, "Margaritaville," in 1977. What he offers his fans is an accessible fantasy. "Anyone of any age could imagine retiring to a tropical paradise and drinking margaritas," Haitt said. "There is something extra-musical about the whole thing."

You don't have to go to a concert to buy his stuff. Margaritaville boat shoes and flip flops are found in shopping malls. Margaritaville Foods sells salsa, hummus, tortillas and dips in Wal-Mart and other stores. Landshark is sold in grocery stores, and Margaritaville tequila is in liquor stores. And concert tickets sell out in short order, despite prices that run well over $100. The Buffett brand is on a growth spurt, usually as a result of marketing deals.

The Cheeseburger in Paradise chain was founded in 2002 and owned by OSI Restaurant Partners, owners of Outback Steakhouse, among others, under a license from Buffett. Landshark Lager, made by Anheuser-Busch, and Margaritaville Tequila, made by Seagram, are sponsors of his concerts.

Last May, the Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City was purchased by Coastal Marina, LLC, which will convert it into a destination resort under the "Margaritaville" label. "Jimmy Buffett and his team at Margaritaville have created an extraordinary brand that is instantly recognizable to an enormously large and dedicated fan base," said Richard Fields, CEO of Coastal Development. "The brand implies quality, value and good times."

Meanwhile, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., has teamed up with Buffett to develop the $700 million Margaritaville Casino & Resort in Biloxi, Miss., near where Buffett was raised. That project has been delayed by the downturn in the nation's economy. But Harrah's and Buffett already have a profitable relationship.

According to Buffett's Web site, the first Margaritaville opened in Key West, Fla., in 1987. The chain has since grown to 16 outlets, including a new one at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. Margaritaville at the Flamingo Las Vegas takes in more than $43 million a year, said casino president Don Marrandino.


"It's been pretty consistent for five years," Marrandino said. "It speaks to the Buffett lifestyle."

Jimmy Buffett Tailgate Rigs




In North America, a tailgate party, also known as The Last American Neighborhood, is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and Jimmy Buffett concerts. People attending such a party are said to be tailgating. Many people participate even if their vehicles do not have tailgates.
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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Jimmy Buffett Concert. Honolulu, HI 2/28/09 Set List


Waikiki Beach Shell - Honolulu HI
February 28th, 2009

1. Migration (Jimmy and Mac acoustic)
2. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
3. Tiki Bar is Open
4. Stars on the Water
5. Fruitcakes
6. Miss You So Badly
7. Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit
8. A Lot to Drink About
9. Son of a Son of A Sailor
10. Its Five O'Clock Somewhere (w/Mac)
11. Volcano
12. Cheeseburger in Paradise
13. Come Monday (The Beach Band)
14. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
15. Brown Eyed Girl
16. I Feel Like Goin’ Surfing in a Hurricane
17. Makin' Music for Money (Nadirah)
18. School Boy Heart
19. A Pirate Looks at Forty
20. One Particular Harbour
21. Southern Cross
22. Lover of Mine (segue into Imagine - Everybody's Talkin' - Lover of Mine)
23. Margaritaville

First Encore:
24. Fins
25. We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About

Second Encore:
26. Dukes on Sunday

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Jimmy Buffett: Miami Heat Sixth Man


Just about every team in the NBA has a famous fan or two. Knowing where to look is easy; they’re celebrities, after all -- only courtside seating will do. The trick is knowing whom to look for.

Courtside trademark: His carrottopped son, Cameron

Loyalty rating: 10

Notes: On February 4, 2001, Buffett was ejected from his courtside seat at a Heat game against the Knicks for swearing at referee Joe Forte. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Buffett said, “It was a bad call. It still is a rotten call! John Starks clobbered Tim Hardaway. It was a close game. I just said, ‘You stupid [redacted 12-letter curse word], that is the worst call I ever heard.’ “

Jimmy Buffett in American Way Magazine


Jimmy Buffett's Caribbean
by Mark Seal

Caribbean | the Bahamas | Jimmy Buffett | Jamaica | Haiti

Celebrating the release of his latest CD, Far Side of the World, Jimmy Buffett takes us on his ultimate island-hopping tour of the tropical paradise.

I’ve always looked at life as a voyage … with a thousand ports of call behind me and, I hope, a thousand more to see,” writes singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett in his best-selling autobiography, A Pirate Looks at Fifty. Few performers epitomize their geography better than Jimmy Buffett does the Caribbean. Born in Mississippi, he did a stint in Nashville, but didn’t find his voice — or his audience — until he moved to Key West, Florida, in the early ’70s. As Buffett’s star rose, his sails opened and he began living his songs, captaining all manner of boats throughout the Caribbean and piloting the Albatross, a 10-passenger Grumman seaplane. Parrotheads, as Buffett’s band of global groupies are called, have reason to rejoice this month: the release of Far Side of the World, his 33rd album.

So doff the tie and throw away the wristwatch. It’s time for an island-hopping weekend with Jimmy Buffett in the Caribbean.

FRIDAY

LODGING"One of my favorite hotels in the whole Caribbean is in Haiti: the Oloffson in Port-au-Prince. From Lillian Hellman to Graham Greene, it has an incredible literary history. To me, it’s the Caribbean of the ’30s. In Nevis, you can either stay in a big, fancy resort like the Four Seasons, or you can get into Hurricane Cove, near the airport. It has verandas and palm-lined beaches. [On Harbour Island in the Bahamas] I have some friends who run the Pink Sands Hotel, which I like. [On Jamaica] I stayed over at Strawberry Hill, which is one of Chris Blackwell’s Island Outpost hotels. I also stay at Goldeneye, which was Ian Fleming’s house. Goldeneye is a wonderful spot. It’s like being in a James Bond movie. If you want action, go to St. Barts. I owned a hotel there, which was more of an all-night bar than it was a hotel, but it burned to the ground. Now my favorite hotel there is the Eden Rock."

MUSIC
“I took my kids to the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica. If you’re a Bob Marley fan, you should go there. It’s a funky little place, but worth going to. The great thing about the Caribbean is the diversity of the music. I have made it my business to collect CDs from the islands. Calypso, reggae, soukous, zook, you name it, I like it.”

DINNER
“I always liked Papillote underneath Trafalgar Falls in Dominica. It serves mountain chicken, which is like these large frogs. Of course, everything tastes like chicken, but they’re great. There’s a hot waterfall and a cold waterfall up at the falls. They’ll take you from the airport and drop you at this little restaurant, and then you can hike to the falls and come down and have a meal.”

NIGHTLIFE
“I’ve always wanted to do ‘The Jimmy Buffett 10 Best Bars in the Caribbean’ as a show. Just get in my seaplane and play these bars. I’d start in Bimini at the Compleat Angler, where Hemingway lived and which influenced The Old Man and the Sea. Then the Staniel Cay Club in the Bahamas and Happy People Marina. Happy People has a great dance floor and Staniel Cay’s got a great dinner. Then I would go to Kaye’s on Rum Cay, which is down at the end of the Bahamas. It’s a very remote, very beautiful island. From the Bahamas, I’d stop at the Turtle Cove Inn in Providenciales, which I would put as one of my top 10 seafood restaurants in the world. They do the best fresh conch dishes there. I’d then go to the Anegada Reef Hotel and play there. After that, Le Select in St. Barts, where I let them use the Cheeseburger in Paradise trademark for the restaurant and I get to eat and drink free for the rest of my life. If I was heading south from there, one of my other little spots would be the Admiral’s Inn in Antigua. It’s where all the yachties go. And there’s Frangipani, a great little French hotel with a great restaurant in Bequia.”

SATURDAY
BREAKFAST
“I eat breakfast at Eden Rock on St. Jean Beach in St. Barts. I like the view because I used to live in St. Jean. I wrote a couple of books and albums there, and I used to rent a room at the Eden Rock. It was kind of my office.”

BEACHES
“The most deserted beaches I’ve ever seen are on Long Island in the Bahamas. There are a couple of little hotels there and this incredibly long pink sand beach. The beaches in Barbuda, off of Antigua, are absolutely beautiful, too. The reefs have some of the best diving in the world.”

FISHING
“Up-island in the Bahamas, I’d have to say Harbour Island. You can fish there, and there are nice restaurants and a marina. Just look up “Bonefish Joe” Cleare, and he’ll take you fishing. I think every island has a Bonefish Joe, but he’s probably the best one.”

MOUNTAINS
“There are beaches in Jamaica, but I go for the mountains. I really like islands with mountains. It’s that incredible rivers-meet-the-ocean kind of thing. Dominica is probably my favorite, and Jamaica as well. I like the Cockpit Country up in the Jamaican mountains. Tropically lush plants. And it just smells good. You get away from the heat of the beach and get into altitude, and there are farms up there and beautiful rolling hills and mountains and rivers, and you can see the ocean.”

LUNCH
“I like to eat at my own restaurants in Jamaica. Margaritaville in Montego Bay, and Marguerite’s, which is the restaurant next to it. Marguerite’s is the best restaurant in MoBay, and not just because I happen to be in business with them. It’s kind of a combination of jerk and Cajun, and it’s really nice there. I’m getting ready to go down in a couple of weeks to open Island Village [a Margaritaville clone] in Ocho Rios. Then there’s a little hotel and restaurant called The Caves in Negril, which is a great spot. It’s just basic Jamaican: beans and rice and jerk. It’s also a great place to stay because the rooms are carved out of caves.”

