Lethal Dose

The “Poor Gabors” were found guilty! And have already started to pay for their crimes - in beauty:

That was then …

this is now.

She and Helen Golay, who was convicted of all four counts Wednesday, were accused of plucking Kenneth McDavid and Paul Vados off the streets, putting them up in apartments for two years and then having them run over in dark alleys. Two years is the period after which most insurance policies cannot be contested. Golay faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. She buried her head in her hands after the jury’s decision was read.

No doubt thinking of spending the rest of her life without hair and makeup - that is punishment!

Wishing she had stayed in the hair-removal business?

Rutterschmidt could be sentenced to 25 years to life on the conspiracy conviction. As the verdict was returned, she put her chin on her fist and looked blankly around the small, softly lighted courtroom.

The jury, which received the case late Monday, will continue deliberating the remaining counts against Rutterschmidt today. Golay’s attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, indicated that she would appeal. “The ladies did not do very well today,” he said.

At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India’s Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph’s ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier’s house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

“All our patients have similar history and symptoms… They have developed photochemical, not thermal, burns after continuously gazing at the sun,” Dr Annamma James Isaac, the hospital’s ophthalmologist said.

Even churches in the area have disowned the miracle after health officers and doctors approached the clergy.

The house where the miracle is said to have occurred has apparently been the subject of rumours for months.

The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes.

Why I just love myspace. When pages take so long to load, you really have time to read the ads:

No! Marky and I love him … the oozing stigmata for years … he was like a zombie movie come to life. I hope it’s not true. It really does seem like way too much work.

Italy’s Padre Pio ‘faked his stigmata with acid’

By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 2:36am BST 24/10/2007

Padre Pio, Italy’s most-loved saint, faked his stigmata by pouring carbolic acid on his hands, according to a new book.

The Other Christ: Padre Pio and 19th Century Italy, by the historian Sergio Luzzatto, draws on a document found in the Vatican’s archive. The document reveals the testimony of a pharmacist who said that the young Padre Pio bought four grams of carbolic acid in 1919.

Pio: in matching stigmata, flowers and robe, spring collection.

“I was an admirer of Padre Pio and I met him for the first time on 31 July 1919,” wrote Maria De Vito.

She claimed to have spent a month with the priest in the southern town of San Giovanni Rotondo, seeing him often. “Padre Pio called me to him in complete secrecy and telling me not to tell his fellow brothers, he gave me personally an empty bottle, and asked if I would act as a chauffeur to transport it back from Foggia to San Giovanni Rotondo with four grams of pure carbolic acid.

“He explained that the acid was for disinfecting syringes for injections. He also asked for other things, such as Valda pastilles.”

The testimony was originally presented to the Vatican by the Archbishop of Manfredonia, Pasquale Gagliardi, as proof that Padre Pio caused his own stigmata with acid. It was examined by the Holy See during the beatification process of Padre Pio and apparently dismissed.

Padre Pio, whose real name was Francesco Forgione, died in 1968. He was made a saint in 2002. A recent survey in Italy showed that more people prayed to him than to Jesus or the Virgin Mary. He exhibited stigmata throughout his life, starting in 1911.

The new allegations were greeted with an instant dismissal from his supporters. The Catholic Anti-Defamation League said Mr Luzzatto was a liar and was “spreading anti-Catholic libels”.

Pietro Siffi, the president of the League, said: “We would like to remind Mr Luzzatto that according to Catholic doctrine, canonisation carries with it papal infallibility.

“We would like to suggest to Mr Luzzatto that he dedicates his energies to studying religion properly.”

Valda Pastilles: have one with your stigmata today!

Photog Apollo Sputnik visits the LA County Fair.

From today’s Telegraph:

Put yourself on a 6in pedestal

As the dreaded but comfy Croc threatens to take over the world, Camilla Morton calls for high heels to be worn always and everywhere… and says the pleasure far outweighs the pain

Why do otherwise sane, normal women allow themselves to go out in public wearing what looks like the remains of a cycle helmet on their feet?

Elongate your legs with high heels
Stand tall: remember high heels are a secret weapon against any rivals

The continued popularity of Crocs is a huge mystery to me. Clearly they will never flatter anyone. Of course they’re comfortable, but isn’t that a bit of a cop-out for the committed follower of fashion? Apparently not.

Take a look at the feet around you and I’ll bet you’ll see a whole range of horribly sensible shoes. Yes, your chiropodist (and your mother) might approve of all those biker boots and ballet flats, but where’s the glamour, where’s the mystique?

With London Fashion Week approaching, now’s the perfect time to throw comfort to the wind and strap on a completely fabulous pair of high heels.

If I had my way, I’d ban dress-down Fridays and have everyone dressing up like it’s Friday night every day. And dressing up, for me, means ditching the flat shoes.

Since writing the book How to Walk in High Heels, I have felt duty bound to practise what I preach. In my six-inch stilettos I keep my head held high and my eye on the goal. They are my shot of confidence and secret weapon against any rivals.

Camilla, my girlfriends and I completely agree. Stop the Croc!

Crocs? Did someone say Crocs?

(the soundstages here have nice plaques with a listing of the films shot on them.)