Hasta La Gadget!

Hello my cryptocurrency-lovin’ friends. I just want to have a casual chat, but not that casual, because I’m worried about some of you. Some of you who may be operating under the assumption that Bitcoin is anonymous. It is not.

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As you sit down to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow, rest easy knowing that your favorite NFL jersey and other sportswear is authentic, legitimate, and safe, thanks to officials at Homeland Security. Much like they do every year around this time, government authorities have just announced that millions of dollars in counterfeit, “unsafe” NFL merchandise have been seized, this time … Continue reading

Rescue workers who helped save Bart — the “zombie cat” who clawed his way out of an untimely grave last week — don’t want the resilient feline to return to his former family.

“I met with the owner for about 40 minutes,” Sherry Silk, executive director of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, told The Huffington Post. “I told him at that time some things had come to light that I was really uncomfortable with.”

Ellis Hutson, Bart’s owner, told ABC News this week his pet was hit by a car a couple of weeks ago. Hutson said he was sure the animal was dead and enlisted his neighbor to bury the cat near his home. However, Bart returned — severely injured and covered in dirt — five days later.

Humane Society workers posted Bart’s story on the organization’s blog, calling him the “miracle cat.” But now, Silk told HuffPost that the team is suspicious of some of the circumstances surrounding Bart’s injuries and Hutson’s story about them. They don’t want to return the cat, she said.

Hutson told ABC Action News that he wants the cat back.

“If we have to go to court, we have to go to court,” he told the outlet. “I haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t think it’s right to take my cat.”

Dusty Albritton, who the Tampa Bay Times reports is Hutson’s neighbor, set up a GoFundMe page on Jan. 23 for the cat’s medical expenses. As of Saturday, it had raised over $7,000. An update posted Saturday afternoon and signed as coming from both Albritton and Hutson accuses Silk of not telling the truth about the situation.

The update also noted that the account was initially set up “solely for Bart,” but that they did not expect so much money to pour in. It said funds will be donated to emergency veterinary services “in Bart’s name.”

Albritton did not immediately return a request for comment Saturday, and attempts to reach Hutson were unsuccessful.

The Humane Society website notes that it is not affiliated with the GoFundMe campaign, and as of Friday had received no funds from the account. The site also states that Bart’s medical expenses have already been covered by the organization’s emergency medical fund.

In a YouTube video that appears to show Bart and is posted to an account listed under the name “Dusty Salas,” a voice is heard saying, “He might not have been dead. ‘Cause when I found him … he was moving and stuff.” A Facebook page under the name “Dusty Albritton” has linked to the YouTube account repeatedly.

Silk told HuffPost she does not believe Hutson will be able to provide a home environment suitable for Bart’s fragile state of health, and expressed concerns that Bart will not be kept indoors.

“I just don’t want [Bart] to go there,” Silk said. “If it’s a legal issue, and it could be, we may very well lose. But we’re going to fight to do what we think is right for this cat.”

However, Hutson also told WFLA that he promises to keep Bart indoors.

Silk says she hopes that Hutson will ultimately surrender Bart to the Humane Society so they can find him a home more suited to his situation. While not everyone is equipped to care for a special-needs cat, Silk said she urges those who are moved by Bart’s story to adopt another shelter cat in his honor.

A video released late on Saturday appears to show the execution of Japanese reporter Kenji Goto by militants of the militant group calling itself the Islamic State.

The video, titled “A Message To The Government Of Japan,” appears to show a black-clad militant with a British accent beheading Goto. “You, like your foolish allies in the Satanic coalition, have yet to understand that we, by Allah’s grace, are Islamic caliphate with authority and power, an entire army thirsty for your blood,” the militant says.

The Associated Press reports that the video was released on militant websites and resembles previous messages released by the group.

Goto was a respected freelance television journalist who had reported from conflict zones around the world. He launched his own video news company, Independent Press, in 1996 and was mostly known for his work on humanitarian disasters in war zones.

“He covers wars with a difference. Instead of focusing on who is winning or losing, he tells the stories of ordinary people, especially children, who are forced to endure conflict and the horrors surrounding them,” The Economist’s Henry Tricks wrote in a personal blog for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Goto had been held by the Islamic State group since the fall.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

272 pages
Published by Doubleday

How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a little guidebook – not to the sites of Paris–but rather, with a wink and a nod and la bise, to the interiors of a modern chic Parisian woman’s sophisticated pysche. Life lessons from the Three Simones: Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Veils, and Simone Signoret, and under whose Simone category all Parisians are divided punctuates the authoresses’ psychology. They share wisdom of the salon, bistro and boudoir according to Love, Style, and Bad Habits. Unlike other comprehensive “How to be French” guides, this primer doesn’t present an idealized portrayal of a superior French woman, but embraces the panoply of La Parisienne most recognizable by her attitude. The book itself is a skillful collection of anecdotes and advice as colorful as the spring Chanel Collection.

The impressionistic blur of pithy anecdotes, rolling lists, advice, recipes, profiles, history, and poetry is punctuated by colorful photographs and sketches, deliberately placed to give the impression that they were an afterthought, thrown together at the last minute- much like the seemingly effortless, casual style of the archetypal Parisian woman.

Four longtime friends, “stunning and accomplished Frenchwomen,” have collaborated to produce a uniquely entertaining volume, each bringing her own experiences to the table. Anne Berest is a novelist, dramatist, and writer for television and film; Audrey Diwan, a scriptwriter and magazine editor; Caroline de Maigret a model and music label founder; and Sophie Mas a film producer. The four women harness their collective creative power to capture the heart of the quintessential Parisienne.

Whereas the tone may vary by section, the voice nonetheless remains steady, reinforcing the notion that the commonalities in attitude shared among Parisians are, in fact, authentic. From love, sex and feminism to interior decorating and cooking, these women cover a wide range of themes, boldly contradicting themselves at every turn, and humbly acknowledging this, even embracing it. And while some of their declarations are outrageously nontraditional (such as the idea that cheating is good for a relationship), they serve as great conversation starters. And in any given discussion, Parisians love to snobbishly hold exactly the opposite opinion of yours.

Though largely tongue-in-cheek fun, the book is also peppered with truly timeless advice: Never ask a guest at a party what he or she does for a living. Invest in yourself by fostering in private your favorite attractive qualities. Avoid logos on your clothing. “Always be fuckable.” A list of essential words-to-know and an address book by locals who know the city best lay out a roadmap for visitors to experience Paris like the natives. Sometimes poignant, other times outrageous, but always entertaining, How to Be a Parisian Wherever You Are is a staple for the bookshelf. Enjoy it in one sitting or pick it up when you seek a moment of inspiration.

A closing thought for those trying to adopt an authentic Parisian attitude: while the book makes it clear that Parisians love their technology (one reason that visiting the rural countryside is, for them, more of a romantic notion than an enjoyable one) it will also be evident by its closing pages that this book, or any, is best enjoyed as a hardback edition. After all, “there are many books on a Parisienne’s bookshelf,” because “taken together, [they] form intangible proof that you are well read.”