Back to Back Beetles (Photo by D.L.) Look -- down the road! It's a fish... it's a dragon... it's an art car! Talk about a hobby with some pizzazz. Cartists, as art car creators are often known, possess visions as varied as the personalities who wander our planet. From their favorite sport, to beloved childhood tales, to Mother Nature, their inspirations are limitless. Some even choose to use the dirt on the car as their palette, while others turn their cars into living art. Although it may seem that art car creation is only for the art-car-driving enthusiast, this hobby appears to be without limitations. Famous artists have tried their hands at auto artistry, and it has branched out to inspire installation art and permanent public pieces. Longing to see an art car in person, but not up for hunting them down at Burning Man or in frozen climes? Not to worry. Just make your way to one of the numerous parades to be found throughout the country or stop by a museum. Art car folks are a welcoming crowd and you're sure to be impressed. Suggested Sites... Art Car Museum - watch the art car slide show or make the trip in person. ArtCar Fest - the west coast's largest gathering of art cars. Flickr: Art Cars - photo pool featuring art cars on parade and up close and personal. WikiHow: How to Create an Art Car - roll up your sleeves and become a cartist yourself.

Directory categories: Art Cars, Lowriders, Car Art, Roadside Attractions

Archived under: ArtCars, Artists, Arts, Autos, Fanatics, Festivals, Hobbies, Museums

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The Ultimate Gary Glitter To observe the 64th birthday of glam-rock legend turned convicted sex offender Gary Glitter, we added a few new sites to his category in the Yahoo! Directory. Born Paul Gadd, Glitter is best known as the man responsible for "Rock and Roll, Part II," the catchy "we scored!" tune played at sporting events. If you are a big fan of the Heinz endorser, or just curious about the 1970s, glam rock, or celebrity downfalls in general, HisWestiness' YouTube channel is a good place to start. To date, it features 212 Gary Glitter music videos, live performances, interviews, and a BBC documentary called "The Real Gary Glitter," along with an unrelated documentary about serial killer Fred West thrown in for good measure. Gary Glitter Across the Globe, written by a loyal member of "The Gang," describes one of Gary's "glittering concerts" during his 1996 Quadrophenia Tour, where he sang both classics and new songs, including "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Rock Hard Men (Need the Power)." Given Glitter's sordid and horrifying legal troubles, it almost seems like the title of his 1974 hit song "Remember Me This Way" was a plea from his future self to his fans at that time. On a YouTube page featuring that song's music video, commenter eggy541 acknowledges the unsettling duality of Glitter's media persona: "Gary Glitter will always be the king of glam regardless of who Paul Gadd turned out to be." These days, Glitter spends all of his time in a Vietnamese jail -- he is scheduled for release this August. We're not sure if he's planning a follow-up tour. Suggested Sites... Gary Glitter's World Wide Glittering Website - The official site of Gary Glitter glitters on with a bio, discography, fanclub info, and "The Daily Glitter" news page. Gary Glitter - Wikipedia - Career overview of rock singer Gary Glitter. Includes music career, legal troubles, and discography. Gary Glitter - BBC News - The BBC is the authoritative source for the latest Gary Glitter news. Items Tagged with Gary Glitter - Flickr - Photos posted by Flickr users tagged with "Gary Glitter" tell stories of how people come to terms with glam rock, the 1970s, the bouffant hiarstyle, and sex crimes. Gary Glitter - Last.fm - Listen to Gary Glitter radio, connect with other fans, contribute to the bio-wiki, and find videos and photos on Last.fm.

Directory categories: Gary Glitter, Classic Rock, Sex Crimes, 1970s Music, 1970s History

