Everyday Glimpse

Man Finds Wife's $10k Ring Dump

2011-11-14T14:43:00.001+05:00

Man finds wife's $10k ring dump, Man searches dump for wife's ring, Man Wades Through Garbage Dump to Find Engagement Ring. MIAMI | It seemed hopeless as a South Florida man stood before a 9-ton mountain of rotten garbage, desperately hoping to find his wife’s engagement ring. Brian McGuinn accidentally tossed out the 1.5-carat engagement ring in the trash with a disposable razor the night before.

On Halloween day, McGuinn donned a protective suit and mask and waded through the trash. Crews warned him it was hopeless.
A worker offered to get a bulldozer to make the search easier. Ten minutes later, McGuinn found a cup from his wife’s favorite dessert spot and found their trash bag but the contents were spilled everywhere. man finds wife's $10k ring dump, hubby landfill wife's $10,000 ring, hubby landfill wife's $10,000 ring,

He took off his gloves, reached into a pool of black sludge and miraculously pulled out the engagement ring.
The couple is expecting their first child in a few months.

10-year-old gives birth mexico

2011-11-14T14:42:00.002+05:00

Unbelievable. A 10-year-old girl in Mexico has given birth to a baby boy after a 31-week pregnancy, according to media reports.

The premature baby, which weighed 3.3 pounds at birth, was born by Caesarian section at the Women’s Hospital in the city of Puebla. The little boy is currently in the intensive care unit recovering from pneumonia.
The young mother has returned home following the procedure but visits the baby every day to breastfeed, officials say.

The Puebla state Attorney General’s Office is now investigating whether or not the girl may have been raped and who the father is, says hospital director Rogelio Gonzalez.
According to Mexican state laws, young mothers are not allowed to have abortions unless the girl is able to prove that she was the victim of a sexual assault.
The state’s minimum age of consent is 12 and women who undergo abortions in Puebla face a fine or prison sentence if they are unable to prove they were sexually abused.
The laws are currently under review.
Hospital officials said the newborn is in a good condition considering his premature birth and the mother is recovering well.

How tall is Bob Barker?

2011-11-11T09:38:00.002+05:00

How tall is Bob Barker?- 6' 5" (196cm) tall. The longtime game show host of "The Price Is Right" didn't need a pedestal to make him seem taller on television. Bob Barker years with Price is Right, The Price is Right, Bob Barker animal rights activist, truth or consequences game show,

Dog suckles piglets

2011-09-06T11:39:00.003+05:00

Yeti the dog already had a litter of pups to care for when the piglets adopted her as a second mom.

Ever since then, the Cuban farm dog has been pulling double-duty, nursing not just her own young but also the 14 swine.

Farmer Mannorkys Santamaria said the piglets also take milk from their mothers, but when they see Yeti, they run to her for a meal. On a recent day the young porkers followed her around the farm as if she were their real mother.

“No one imposed this on the dog,” Santamaria said. “The piglets discovered this on their own and began nursing with her when they turned 15 days old.”

Santamaria, 35, and his wife Eida Fernandes, 40, raise pigs, chickens, doves and turkeys on their small farm in the eastern province of Camaguey. There are also several mixed-breed dogs who have showed up on the property over the years and stayed.

So far, Yeti is the only one to become an adopted mother to pigs. Fernandes said she doesn’t seem to mind. All but one of Yeti’s biological offspring have been given away, and the one pup remaining nurses alongside the swine.

“When the piglets ventured outside their pen, it seems they smelled the dog’s milk and began screaming at her,” Fernandes said. “In the beginning we didn’t think the dog would let them suckle, but they insisted so much they ended up nursing with her.”

Source: Yahoo

Black widow chicken wings

2011-09-06T11:39:00.000+05:00

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Black Widow of eating contests has scarfed down 183 chicken wings in 12 minutes to break her own world record set last year in Buffalo, New York.
Sonya Thomas took home first place Sunday at the 10th annual National Buffalo Wings Festival. She beat eating marvel Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who came in second with 174 wings. The two won titles at the July Fourth hot dog eating contest on Coney Island.
The 100-pound (45.36-kilogram) Thomas of Alexandria, Virginia, is the reigning wing-eating champion. She downed 181 wings to win the 2010 contest. Chestnut of San Jose, California, settled for second with 169 wings.
The winner gets $1,500. The runner-up wins $750, and third place gets $300.
Thomas is called the Black Widow becomes she often beats male competitors in eating contests.

Nenshi Calgary pride

2011-09-06T11:38:00.000+05:00

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi will be the grand marshal in this year's gay pride parade, he confirmed on Monday.
"Yeah, you know, I marched in it last year because I really believe as mayor you're mayor of all Calgarians," he said. "And, you know, I'm happy to go to all kinds of cultural festivals and other things for different groups."
The parade starts at 12:00 p.m. on Sept. 4 at Olympic Plaza.
The procession will travel west along Eighth Avenue, winding up at Shaw Millennium Park for a street festival.
Pride week runs from Sept. 1 to 11.

Toronto mayor Rob Ford faced criticism for not taking part in any of that city's gay pride events.
He said he had long-standing plans to spend that time at his family cottage instead.
But Nenshi defended Ford's decision, saying he understands how hard it is for public figures to hang on to their family time.

Randy Houser and fiance

2011-09-01T19:49:00.002+05:00

Something to sing about!

Country music singer Randy Houser and his singer-songwriter love, Jessa Lee Yantz, are engaged! A source confirms to Us Weekly that Houser, 34, popped the question to Yantz, and the two are hoping to marry in the fall.

On Thursday, the "Anything Goes" singer's fiance tweeted about her successful search for the right dress:
"Went wedding dress shopping today... First dress I tried on was 'the one!' Perfection about sums it up!"

Earlier this week, Houser's future bride also tweeted: "I'm a good-hearted woman loving a good-hearted man. Now THAT'S a match made in heaven. Lucky in love."

Cyndi Lauper homeless shelter

2011-09-01T19:41:00.000+05:00

Activist Cyndi Lauper is set to open a safe haven in New York for gay teenagers suffering tough times.

The singer is preparing to launch the True Colors Residence in Manhattan on September 1st for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youngsters who have found themselves homeless. Lauper promises the residents will be offered affordable rent options and given career guidance.

She says, "In New York City, a very disproportionate number (up to 40 per cent) of homeless youth identify as LGBT. Even more disturbing are reports that these young people
often face discrimination and at times physical assault in some of the very places they have for help. This is shocking and inexcusable!

"We'll be building from the ground up so our residents will have a brand new, modern building with studio apartments for each resident and both indoor and outdoor community space to socialise or attend education and recreation programmes.

"Each resident will be responsible for paying affordable rent based on their income and will receive ongoing assistance in obtaining employment best suited to their individual interests and skills."

Sarah Palin presidential fire

2011-09-01T19:34:00.002+05:00

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Sarah Palin soon will end the will-she-or-won't-she presidential speculation that has trailed her for two years — and that she has fueled with abandon, perhaps to the detriment of her potential candidacy.

"America is waiting for the president to make good on this promise," the former Alaska governor recently posted on Twitter, linking to a video of President Barack Obama pledging to run a transparent government. She set up Saturday's scheduled visit to Iowa with, "I'll be talking about this and more."

It was the "and more" part that got many supporters all atwitter. And it's what prompted another round of buzz over whether the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee will

seek the top spot on ballot this time.

Her upcoming weekend appearances at tea party events in Iowa and New Hampshire are causing rumblings, too. But she has said she probably won't announce her plans until later in September, ensuring one more month of tea-leaf reading — and teasing — in a year filled with it.

Palin's consideration period has been as unconventional as her presidential campaign seemingly would be.

She would stay quiet for weeks, only to pop up just when an official Republican candidate was going to own the spotlight. Over Memorial Day weekend she launched an East Coast bus tour that included New Hampshire — on the same day and in the same state that Mitt Romney announced his candidacy.

She visited Iowa a day before the statewide straw poll and Texas Gov. Rick Perry's entrance into the race. A week later, she rolled out a campaign-style web video showcasing that visit and promising Iowans she'd see them again in a few weeks.

Her approach has allowed her to stay in the conversation without exposing herself to the rigors of the campaign trail or the scrutiny befitting a full-fledged presidential candidate. And if she doesn't run, she has managed to boost her profile while building a lucrative multimedia platform that includes being a paid analyst on Fox News, writing best-selling books and being a sought-after speaker.

Should she run, however, she may have hurt herself by playing the wait-and-see game for so long. Two candidates with strong tea party support — Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann — have blossomed in recent months, raising questions about whether the cat-and-mouse game Palin has played has done irreparable damage by turning off potential supporters.

"We are coming to the end of the line for Sarah Palin's ability to string the Republican primary voters along," wrote conservative blogger Erick Erickson of RedState last week. "They are trying to settle on a candidate now, they've held out hope of her entry and are now ready for her to put up or shut up. Many of them have already moved on."

Erickson also suggested she's damaged her chances, saying: "Palin could get back a number of voters should she get into the race, people who gave up on her running and moved on to someone else. But, I do not think it would put her in a strong enough position to get into first or second place."
Indeed, polling over the past year shows a sharp drop-off in support for Palin among non-tea-party Republicans: 39 percent have a positive view of her while 52 percent view her negatively in the latest Associated Press-GfK poll. That's compared with last November, when 62 percent viewed her favorably and 32 percent viewed her unfavorably.
"After a while you get a little tired of the tease," South Carolina Republican strategist Chip Felkel said, comparing Palin to a girl who doesn't want to date you but doesn't want you to date anyone else either. "And in this case, I think the voters have found another girlfriend."
He may be correct.
A recent Pew poll showed 41 percent of Republicans saying there's "no chance" they would ever vote for Palin, and recent Gallup survey showed her tied for third with Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 11 percent nationally even though she's not in the race.
Still, Palin's approach doesn't seem to be wearing thin among her hardcore backers.
"It's a big decision to make, and I wouldn't want her to go into it if she doesn't feel prepared," said Tracey Porreca, who lives east of Delta Junction, Alaska, and is with Alaskans4Palin.com. "I'll support her whatever her decision is."
Equally enthusiastic Palin backers swamped her at the Iowa State Fair and when she visited Washington, D.C., as part of her bus tour. And they still seem to be flocking to draft-Palin web sites, pressing her to run. "What can we do to convince a free spirited, snow machine ridin', caribou huntin' wife and mother to give us her servant's heart for the eight years necessary to restore our nation to greatness?" a supporter posted on organize4palin.com earlier this month.
Palin also remains quite popular among her base — Republicans who consider themselves members of the tea party — with 83 percent viewing her favorably and just 16 percent viewing her unfavorably in a recent AP-GfK poll.
Publically, there are few signs that Palin is laying the groundwork for a presidential campaign, at least a traditional one where candidates build organizations in key early voting states and personally chat up voters at local venues. Privately, even close aides say they don't know whether she plans to run.
The only thing certain is that the clock is ticking. Deadlines to get on primary ballots in key states come this fall and the three candidates running strongest in polls — Romney, Perry and Bachmann — have been campaigning for weeks, if not months.
"Is the window closed? No, but it's getting closed," said David Roederer, who ran John McCain's Iowa campaign in 2008. "It would take some effort to get through the window at this point."
____
Associated Press Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta and writer Philip Elliott in Washington contributed to this report.

Source : Yahoo News

Rihanna lawsuit

2011-09-01T19:28:00.002+05:00

Rihanna has filed a lawsuit over the purchase of her $6.9 million Beverly Hills home.

The 23-year-old Barbadian singer is claiming that the two-story home she bought in 2009 had multiple defects that the seller did not make her aware of at the time of purchase.

TMZ are reporting that when Rihanna paid millions of dollars for the home she believed she was buying a property in good condition.

But the singer is claiming that the woman who sold her the house lied and knew that there were a lot of problems with the house.

The home is said to have numerous waterproofing defects, evidence of water intrusion and other construction defects.
The Umbrella star's house was hit by a 'moderate rainstorm' in January 2010 according to the court documents and because of the defects, water leaked into many of the rooms and caused a tremendous amount of damage.

'The actual value of the property at the time of purchase, taking into consideration the extensive construction defects. was millions of dollars less,' she claims.

Rihanna is not only suing the former owner of the property but the inspector, real estate agents involved in the sale and the engineers who worked on the home.

Apple prototype lost

2011-09-01T19:20:00.002+05:00

Looks Like Apple Lost Another Prototype iPhone in a Bar

Uh oh, looks like Apple might have another iPhone leak on its hands. CNET is reporting that an Apple employee may have lost a prototype iPhone 5 at a bar. "The errant iPhone, which went missing in San Francisco's Mission district in late July, sparked a scramble by Apple security to recover the device over the next few days, according to a source familiar with the investigation." A source apparently told CNET that the phone sold for $200 on Craigslist.

If the reports are true, Apple is experiencing iPhone leak deja vu. Last year Gizmodo purchased a lost (also in a bar) iPhone 4, leaking coveted information about the new phone's specs. Since last year's incident, after which the tech company tried and failed to press charges against Gizmodo, Apple has upped its security. Reading CNET's report, however, it looks like Apple still hasn't been careful enough.

Alyssa Milano gives birth

2011-09-01T19:14:00.000+05:00

The 38-year-old actress and her husband, Hollywood agent David Bugliari, welcomed their first child into the world this morning (31.08.11).
The tot weighed 7lb and the overjoyed couple have named their new arrival Milo Thomas Bugliari.
The 'Charmed' star's representative said: "Alyssa and her husband David proudly announce the birth of their son, Milo Thomas Bugliari. Milo Thomas was born on August 31 at 9.27am weighing 7 pounds and was 19 inches long."
Alyssa, 38, took to her twitter account to share her joyous news and also thanked her followers for their congratulatory messages.

She wrote: "Thank you for all the well wishes for my son Milo. My heart has tripled in size. I love him more than all the leaves on all the trees."
Alyssa - who married David in August 2009 - knew she was having a son throughout the later stages of her pregnancy but was refusing to pick a name for her baby until she met him.
She previously said: "We have three names. You hear so many stories about people who picked a name out and then the baby didn't look like the name. So we're narrowing it down until we see the child. However, we will go with a slightly Italian name, so that it goes with Bugliari."

Krispy kreme new coffee offerings

2011-09-01T19:10:00.001+05:00

Krispy Kreme to launch three new coffee bars

Krispy Kreme UK, the premium doughnut retailer, is to launch three new coffee bars in the next few months as part of its UK growth strategy.

The first coffee bar will open at Westfield Stratford City on 13 September, with the second launching in Bath later that month, followed by Meadowhall, Sheffield in October. The three openings follow Krispy Kreme’s June announcement that it aims to double its UK stores by 2016.
Krispy Kreme currently operates 43 stores in the UK, and earlier this year launched coffee bars in Liverpool and Cardiff and a Hotlight store –producing and delivering fresh doughnuts to outlets across the region – in Leeds.

Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, saids: “The Krispy Kreme coffee bar will add to our extensive food and drink offering at Meadowhall and is a brand that customers love. We’re really looking forward to the grand opening in October– and we’re confident that our shoppers are going to be just as excited!”

Rob Hunt, joint managing director at Krispy Kreme, said: “We’re committed to a growth strategy that will see us build a significantly greater presence both on the high street and out of town over the next four years. We offer a unique treat for our customers, and that’s reflected in the response we receive - at our recent Leeds opening we were amazed to see over 20 people camping overnight to be there for opening day.

“Sheffield, Stratford and Bath represent a broad geographical spread, meaning we’ll be able to reach more people across the UK than ever before.”

In addition to its UK stores, Krispy Kreme has a presence in over 200 Tesco outlets across the country.

Krispy Kreme entered the UK market in October 2003 in London and has since opened Hotlight stores & Coffee Bars in other key cities including Manchester, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Cardiff and Leeds.

Teens young men sugary drinks

2011-09-01T19:06:00.000+05:00

Teens, young men way over limit on sugary drinks

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About half of the population drinks a sugar-sweetened beverage on any given day, with teens and young men consuming way more than recommended limits for staying healthy, according to new government data.

The survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show how far consumer habits must change to help fight the nation's obesity epidemic, with nearly two-thirds of Americans either overweight or obese.

Coinciding with the data, city health departments from Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Seattle announced plans for a new campaign to encourage cutting down on sugary beverage consumption.

"We're concerned about sugary drinks because they are the only foods and beverages that have directly been linked to obesity ... Reducing their consumption is the perfect place to start to reduce the epidemic," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that is spearheading the campaign.

The CSPI is working with city officials on the new campaign, along with the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.

CDC researchers interviewed 17,000 Americans about their diets. The average male in the survey consumed 175 calories in a day from drinks containing added sugar, while the typical female consumed 94 calories from such drinks.

Boys aged 12 to 19 consumed 273 calories a day from sugar-sweetened drinks, or the equivalent of about two 12-ounce cans of carbonated cola -- more than any other group. Men aged 20 to 39 consumed 252 calories a day from beverages containing added sugar, the second-highest amount.

The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 450 calories a week from sugar-sweetened beverages, or less than three cans of soda. They include sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports and sweetened bottled waters.

"This is one area that people can look to if they are trying to limit their consumption of added sugars," study author Cynthia Ogden said in an interview.

The survey also found that non-Hispanic black children and adolescents obtained 8.5 percent of their daily calories from sugar-sweetened drinks, higher than the 7.7 percent among non-Hispanic white children and teens and 7.4 percent for Mexican-American youths.

For adults 20 and over, the percentage of daily calories obtained from sugar drinks rose to 8.6 percent for non-Hispanic blacks and 8.2 for Mexican-Americans but declined to 5.3 percent for non-Hispanic whites.

The study also found that lower-income children and adults consumed more daily calories from sugar-added drinks than those with higher incomes.

The new campaign in cities, dubbed "Life's Sweeter with Fewer Sugary Drinks," aims to limit consumption to about three cans a week by 2020.

Such campaigns have attracted legal attack by leading beverage makers, who have also been resisting efforts to propose taxes on sugary drinks. New York City, which has been at the forefront of public awareness campaigns on the ills of drinking too much soda, was sued in July by the American Beverage Association (ABA).

In response to the CDC's new findings, the ABA argued that sugar-sweetened beverages are just one contributor, and at that small and declining, to Americans' poor state of health.

"Contrary to what may be implied by the introductory statement of this (CDC) data brief that reaches back 30 years, sugar-sweetened beverages are not driving health issues like obesity and diabetes," the ABA said in a statement, highlighting the declining of both sales of full-calorie drinks and U.S. consumption of added sugars.

Close to 26 million Americans have diabetes, and most have Type 2, the kind linked to poor diet and lack of exercise.

"If you wouldn't eat 22 packs of sugar, why are you drinking it?" said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director in Los Angeles, highlighting the question from his city's own campaign launching next month.

(Editing by Michele Gershberg, Bernard Orr, Dave Zimmerman)

Source : Yahoo News

Gene "overdose" skinny

2011-09-01T18:44:00.002+05:00

Study finds gene "overdose" link to being skinny

LONDON (Reuters) - People with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny, scientists said Wednesday in the first finding of a genetic cause for extreme thinness.

In a study in the journal Nature, researchers from Britain's Imperial College London and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland found that a duplication of a part of chromosome 16 is associated with being underweight.

Previous research has found that people with a missing copy of these genes are 43 times more likely to be morbidly obese.

"This is the first genetic cause of extreme thinness that has been identified," said Philippe Froguel from Imperial's school of public health, who led the study. "It's also the first example of a deletion and a duplication of one part of the genome having opposite effects."

He said one reason this latest finding was important is that it shows that failure to thrive in childhood can be genetically driven. "If a child is not eating, it's not necessarily the parents' fault," he said.

Normally, each person has a copy of each chromosome from each parent, giving them two copies of each gene. But sometimes sections of a chromosome can be duplicated or deleted, resulting in an abnormal "dosage" of genes, the researchers explained in their study.

But in around one in 2,000 people, part of chromosome 16 is duplicated, making men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight.

Being underweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 kg per meter squared.

Froguel's team examined the DNA of more than 95,000 people for their study. They found that half of all children with the duplication in the study had previously been diagnosed with a "failure to thrive" -- meaning that their rate of weight gain is significantly lower than normal.

A quarter of people with the duplication had microcephaly, a condition in which the head and brain are abnormally small and which is linked to neurological defects and shorter life expectancy.

Froguel said scientists still have much work to do to find out more about the genes in this region, but their discovery could eventually lead to new potential treatments for obesity and appetite disorders.

"We now plan to sequence these genes and find out what they do, so we can get an idea of which ones are involved in regulating appetite," he said.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Paul Casciato)

Venus Williams autoimmune disease

2011-09-01T18:38:00.000+05:00

New York: Former U.S. Open champion Venus Williams withdrew from the last grand slam of the year on Wednesday after revealing she is suffering from an autoimmune disease.

The former world number one quit the tournament before her second round match against Germany's Sabine Lisicki and then released a statement explaining her health problems.

"I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year's U.S. Open," she said in the statement. "I have recently been diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain."

Williams, who has been battling health problems for the past year, retired from her third round match at the Australian Open with a hip problem and did not play again until June.

The 31-year-old played only a handful of matches because of what she said was an "energy-sucking" mystery illness.

She won her first round clash with Vesna Dolonts of Russia 6-4 6-3 on Monday even though there were signs she was below her best.

"I enjoyed playing my first match here and wish I could continue but right now I am unable to," said Williams. "I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon."

Williams has not won a grand slam singles title since 2008.

Speculation about her future has intensified over the past few months but earlier this week she confirmed she had no intentions of retiring.

Kelly Clarkson leaked tracks

2011-08-23T14:43:00.005+05:00

Kelly Clarkson has admitted that having her songs leak online is worse than being robbed.
The 29-year-old singer returned from a holiday in July to find that multiple tracks, dating as far back as 2001, had been posted on the Internet.
She told Entertainment Weekly, “Oh my God, have you ever been robbed? I have. I’ve been physically robbed a couple of times, but this is much worse.”

She insisted that she still doesn’t understand how songs including Let Me Down, Dumb + Dumb = U, Cleopatra, and Don’t Be a Girl About It were leaked, and although they were met with a positive response, she said that most of the songs were written for other people when she was making her first album, Thankful.

“There are songs out there that are from eight or 10 years ago. People are always asking me to write for other artists. They’re awesome songs, [but] they’re just not songs I would normally sing.
“Those songs came out and people are like, ‘Oh my God, what direction is Kelly going?’
“I think what made me mad was that: 1) People stole from me, and 2): Everybody had no idea what my next album was going to sound like. That really caused a lot of confusion.”
And although she hasn’t heard the final version of her forthcoming album, Stronger, because she is too ‘freaked out’ to put it on her computer, she revealed that a few of the leaked tracks will be on it.
“Here’s the best part though,” she said. “Nothing that’s leaked is the final version. Those are all demos.”

Katie Couric show name

2011-08-23T14:43:00.002+05:00

Can you guess what Katie Couric's new ABC talk show is called?
Couric's syndicated talker will simply be called Katie, TVNewser reports. Disney/ABC is also apparently vetting the website www.TalkToKatie.com as a hub for social media and viewer interaction.
When can you next catch Katie Couric on TV, online or on demand? Add her to your Watchlist and you'll know for sure

In May, Couric announced that after working five years behind the desk of CBS Evening News, she was leaving. Couric then signed a multiyear deal with Disney/ABC to host and produce her own syndicated talk show, which will reunite her with Jeff Zucker, who served as executive producer on Today when she co-anchored the show.
Katie is slated to premiere in the 3 p.m. slot on the eight ABC-owned affiliates in September 2012.

Source : http://tv.yahoo.com/news/katie-abc-names-courics-talk-show-214700823.html

Jane Fonda testosterone

2011-08-23T14:42:00.002+05:00

Jane Fonda's no stranger to seeking out the benefits of some artificial enhancement, but her most recent disclosure may seem surprising, even by her standards.
In an interview with the Telegraph's Seven magazine, to be published next week, Fonda has admitted that she used testosterone to enhance her sex life - something she started experimenting with at the age of 70.

"Here's something I haven't said publicly yet: I discovered testosterone about three years ago, which makes a huge difference if you want to remain sexual and your libido has dropped," she told the Sunday Telegraph.
"Use testosterone. It comes in a gel, a pill or a patch."
She also added that she stopped taking the libido-boosting hormone because "it was giving me acne. It's one thing having plastic surgery, but it is quite another to have adolescence acne. That is going too far."

Fonda's new book, Prime Time, does not actually reveal her use of the hormone, but does devote 50 pages to advice on how to keep your sex life booming as you age.
Fonda may come under fire for promoting testosterone, which remains controversial. In the UK, testosterone treatment is licensed for women who have their ovaries removed, are on oestrogen and have low libido.

Most hated person in america

2011-08-13T11:17:00.000+05:00

Top 10 Most Hated Person in America based on the poll released on Wednesday by E-Poll Market Research:
1. Casey Anthony – the Florida woman who was found not guilty recently of murdering her two year-old daughter.
2. Spencer Spratt – former “The Hills” star.
3. Nadya Suleman – the unemployed single California woman who gave birth to octuplets in 2009 despite already having six children.
4. O.J. Simpson — who was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife and a friend in 1994.
5. Jon Gosselin – a reality-TV star famous for his eight kids and a public divorce from his ex-wife Kate Gosselin.

6. Kate Gosselin – Ex-wife of Jon Gosselin.
7. Levi Johnston — the former fiance of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol.
8. Paris Hilton – Hotel chain heiress, socialite and actress. Star of the reality show “The World According to Paris.”
9. Heidi Fleiss – Former Hollywood madam, and also a columnist and television personality.
10. Howard Stern – Radio shock jock.

Famous people alma mater

2011-08-13T04:03:00.002+05:00

Actors & Actresses:

Sandra Bullock East Carolina U (NC)
Dean Cain Princeton
Chevy Chase Bard
George Clooney Northern Kentucky U
Glenn Close, College of William and Mary
Kevin Costner, Calfornia State U, Fullerton
Harrison Ford, Ripon
Jodie Foster, Yale
Sara Gilbert, Yale Katherine Hepburn, Bryn Mawr
James Earl Jones, Michican, Ann Arbor
Tommy Lee Jones, Harvard
John Malkovich, Illinois State U
Martin Mull, Rhode Island School of Design
Jamison Parker, Beloit
Brad Pitt, University of Missouri, Columbia
Christopher Reeve, Cornell,
Adam Sandler, New York
Arnold Schwarzenegger, University of Wisconisin, Superior
Sinbad, University of Denver
Sylvester Stallone, University of Miami (FL)
Meryl Streep, Vassar
Spencer Tracy, Ripon
Denzel Washington, fordham
Joanne Woodward, Sara Lawrence

Artists, Musicians and Filmmakers

Trace Capman, Colby
Natalie Cole, U of Mass, Amherst
Francis Ford Coppola, Hofstra
Spike Lee, Morehouse
Meatloaf, Amherst
ARthur Miller, U of Michican, Ann Arbor
Martin Scorcese, NYU
Stephen Sondheim, Williams
STeven Spielberg, Calif State U, Long Beach

Part II: Famous politicians and lawyers

Corazon Aquino, Mt. St. Vincent
Bill Clinton Georgetown
Hillary Clinton Wellesley
Clarance Darrow, Allegheny
Calvin Coolidge, Amherst
David Dinkins, Howard
Jesse Jackson, North Carolina A&T state
Thurgood Marshall, Howard
Richard Nixon, Whittier
Sam Nunn, Emory
Dan Quayle, DePauw
Clarence Thomas, Holy Cross

Television personalities:
Tom Brokaw, University of South Dakota
Johnny Carson, U of Nebraska
Katie Couric, U of Virginia
Phil Donahue, Notre Dame
Kathie Lee Gifford, ORal Robertts
Bryant Gumbel, Bates
Arsenio Hall, Kent State
Lisa Kudrow, Vassar
Ricci Lake, Ithaca
David Letterman, Ball State U
Ed McMahon, CAtholic U
Bill Moyers, University of North Texas
Deborah Norville, U of Georgia
Conan O'Brien, Harvard
Jane Pauley, Indiana
Willard Scott, American
Jerry Springer, Tulane
Alex Trebeck, University of Ottawa
Paula Zahn, Stephens College

Writers and journalists

Dave Barry, Haverford
Leo Buscaglia, USC
Tom Clancy, Loyola U (MD)
Ann Compton, Hollins
Annie Dillard, Hollins
Rioger Ebert, U of Illinois, URbana
Nikki Giovanni, Fisk
John Grishom, Missippi State
John Irving, U of New Hampshire
P,J, O'Rourke, Miami
James Michener, Swarthmore
Cokie Roberts, Wellsley
George Will, Trinity
Tom Wolfe, Washington and Lee

Other well known individuals:
Barbara Bush, Smith
Peter Coors (founder of Coors brewing) U of Denver
Michael Eisner (CEO of Disney) Denison
Joyce Elders (former surgeon general) Philander Smith College
Milton Friedman (economist) Rutgers
Alan Greenspan (Fed Board Chair) NYU
Huge Hefner, (playboy) U of Illinois
Lee Iaocca, Lehigh
Robert Jarvik (inventor of first artificial heart) Syracuse
STeve Jobs, Reed
Vernon Jordan, DePauw
Monica Lewinsky Lewis & Clark
Murray Lander (bagel co ceo) Quinnipiac
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, George Washington U
Carl Saga, U of Chicago
Howard Stern, Boston U
Donald Trump, U of Pennsylvania

Source : http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?4/16073

li na wins french open

2011-06-05T00:31:00.000+05:00

PARIS - Li Na ended China's long wait for a Grand Slam champion Saturday, defeating Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the French Open final.
The Australian Open runner-up celebrated by falling flat on her back in the red clay after Schiavone hit a backhand long on match point.

"Today is the dream come true," Li said. "Not so many player can win (a) Grand Slam."
The crowd at Roland Garros was dotted with red Chinese flags and a small vocal group supporting Schiavone. They watched as Li dropped her serve for the only time late in the second set.
"I was nervous, but I didn't want to show to my opponent," said Li, won the final nine points of the match to earn her first major title. "I was a little bit shaking."
On Sunday, five-time champion Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer in the men's final.
The title was only the fifth in Li's career, and her first on clay. But it is the biggest victory on a tennis court for China, which has already started savouring the moment.
The official Xinhua News Agency sent out a news flash shortly after Li's victory, saying "In such a great final, Li Na deserved the win."
Li, however, won't return home to relish in her achievement until after Wimbledon.
"If I (don't) do well in Wimbledon, maybe people forget me already," said Li, with a smile.
She was broken only once by the defending champion, while converting two of her eight break points — one in each set. She finished with 31 winners to 12 for Schiavone.
"I couldn't really push forward from the baseline," Schiavone said. "She deserved to win. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserves everything."
Li took a 3-2 lead in the first set when Schiavone sent a forehand wide. She held at love in the next two games, and then won the set when Schiavone sent a forehand long.
"She (kept) me really far away from the net or inside the court, so I was always too (defensive)," the Italian said. "With the slice, (it) was not easy because she has good timing and she has good preparation with (her) legs."
The Chinese player opened the second set with her second break of the match, and then saved Schiavone's first break point in the next game with an ace. But Schiavone broke back in the eighth game to even the score 4-4.
Both players held the rest of the way, but Schiavone came within two points of winning the set on five occasions, three times at 5-4 and twice more at 6-5.
The point that first put Schiavone that close was a bit awkward. Schiavone sent a backhand return straight at Li, but the ball skidded off the white baseline and under Li's racket, causing her to take a big swing and miss.
Schiavone raised her hand to apologize, and then lost the next point when she stretched for a forehand and sent it wide.
In the 12th game, Schiavone contested a line call, arguing a shot by Li was out. The chair umpire ran across the court to investigate and ruled that the ball touched the line.
"That ball was out," said Schiavone, who put a backhand into the net on the next point and then lost all seven points in the tiebreaker.
Although Li has said she is not a big fan of playing on clay, her power and precision worked well against Schiavone, who last year became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.
For Li, the year started well but soon took a dip.
After losing to Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open final, the 29-year-old Li lost her next four matches. But she recovered her form shortly before the French Open, reaching the semifinals in Madrid.
By winning Saturday, Li is expected to move to No. 4 in the rankings, matching the record for the highest ranking by a woman from Asia achieved by Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan.
Both Li and Schiavone came into the final with plenty of experience. Combined, they were the oldest pair in a women's Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 1998, when Jana Novotna, 29, beat Nathalie Tauziat, 30.

Lady Gaga billboard

2011-06-02T13:37:00.000+05:00

Lady Gaga Crashes Billboard With 1.1 Million

We knew Lady Gaga's Born This Way was going to crush it on the Billboard 200 charts, the only question was how hard. The answer, it turns out, is very.
Gaga's relentlessly hyped second full-length studio album easily takes the pole position on next week's chart with sales of more than 1.1 million in its first week, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, marking the first album since 50 Cent's 2005 effort, The Massacre, to cross the 1.1 million plateau in a week.
Along the way, Born This Way became only the 17th album in the SoundScan era (which began in 1991) to sell 1 million copies in its first week. And though she's sold more than 15 million albums across the globe to date, BTW marks the first #1 debut for the international pop diva. People weren't just looking for Gaga's new one, either. Sales of her debut, The Fame, are up more than 50 percent to 19,000, sending the disc up 20 spots on the chart.

Coming in way back at #2 is the chart debut of Brad Paisley's This Is Country Music (153,000), followed by the year-to-date chart queen, Adele, whose 21 drops to #3 (only the second time it's fallen this low in its nearly three and a half months of release), while moving another 126,000 copies to edge toward the 2 million mark.

The fourth spot is the debut of the latest "Glee" soundtrack, Glee: The Music, Vol. 6 (80,000), followed by the Maybach Music compilation, MMG Presents: Self Made, Volume 1 (59,000). The joint boy band album NKOTBSB shows up at #7 (40,000) and the debut from Foster the People, Torches, hits #8 (33,000) thanks, no doubt, to the hit "Pumped Up Kicks."

The rest of the top 10 includes NOW 38 (#6, 45,000), Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party (#9, 33,000) and Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More (#10, 25,000).

"American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery had a promising week, as the digital compilation of his performances, American Idol Season 10: Scotty McCreery, debuts at #12 on sales of 23,000, while runner-up Lauren Alaina's comp has to settle for a #42 landing (11,000).

Gaga knocked Adele down a notch on the iTunes album charts, taking the lead position and pushing the British soul singer to #2, just ahead of Paisley, McCreery, Foster the People, "Glee," the MMG Presents compilation, Alaina, Mumford and Blacklight by Christian hip-hopper Tedashii. Adele could not be shaken, however, on the iTunes singles tally, where her smash single, "Rolling in the Deep," keeps the top position, followed by Pitbull's "Give Me Everything," McCreery's "I Love You This Big," Gaga's "The Edge of Glory," DJ Khaled's "I'm the One," LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song," Alaina's "Like My Mother Does," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" and Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor."

Gaga seems pretty safe for another round, as the week's new faces include Death Cab for Cutie's Codes and Keys, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's solo effort, Ukulele Songs, and My Morning Jacket's Circuital.

Simon Cowell Red or Black

2011-05-06T16:04:00.000+05:00

Cowell plans global music show like Top of the Pops

The X Factor judge told Newsbeat last December that he wanted to launch a weekly chart show on British TV but now admits it wouldn't be cost effective just doing it in the UK.

He said: "It would need to be bigger than just one country.
"That's what we are thinking about but I don't think this is for now, it's for a year down the line."
Top of the Pops was dropped in 2006 after 42 years because of falling ratings.

Earlier this year, the BBC announced it was going to show weekly reruns in its original time slot on BBC Four.
The series began in 1964 and was originally recorded in a Manchester church, though many editions were lost or taped over.
Although the show was dropped five years ago, it is brought back every year for a Christmas Day edition.
On Tuesday, Simon Cowell's production company Syco also announced plans to launch a new game show beginning on ITV1 this summer.
The programme, called Red Or Black and hosted by Ant & Dec, will be screened every night for a week.
Each show will feature simple choices for contestants to make, such as picking the winner from two cars in a stunt car race.

Source :

John Krasinski loved Emily Blunt at first sight

2011-05-06T15:53:00.000+05:00

Emily Blunt's husband John Krasinski says it was love at first sight when he met her.
The 'Office' star - who married the British actress in an intimate ceremony at Italy's Lake Como in July 2010 - instantly knew he was going to 'fall' for the 'Devil Wears Prada' star and told her the first time he ever spoke to her.

He said: 'It was one of those things where I wasn't really looking for a relationship and I was thinking I'm going to take my time in Los Angeles.

'Then I met her and I was so nervous. I was like, 'Oh god, I think I'm going to fall in love with her.' As I shook her hand I went, 'I like you.'
'It's one of those things where as soon as you meet someone you kind of know.'
When the 31-year-old actor finally decided he was going to propose to Emily, 28, he came up with the idea to do it before she realised she could find a better man.
During an appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', he joked: 'I was like, 'I'm going to propose to her real fast before she wakes and is like, 'What am I doing? I can have anybody.' I was like, 'Just put on this ring. Shhh.' '
Emily recently confessed she is keen to have children with John at some point in the near future and thinks their family backgrounds will make them good parents.
She said: 'John's well practiced. I grew up with a younger brother and sister who are quite a bit younger than me. So, at eight years old, I was sitting there with a baby, probably really p***ed off [because] he was puking on me.'

Sophia Loren honoured

2011-05-06T15:39:00.003+05:00

Sophia Loren Is Honoured By Hollywood

Sophia Loren's life and career has been celebrated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in LA.

The Oscar-winning Italian actress who famously posed nude for the Pirelli calendar in 2006, was joined on the red carpet by her sons, composer Carlo Ponti and director Edoardo Ponti and a host of stars from the big screen - including Billy Crystal and Eva Mendes.

The Academy honoured the 76-year-old before in 1991, with an award for her contributions to world cinema.

Nevertheless, this week's Academy tribute is clearly significant to Loren.

"When these kinds of things happen, it's something that it's not that I don't like because one if always flattered when great people like the people that are going to be here tonight in this theatre, they know the cinema. They are great names.

"They speak about you and of course I think they speak very nicely about me because they are here. It's a nice event. I really enjoy to be part of it," said Loren.

"If I think that I am the only one who is treated like a great star and this event is for me, I am quite shy about it, I must say. I hope this night is over right away because oh my God."

Sophia Loren got her first job in movies as an extra in the 1951 MGM epic Quo Vadis but her breakthrough came in the Italian feature The Gold of Naples (1954).

Million-dollar finds

2011-05-06T09:46:00.000+05:00

Million-dollar finds

It’s awful to lose something you value and when that thing is expensive and quite rare you can usually kiss it goodbye. But actor Nicolas Cage was able to uncover a valuable comic book stolen more than 11 years ago. Check out these ordinary folks who made extraordinary finds.Three-year-old boy finds rare pendant

A young boy was using a metal detector in this country for the first time with his father when the beeping uncovered something quite ancient, religious, rare and valuable.

Huge Stash of Rare Roman Coins Found

Left buried in a large pot near the finder’s home, these extremely rare coins bear the image of a self-proclaimed emperor. Their impressive value came as a shock to the hospital chef who unearthed them.

Boy finds medieval treasure trove

Looking for cannonballs on the site of an ancient bloody battle outside of their home town, 9-year-old Alexander Granhof and his grandfather discovered a hoard from the 13th century worth a small fortune.

Novice finds 2,000-year-old treasure

On his first time out with a metal detector, not far from his home, David Booth uncovered four ancient gold necklaces from a bygone era. He hasn’t quit his day job, but says he plans to keep looking for treasure.

Hobbyist finds hoard

Unemployed and on welfare, this hobbyist hit the payload near his home when he uncovered ancient gold and silver artifacts with a metal detector. His cut of the ancient treasure will be divided equally with the landowner. He may even memorize the Latin phrase found in the hoard.

Farmer sells found treasure

A turnip farmer found a million-dollar gold stash near his home and had a friend sell it on the cheap.

Company finds deep-sea booty

The company specializes in old shipwrecks and hit the jackpot with the uncovering of gold and artifacts, apparently at an undisclosed location far from their headquarters. The company is also involved in another significant shipwreck search that may yield more booty.

Valuable painting found behind sofa

A family in Buffalo, N.Y. had a gold mine in their living room, wrapped up and stored behind the sofa. It’s worth an astounding amount, and is similar to the artist’s other studies on the subject.

Diver finds gold chalice

In just 18 feet of water, diver Mike DeMar made quite a discovery when he uncovered an ornate chalice in 2008. He and a team were in this area near a Spanish shipwreck when the item was found. In Spanish, the piece is called a bernegal

Rare found car sells for millions.

Found covered in dust in a barn by a British family, this 1937 Bugatti is one of the rarest automobiles in the world. Only 17 of the model were built.

Crusoe’s treasure found?

Bestselling books have been written about this legend. In 2005, a robot apparently found the $10 billion dollar treasure, but its company renounced its claims when the government refused to share the loot. Meanwhile, an American millionaire went on his fifth expedition to try and find the treasure.

Show marks million-dollar find

For the first time since this popular antiquing show debuted, arts appraisers appraised a collection for $1 million last year. The owner inherited a collection of Chinese jade from her father.

Garage sale photos worth millions

It’s the garage sale hunter’s dream. Rick Norsigian, a commercial painter from a California town, bought two boxes of glass negatives in 2000. The small price he paid hardly compare to the estimated worth of the photos. They turned out to be long lost works of a celebrated photographer.

Stolen masterpiece found

Elizabeth Gibson was out for her morning coffee in 2003 when she spotted the canvas between two garbage bags. It wasn’t until a few years later that she discovered the piece had been stolen from a TV show. She received a modest reward, and the painting was auctioned.

Prince William Kate Honeymoon

2011-05-04T21:24:00.000+05:00

Prince William and Kate delay honeymoon

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have delayed their honeymoon.

The royal newlyweds - who married at London's Westminster Abbey on Friday (29.04.11) - are currently enjoying a short break at an undisclosed UK location but have postponed jetting off on holiday because Prince William is returning to work on Tuesday (03.05.11).

A royal spokesperson confirmed: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen not to depart for a honeymoon immediately. Instead, after spending the weekend privately in the United Kingdom, the Duke will return to work as a search-and-rescue pilot next week.

'The locations of both their private weekend before the Duke returns to work and their future honeymoon, which will be overseas, will not be disclosed in advance.'

Meanwhile, further details of the couple's wedding reception have emerged, including the revelation that William and Kate had their first dance to a live rendition of Sir Elton John's classic hit 'Your Song', which was performed for them by Ellie Goulding.

A source said: 'It was a clear yet subtle nod to William's mother Princess Diana because she loved that song and William knew that.

'Elton is also very important to William because of his role at Diana's funeral.

'Ellie's performance was spectacular and even Prince Charles and his wife Camilla ended up slow-dancing on the floor before they bailed out and left it to the young ones.'

It has also been claimed that Prince Harry, William's brother, wore a fez hat when giving his best man's speech, in which he poked fun at the groom's receding hair line and referred to the newlyweds as the 'dude and duchess'.

An insider told the News of the World newspaper: 'Harry's speech was so funny. He kept calling William a 'dude'. He had us all in stitches.

'Harry ended up saying William was actually an all-right guy but not as good-looking as he was - apart from his red hair.'

However, the address was not without emotional moments and Harry left both William and Kate near tears when he spoke about his late mother.

The source added: 'Harry said how much his mum would have been proud of the, both. It was a great speech and the fez just made it. It was so Harry - he down-to-earth larking about the brothers are known for.'

Kate's father Michael Middleton also made guests laugh with his speech, in which he poked fun at an April 2008 incident which saw William rapped for using an army helicopter to visit his then-girlfriend.

Michael said: 'I knew things were getting serious when I found a helicopter in my garden. I thought, 'Gosh, he must like my daughter.'

'I did wonder how he was going to top this.'

Brooke Mueller Sheen

2011-05-04T03:45:00.000+05:00

Brooke Mueller, Charlie Sheen Officially Divorced

According to court documents, the former Two and a Half Men star will pay Mueller $55,000 per month in child support. It also stipulates that "under no circumstances shall the child support paid by Charlie for Bob and Max be less than the child support paid by Charlie to Denise Richards for Sam and Lola."

Mueller, 33, also received a lump sum of $757,698.70, a 2009 Mercedes and $1.2 million for her share of
the family home, which Sheen gets to keep. The two will split all profits earned from baby photos sold to the media, and Mueller waived her right to ever seek spousal support.
The former spouses will share joint legal custody of the nearly two-year-old twins, with physical custody going to Mueller; Sheen, 45, was granted visitation rights three weekends a month.

Al Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

2011-05-02T12:11:00.000+05:00

"Justice has been done," President Obama says in a televised speech to the nation. Bin Laden, mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks and Al Qaeda leader, was killed by a CIA-led team at a compound inside Pakistan.

A CIA-led team killed Osama Bin Laden at a compound inside Pakistan Sunday and recovered his body, bringing a close to the world's highest-profile manhunt after a decade-long search, President Obama announced to the world Sunday night.
"Justice has been done," the President said solemnly in a hastily-arranged late night TV address from the East Room of the White House. Bin Laden, he said, "murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children" and his death was "the most significant achievement to date" in the U.S. war against the al Qaeda, terrorist network that bin Laden founded, led and inspired.
As described by the President and top administration officials, the successful effort to track down bin Laden centered on a man whom the officials described as a trusted courier for al Qaeda, a protégé of Khalid Sheik Muhammed, the operational mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Obama said that after he entered the White House in 2009, he had ordered CIA director Leon Panetta to make the killing or capture of Bin Laden the "top priority of our war against al Qaeda." Then, in August, he was briefed on "a possible lead" to the elusive terrorist's hiding place. "It took many months to run this thread to ground," he said.

By Friday, a senior White House official said, the evidence had become sufficiently certain that Obama was able to give the go-ahead for the operation.

After years of rumors that the world's most-wanted man was hiding in the caves and rugged redoubts of the Pakistan- Afghanistan border region, the CIA ultimately found him hiding in what officials described as a comfortable mansion surrounded by a high wall in a small town near Islamabad, Pakistan's capital.

On Sunday, a "small team" of Americans raided the compound. After a firefight, the president said, they killed Bin Laden. No Americans were injured in the raid.

Other officials said DNA tests had confirmed Bin Laden's identity.

Obama praised the joint efforts of U.S. and Pakistani intelligence, and appealed to Muslims around the globe to support the U.S. action.

"Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader," he said. "He was a mass murderer of Muslims."

Vice President Biden and CIA director Leon Panetta had called members of Congress and leaders around the world earlier Sunday night to break the long-awaited news.

As the first word of Bin Laden's death leaked out, a jubilant and fast-growing crowd gathered outside the White House. The throng waved flags, chanted "USA! USA!," and sang the "Star Spangled Banner."

The news came months before the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which were orchestrated by Al Qaeda. More than 3,000 people were killed

The horrifying attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq. As the nation girded for more attacks, America's entire intelligence system was overhauled to counter the threat of terrorist bombs or other attacks at home.

Al Qaeda also was blamed for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled. It has generated local organizations in hot spots from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Panetta, the CIA director, said as recently as last summer that the United States had not obtained reliable intelligence about bin Laden's location for almost a decade.

Bin Laden first drew attention in the 1980s, when he drew on his family's vast fortune to build hospitals, mosques and other facilities to help support Afghans then fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan. The CIA considered him a financier, not a terrorist leader.

In 1991, Bin Laden bitterly opposed the introduction of U.S. troops onto bases in Saudi Arabia during the run-up to the first Persian Gulf War, which ousted Saddam Hussein's Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

His fiery sermons demonized the Saudi rulers, and infidel Westerners, and soon attracted like-minded extremists to Al Qaeda.

The CIA has been on bin Laden's trail since the mid-1990s, when it set up a separate intelligence unit to penetrate his organization and track his whereabouts.

After the embassy bombings in 1998, the Clinton administration undertook several intelligence and military operations aimed at killing him, including one in which cruise missile attacks were ordered against al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. All failed.

Al Qaeda's ranks have been badly depleted in recent years and Bin Laden's death deprives the organization of its most charismatic and important leader. It leaves Ayman al Zawahri, an Egyptian physician and Islamist ideologue, as the putative leader.

Analysts said the result is likely to accelerate the fracturing of militant groups loosely associated with al Qaeda, especially in the Middle East, that have taken their inspiration from bin Laden's call for attacks on the U.S. and its allies for the more than a decade.

It was Bin Laden's fervent call for attacks on the U.S.--which he referred to as the "far enemy"--and al Qaeda's ability to recruit and train operatives from its sanctuary in Afghanistan that led to some of the world's deadliest terrorist attacks.

Though the U.S. had made plans to hold and interrogate bin Laden if he was captured, most U.S. officials assumed that he would never be taken alive.

"You're talking about a hypothetical that will never occur," said Attorney General Eric H. Holder when asked in early 2010 if bin Laden would enjoy constitutional protections. "The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden. He will never appear in an American courtroom."

Celebrities at 'Sucker Punch' LA Premiere

2011-03-25T20:08:00.000+05:00

'Sucker Punch' LA Premiere

9 Favorite Edible Souvenirs

2011-03-25T17:56:00.000+05:00

Ideas for what to bring home to make vacation memories last

Rome, Italy: Restaurant Hand Towels

Favorite souvenir: In the 1970s in Rome, all the better restaurants and trattorias had cotton hand towels with their logo on them in the bathrooms. Somehow, one used to always find its way into my pocket, and every time I'd come home from Rome I'd have four or five great, exotic cotton dinner napkins with evocative names on them. I gave up petty thievery about the same time the restaurants started putting out paper towels instead. -Colman Andrews, The Daily Meal

France: La Maison du Chocolat Chocolates

Favorite souvenir: We have this tradition in my family that my dad brings my mom and I a box of chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat every time he’s in France for business. But when I was studying abroad I got to take my best friend there and we made our own boxes, picking out all the chocolate, and then brought it back with us to Florence — granted the box was significantly lighter by the time we got home. -Maryse Chevriere, The Daily Meal

Hawaii: Kona Coffee

Favorite souvenir: Coffee from a local mill in Hawaii purchased along the side of the road between Hilo and Kona on the Big Island was the last best thing I can remember. In fact, coffee and candy was the only thing I brought back from Hawaii. I've been considering going back for more coffee. -Adrienne

Morocco: Ras el Hanout

Favorite souvenir: Ras el Hanout is an aromatic blend of up to 30 or more different spices used for braising meats and in tagines in Moroccan cuisine. Each spice shop version has their own, proprietary mixture, the blend a closely guarded secret. I had purchased a few ounces from different shops on our tour of Medinas in Fez and Rabat, packing them in my suitcase for our trip home. Customs agents at the Casablanca airport were opening and hand searching each suitcase for contraband. When a dour looking customs agent unzipped my suitcase, the full aroma of three different blends of Ras el Hanout wafted up. He sniffed around and gave me a quizzical look that asked, "What is that smell?" I said, "Ras el Hanout." His face lit up with a knowing smile, he said, “Aha!" and slammed my suitcase shut with an approving flourish, no further search necessary. -Rory

Italy: Truffle Honey

Favorite souvenir: I learned from a cooking instructor in Italy that one should not purchase truffle oil, but products with real truffle in it, as many chemicals are used to extract the truffle essence in making the oil. She served us crostini with fresh ricotta and a drizzle of truffle honey on top (swoon). It’s amazing what just a little bit of a quality, artisanal product can do. I purchased a small jar to bring home, and while I use it sparingly, it reminds me of the little gourmet shop and our cooking lesson every time. -Allison Beck, The Daily Meal

Argentina: Café con Leche Mugs

Favorite souvenir: Brennivín from Iceland. It's a token Icelandic liquor in a square green bottle that's often consumed in the form of a shot after hakarl (disgusting cubes of fermented shark meat). I've had it sitting in the front of my liquor cabinet for four years now, but can't bring myself to drink it — partly because I like having that visual reminder of my time in Iceland, partly because it's knock-you-off-your-feet strong and just the thought of sipping it makes my insides curl! -Kristin

Russia: Dark Chocolate and Vodka

Favorite souvenir: When I was in Russia, I fell in love with their chocolates. There was a dark chocolate bar that they put air bubbles into so it had this great crackly texture. I bought about 10 bars to give away as gifts along with a nice bottle of vodka for myself. When I tried to leave the country, I discovered that the consulate back home had made a mistake on my visa, and I ended up stranded and spending five days navigating the intricacies of post-Soviet bureaucracy. And the only thing that made me feel better was, well, eating and drinking my way through those souvenirs. Sorry, friends and family. -Colleen C.

Europe: Regional Wine and Liquor

Favorite souvenir: I bought booze in each country I visited when I backpacked across Europe for four months. Carried some and sent some back. Wine from St. Emilion, absinthe and unicum bitters from Hungary, Passeo and Vin Santo from Sicily, grappa from Italy, Aquavit from Copenhagen. Had my $100 bottle of wine that I carried for four months on my back stored at my folks' place. One night I found out they'd opened it. I was like, are you kidding me?! -Arthur Bovino, The Daily Meal

St. Barth's: Vanilla Rum

Favorite souvenir: After every dinner, vanilla rum (often homemade by the restaurant, if not, definitely by a local) is brought to the table. A shot glass is poured for everyone, and the bottle is left so we can re-fill our glasses to our liking. Bringing it home to NYC, and serving it to guests after dinner, always brings me back to those warm, relaxing nights! -Sarah

14 Sights From an Airplane

2011-03-24T13:59:00.000+05:00

Golden Gate Bridge

Fly one of these major flight paths over the United States, and chances are you’ll see amazing volcanoes, major bodies of water and notable architectural monuments.
Major flight paths: San Francisco departures or arrivals

At 4,200 feet long, the Golden Gate Bridge was once the longest span in the world. That honor now goes to the Humber Bridge in England, which is 426 feet longer. Nevertheless, the Golden Gate’s length and “international orange” color make it easy to see from the air. So, if it’s orange, why is it called “golden”? The term “Golden Gate” actually refers to the Golden Gate Strait, which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County, and has been traversed by more than 1.8 billion vehicles since it opened in 1937.

The Everglades

Major flight path: Miami to Houston

The Everglades, which stretches from south of Lake Okeechobee to the southern tip of Florida, is not the swamp many people consider it to be. It’s technically a river, flowing southwest at the rate of about a quarter-mile per day. “Window Seat: Reading the Landscape From the Air,” by Gregory Dicum, describes it as a brownish-green soup with as much exposed water as plant material. The fertile farmland you see below, including sugarcane fields, came at the expense of dredging and draining about half the Everglades. Everglades National Park was designated in 1947 to protect the fragile ecosystem, which is now home to the American alligator, the American crocodile and a great variety of snakes, including the invasive Burmese python.

Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens

Major flight path: Los Angeles to Seattle

Flying into or out of Seattle? If the weather cooperates, you might get to see some of the most dangerous volcanoes in the United States. Mount St. Helens blew its top on May 18, 1980, killing 57 people. Its gray hulk now rises a mere 8,365 feet above sea level. Assuming clear skies, you're more likely to spot Mount Rainier. It rises 14,410 feet, boasts 26 glaciers and looks like a mammoth vanilla ice cream cone. It has not erupted since the 1840s. Nevertheless, it is one of 16 volcanoes worldwide to be designated “Decade Volcanoes,” which means they are worthy of study in light of their potential for destruction.

Great Salt Lake

Major flight path: New York to San Francisco

The Great Salt Lake is the result of a catastrophic flood that happened about 15,000 years ago when Lake Bonneville breached its rim. The resulting lake is easy to spot from the air: It’s the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world (in other words, it has no outlet). It’s about 75 miles long and 28 miles wide and covers 1,700 square miles. And yes, it’s salty; it’s typically three to five times saltier than the ocean. Most people can float in it with little effort.

Grand Canyon

Major flight paths: Los Angeles to New York, Las Vegas to Dallas, Seattle to Phoenix

Soaring over Arizona? You’ll feel fortunate if the pilot tips the wings to give you a better view of the Grand Canyon. Here, the Colorado River has carved a gorge 277 miles long and 6,000 feet deep. Even flying above the clouds, lucky passengers can detect the warm red glow created by small amounts of iron oxides and other minerals in the rock below. The Colorado River has been carving away for the past 5 million to 6 million years, making the canyon a “geological youngster” among ancient rocks.

Chesapeake Bay

Major flight path: New York to Miami

When you sight the lush, green patchwork quilt of the Delmarva Peninsula and the Chesapeake Bay, you’re seeing both a significant geological event and a slice of early American history. About 35 million years ago, a large asteroid or comet smashed into the Earth, creating an 85-mile-wide crater that later flooded when sea levels rose. The crazy quilt of crooked roads, small towns and oddly shaped farms hints that this landscape was laid out long ago by the first European settlers. Jamestown, Va., was established in 1607 at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay.

Central Park

Major flight path: New York departures or arrivals

Central Park is easy to spot as a lush, green rectangle against Manhattan’s gray background. Clearly visible within the rectangle is the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, which is encircled by a jogging track. Down below, you can explore manmade lakes and ponds, walking trails, two ice-skating rinks, the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods and the outdoor Delacorte Theater, which hosts "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals. Runners who choose to circle Central Park’s entire perimeter will log a healthy six miles.

Yellowstone National Park

Major flight paths: Denver or St. Louis to Seattle

According to “Window Seat: Reading the Landscape From the Air,” Yellowstone’s lakes are notable from up in the sky because they’re among the largest natural bodies of water you can see in the Rocky Mountains. Natural lakes like Yellowstone Lake are rounded, whereas nearby reservoirs have a jagged appearance. