IKEA Monkey

A 6-year-old girl is trapped in a narrow hole about 20 feet deep in Lucedale, Mississippi, a Greene County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said Thursday.

One of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new destination is to find a garden  or conservatory to visit.  It may be an acclaimed one that I pinned to my "Gardens I Must Visit Before I Die" Pinterest board, or I might have just stumbled across it while out exploring.  Regardless, in my book garden visits trump museums any day.  Here are some of my favorite gardens that I've visited across the US, as well as gardens that I plan to see in the future.

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“Bored of being in a dark room, she flips on the light, opens the door and bails. This particular episode takes place at 1am.“

Oh no, “good job” is totally 100% what I was going to say too. (Thanks for the tip, Robert.)

To ensure a happy and prosperous future for a newborn, parents will do the darnedest things.

Finally—after several bands flirted with Blackstreet's "No Diggity"but didn't risk actually performing it, Chicago's J.C. Brooks And The Uptown Sound took the challenge. This cover isn't faithful, but it's massively energetic and fun, not unlike the band's new album Howl. Catch the band on tour throughout June, and yell "No Diggity" until they play it. (Or not.)

Wed June 5 - Roseville, CA @ Sammy's
Thu June 6 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord
Fri June 7 - Cloverdale, CA @ Friday Night Live
Sat June 8 - Long Beach, CA @ Ink & Iron Fest
Sun June 9 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brewing Co.
Tues June 11 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
Wed June 12 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Fri June 14 - Chicago, IL @ Taste of Randolph Fest
Wed June 19 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
Fri June 21 - Dover, DE @ Firefly Fest
Sat June ...

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This Memorial Day weekend marks the start of another—hopefully safe—swimming season. In 2013, Mario Vittone dispelled a popular myth about how to tell when someone is struggling in the water. The original article is reprinted below.

He is just a civilian for the first minute, but becomes something much more around 1:02:

This kid is seriously the best and most brave, and it’s no wonder that he’s getting all of the attention today. (Better luck next time Nikki Finke vs. Sharon Waxman.) He earned it! There is no telling who will be tomorrow’s #1 Internet Hero, but for today all of the glory lands firmly on his tiny, patriotic shoulders. And how nobly he bears it for all of us! An inspiration, to be sure. At ease, soldier. At ease.

Kenji Fujimoto spent more than a decade as Kim Jong-il's personal chef and his children's nanny. This is his amazing story.

At a lavish Wonsan guesthouse, Fujimoto prepared sushi for a group of executives who would be arriving on a yacht. Executive is Fujimoto's euphemism for generals, party officials, or high-level bureaucrats. In other words, Kim Jong-il's personal entourage. Andguesthouse is code for a series of palaces decorated with cold marble, silver-braided bedspreads, ice purple paintings of kimilsungia blossoms, and ceilings airbrushed with the cran-apple mist of sunset, as if Liberace's jet had crashed into Lenin's tomb.

At two in the morning, the boat finally docked. Fujimoto began serving sushi for men who obviously had been through a long party already. He would come to realize these parties tended to be stacked one atop another, sometimes four in a row, spreading out over days.

All the men wore military uniforms except for one imperious fellow in a casual sports tracksuit. This man was curious about the fish. He asked Fujimoto about the marbled, fleshy cuts he was preparing.

"That's toro," Fujimoto told him.

For the rest of the night, this man kept calling out, "Toro, one more!"

The next day, Fujimoto was talking to the mamasan of his hotel. She was holding a newspaper, the official Rodong Sinmun, and on the front page was a photo of the man in the tracksuit. Fujimoto told her this was the man he'd just served dinner.

"She started trembling," Fujimoto said of the moment he realized the man's true identity. "Then I started trembling."

The man in the tracksuit invited Fujimoto back to make more sushi. Fujimoto didn't speak Korean, so he had a government-appointed interpreter with him at all times. At the end of the evening, a valet handed the interpreter an envelope.

"From Jang-gun-nim," the valet said.

Perhaps the reason Fujimoto hadn't known he'd been serving Kim Jong-il was because "no one ever called him by his real name," Fujimoto said. "Never."

Tags: food   Kenji Fujimoto   Kim Jong-il   North Korea   sushi

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long, you are

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Matchmakers Lisa Lyngos and Leisha Murphy have your top tips for making it through wedding season without a "plus one."

Over the course of 10 seasons on Project Runway, Kors made lots of people cry. [ more › ]

An Alabama pastor says he will no longer let Boy Scouts meet at his church now that gay scouts are allowed.

Author and artist MariNaomi sketches out the thoughts of anyone who has ever done downward dog or downward doggie style. (Sorry for "downward doggie style — I have no idea what any sex positions are called.) (Except for the "Spaghetti noodle man", and I can say no more about that.)

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Did you see those paparazzi photos of Jaden Smith dressed in a K-Mart Iron Man costume to disguise himself while he took his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, shopping? He’s 14 years old. Are we out to kill people now? I don’t know. Bieber is literally melting before our eyes. CAN HE LIVE? (A: Nah.) I’m not going on some screed here, it’s too late in the day, too deep into the week. I’m here to go on screeds and chew bubblegum, and I’m all out of screeds. But, like, we should be more careful sometimes, I think. That’s all. Let’s just be more careful. This weekend, be careful. Sit back, relax, and be careful. Don’t go on the TMZ Tour of New York. If you eat pizza, which I highly recommend doing, don’t BE A LIAR about it afterwards. Just take it easy! Enjoy it! Statham is carrying you!