Archived under: Crime, Entertainment, Music, Prison, Rock and Roll

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Grumpy, in Disney's Snow White When we read that May 7 is the Great American Grump-Out, we naturally wondered, "What in the heck is that?" We soon learned that it's a challenge to Americans to go 24 hours "without being grumpy, crabby, or rude" in order to promote "peace, harmony, and lighthearted humor." That sounded like a great idea until we looked at it a little more closely: It occurred to us that while a world of peace and harmony is a noble goal, nothing would get accomplished. It's the dissatisfied grumps of the world who make things happen. Look at the facts. Of all the Seven Dwarfs, who got things done? Doc? Happy? Dopey, for Pete’s sake? No, it was Grumpy. Without him telling the other six to get back to work in the diamond mine, they'd have sat around the house all day, cleaning and singing songs. And which of the Marx Brothers made things happen? Not the angelic Harpo, the shady Chico, or the bland Zeppo. Nope, it was Groucho. What about nature? How does an oyster make a pearl? By a grain of sand irritating it. Do you think Thomas Edison was "happy and satisfied?" No, he was fed up with sitting in the dark, listening to nothing. Was Alexander Graham Bell "peaceful and lighthearted," or was he looking for a more efficient way for marketers to reach him? Need we add who keeps things from becoming moribund on Sesame Street? And what about The Spark? Where would we be without snarkiness? We'd be stuck writing about kittens and My Little Pony. So while we thank the "No Grump" people for their sentiment, we'll depend on the crabs to keep things progressing. Suggested Sites... Smile Mania - home of the Great American Grump Out. Yeah, good luck with that. P.U.D.D.I.N.G. Hits the Airwaves - the forces of light take on the forces of darkness. Model Citizenship - rude behavior: something to emulate or avoid? Grumpiness and Intelligence - science has proven it: grumpy people are smarter! BBC News: Vowels To Blame for German Grumpiness - if you ate sauerkraut all year, you'd be pretty grumpy, too.

Directory categories: Mental Health, Personal Growth, Humor, Disasters, Depression

Archived under: Creativity, Events, Grumpiness, Invention, Inventors, Mental Health, Psychology, Society and Culture

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A "friendly" clown doll (Photo by Mrs. Maze) This past weekend, Houston, Missouri, hosted the Emmett Kelly Clown Festival, and ever since we heard about it, we've been having nightmares. Before "It," before "Poltergeist," before Slipknot, and even before "Killer Klowns From Outer Space," it was clear that there was something very, very wrong with clowns. But when you tell someone you're afflicted with coulrophobia, do they treat it as a serious, uncontrollable fear? No -- they ask you what traumatic event happened in your childhood that would inspire an aversion to something as wholesome and cheery as clowns. Would you ask someone with a fear of flying if they had a bad travel experience in early childhood? Of course not -- aerophobia seems like a perfectly normal and common fear: After all, people do die in plane crashes. Sure, and sometimes they're killed by serial killers dressed as clowns. We're not saying that everyone who enjoys clowns -- or even (shudder) dresses as one -- is a bad person. Far from it. We respect that they, too, suffer from an unusual and disturbing mental state -- an affliction not so different from our own phobia. Perhaps through therapy and rehabilitation, they can someday even lead normal, productive lives. Suggested Sites... I Hate Clowns - community for clown-haters everywhere. Flickr: Unintentionally Scary Clowns - they're not all trying to be creepy -- it just comes naturally. Clownz.com - stories of coulrophobia, and an image gallery that may inspire new fears. Clowns Without Borders - the name alone keeps us up at night.

Directory categories: Anti-Clowns, Clowning, Clowns for Hire, Clown Apparel, Phobias

Archived under: Circus Arts, Clowns, Entertainment, Imposters, Mental Health, Performing Arts, Phobias

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Still image from The Great Train Robbery On this day in 1865, the first train robbery in the U.S. took place in North Bend, Ohio. The bandits derailed the train and robbed the passengers of their goods. The suspects were never caught and their identities remain a mystery. More details are known about the country's next train robbery, which might be why some reports consider this one to be the first. On October 6, 1866, in Seymour, Indiana, three men boarded a train, waited a few miles until they were out of town, and then robbed a messenger at gunpoint, taking over $10,000 in gold coins and cash. These men were later identified as part of the notorious Reno Gang. Brothers Frank, John, Simeon, and William Reno were the Old West's first brotherhood of outlaws, robbing post offices, burning homes, and bounty jumping to make a quick buck. But robbing trains that were under protection of the Pinkerton Detective Agency bumped their Wanted status to a whole new level -- one for which they would soon pay dearly. While leader John was serving 25 years, the Reno Gang continued to wreak havok until an organized lynch mob ended their reign for good on December 12, 1968. Over 50 men stormed the New Albany jailhouse where Frank, William, and Simeon were being held, dragged them from their individual jail cells, and hung them all, one by one, in a stairwell inside the prison. Justice was served by Judge Lynch. Suggested Sites... HistoryNet: Reno Gang's Reign of Terror - super-detailed article about the Reno brothers and their career in crime. Yahoo! Video: The Great Train Robbery (1903) - full-length video of the vintage film -- the first to have a narrative story. Wikipedia: Train Robbery - includes a list of famous train robbers. YouTube: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Montage - nice tribute to the classic western starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

Directory categories: Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Great Train Robbery (1903), Steam Locomotives

Archived under: Cowboys and Cowgirls, Crime, Criminals, History, Old West, Trains

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