SHOPPING
“Here’s what I bring back from the islands: King, the great grapefruit drink that you can’t get in America. I will shop for wine in St. Barts. I love blush wines. Everything is exorbitantly priced in St. Barts, but one of the great bargains is the rose wines. The other thing is this great coconut oil from Nevis that they press down there. Of course, there’s no sunscreen in it whatsoever, but it’s the best coconut oil around. I collect hot sauces from all the islands. Naturally, each island thinks it has the best peppers. My favorites are Matouk’s from Trinidad and Pickapeppa from Jamaica.”

DINNER
“First, I’d go to Le Select in St. Barts and have a Ti Punch. If I could pick anywhere for dinner in the Caribbean, it would be Maya’s on St. Barts. Maya’s is right on the water and they have great French-Creole cuisine. After that, I’d go to Bete A Z’ailes, a great place for music on the harbor. I’d finish my night at Le Ti-St. Barths, which is as close to the misbehaving that I remember when I owned my hotel on St. Barts.”

SUNDAY

HIKING
“There’s this incredible hike from Cap-Haïtien, a city down on the water in Haiti, up into the old fortress of Henri Christophe, who was the first king of Haiti. He built these palaces that were based on Versailles and San Souci right there in the jungles of Haiti. They’re all ruins now, but it’s amazing to take the walk up the road they built to this fortress. Last week, I took my son over to Brimstone Hill in St. Kitts, which is the fortress that’s called the Gibraltar of the Indies. It has an incredible history of the Amerindians that the French were fighting. The fort has monkeys climbing all over it. You can take a cab ride from the airport in St. Kitts. It’s worth a day trip.”

ONE HUNGRY DAY IN THE CARIBBEAN

“I can tell you how ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ got written. It was probably 1974, and I was on my very first boat, a 33-foot sailboat. We had gotten into some weather and had to go into Ponce in Puerto Rico to get fixed. We sailed from Ponce with a rigged-up bow spread that was broken, and it was a rough passage. We sailed into Roatán, got off the boat, and were starving. We were dying for a cheeseburger after being at sea for 10 days eating fish. And there, like an oasis, was this brand-new restaurant at the Village Cay Marina. We went in and just started gobbling cheeseburgers and drinking piña coladas because we were so glad to be on land. We had about three cheeseburgers each. For some reason, as I was walking out I looked and saw a package in the kitchen and the label was written in French: Cuoderrie Produit de Cheval. Do you know what cheval is? Horse. I went back to the guy and said, ‘This will never do. You’ve got a good idea here, but you’ve got to take the horse meat off the menu.’ We went back the next day and the owner was very proud that he’d gotten real hamburger from Puerto Rico, and we sampled the cheeseburgers again. I wrote the song right there: ‘Cheeseburger in paradise, heaven on earth with an onion slice.’”



jimmy buffett's caribbean essentials

lodging
eden rock, st. barts; $275-$1,550; 011-590-590-29-79-99

four seasons nevis, nevis; $495-$2,550; (869) 469-1111

goldeneye, jamaica; $1,250-$5,000; (876) 975-3354

hotel oloffson, haiti; $69-$113; 011-509-223-4000

hurricane cove, nevis; $125-$325; (869) 469-9462

pink sands hotel, bahamas; $655-$2,100; (242) 333-2030

strawberry hill, jamaica; $325-$775; (876) 944-8400

restaurants
the caves, jamaica; jamaican; all inclusive; (876) 957-0270

eden rock, st. barts; breakfast; $17-$20; 011-590-590-29-79-99

le select, st. barts; casual; $5-$9; 011-590-590-27-86-87
margaritaville, jamaica; casual; $18-$23; (876) 952-4777

marguerite’s, jamaica; caribbean/cajun; $8-$23; (876) 952-4777

maya’s, st. barts; french-creole; $20-$40; 011-590-590-27-75-73

papillote, dominica; caribbean; $22; (767) 448-2287

nightlife
admiral’s inn, antigua; (268)
460-1027

anegada reef hotel, anegada; (284) 495-8002

bete a z’ailes, st. barts;
011-590-590-29-74-09

compleat angler, bahamas;
(242) 347-3122

frangipani, bequia; (784) 458-3255

happy people marina,
bahamas; (242) 355-2008

kaye’s, bahamas; no phone

le select, st. barts; 011-590-
590-27-86-87

le ti-st. barths, st. barts;
011-590-590-27-97-71

staniel cay yacht club, bahamas; (242) 355-2024 or (954) 467-8920

turtle cove inn hotel, providenciales; (649) 946-4203

attractionsbob marley museum,
jamaica; (876) 927-9152