After the jump, the five Highest Rated comments, as voted on by you, the Lowest Rated comment, the winner of the Happy Ben Affleck And His Honorary Doctorate Caption Contest, and the Editor’s and Associate Editor’s Choices.

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Sir Patrick Stewart stopped through Chicago over the weekend. [ more › ]

Hot on the heels of the Cronut, Dunkin' Donuts has made a doughnut breakfast sandwich —fried egg and bacon served on a glazed doughnut — a permanent fixture on their national menu.

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A Chicago man faces charges after he was found "on his hands and knees" in a cage with a pit bull at the city pound. [ more › ]

Lily's mother was roaming the streets of Tennessee pregnant and cold. A very kind woman in Ohio took her in and she had five beautiful girls. We drove 500 miles to get her and she is the sweetest puppy. Lily is smart and loves to be around the family. We are so happy we found her.

One weird thing about celebrity (and there are several) is that there's this underlying notion that fame is only for those who truly deserve it, as though it's some kind of honorable reward we bestow upon people for talent. But prestige and fame are two different animals, which has only become more and more clear in this age of reality television and social media, wherein regular, everyday people are starring on our favorite TV shows and big-time pop and movie stars are interacting with nobodies on Twitter. Fame is up for grabs for anyone who wants it badly enough. But while it's easy to get famous, there seems to be an art to staying famous.

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Don’t ask. No more questions. It’s Friday. Just enjoy your life. There will be plenty to worry about come next week. TONIGHT WE LAUGH IN HELL! (Via RatsOff!)

Fuck, Marry, Kill: Megyn Kelly, Lou Dobbs, or Erick Erickson? Kelly just made the HARDEST QUESTION EVER POSED a little easier by slamming the two other contenders for arguing that it's unnatural for women to be breadwinners because Erickson has mommy issues and preschool-level science expertise. Bonus: Kelly's the only one that would let you keep your job.

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Catherina Scalia is in trouble again. Long Island's so-called "hot dog hooker" says she's being framed.

From Chicago

A catch-all platter from Uncle Bub's BBQ has all the meats you crave. [Photographs: Jennifer Olvera]

When it comes to 'cue, Chicago hardly lacks options—and solid ones at that. And while obvious choices, like Smoque and Lillie's Q, come to mind, an under-the-radar gem—Uncle Bub's—should, too.

The place has a roadhouse vibe with requisite farm accoutrements on the walls. So, yes, it's a little shticky. It's also endearing. So, head on in and order at the counter before settling into a high-backed wood booth.

The menu houses most everything a barbecue aficionado wants, from ribs to chicken and pulled pork. Really, it's all pretty good.

That's why I'd recommend ordering Uncle Bub's sampler platter ($21.69) so you can take it all in. This smoked meat extravaganza includes three meaty, sauce-soused baby back ribs, rib tips, tasty pulled pork, smoke-infused brisket, and a quarter chicken, along with two sides.

Speaking of sides, they're a real plus here. The crunchy cole slaw is singular, and it's hard to gripe about fried mac and cheese. You can also choose a side salad with chunky blue cheese dressing or excellent, meaty chili.

As for the rest of the menu, there's nary a miss. The Southern nacho platter ($8.69) comes heaped with pulled pork and all the anticipated fixings; the cheeseburger salad ($8.99) arrives topped with a half-pound patty and sliced cheese; and breaded fantail shrimp ($16.99 for 10) get accompanied by house-made cocktail sauce.

Whatever you choose, a nice lineup of condiments, including pickled jalapenos, crunchy pickle coins and giardiniera, allow for customization. There's also a wall of hot sauces. Take your pick and use it to ramp up the flavor of Bub's two barbecue sauces, mild and spicy.

Uncle Bub's does a mean catering business, too. So, consider it a must for pig roasts, smoked Thanksgiving turkeys, and Easter hams.

Uncle Bub's BBQ

132 S. Cass Ave., Westmont, IL 60559 (map)
630-493-9000

One day after El Salvador's Supreme Court denied a seriously ill woman's petition for a therapeutic abortion, the country's health minister approved a C-section to end the dangerous pregnancy. The 22-year-old woman, identified as Beatriz, has been hospitalized for weeks due to complications related to kidney failure and lupus; she is 26-weeks pregnant with an anencephalic fetus that her doctors say has no chance of survival.

As part of its decision, the Salvadorian court also ruled that Beatriz's doctors were “responsible for maintaining her health." At 26-weeks along, Beatriz's doctors petitioned that an emergency C-section would be the best option to preserve her health; on Thursday, the country's health minister complied.

“She is in the hands of top-notch doctors,” Health Minister Maria Isabel Rodriguez said Thursday. “The medical team at the Maternity Hospital is ready to act immediately at the slightest sign of danger.”

The New York Times goes on to report:

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Robert Barchi believed he had much more important business to deal with at Rutgers, and in many ways, he's probably right. He is overseeing a massive merger between the university and the state's medical schools, one that will shape higher education in New Jersey for generations.

Dakota-Jack is a precious yellow Lab. He loves trips to the river, even on the Wave Runner! He doesn't love the life jacket though.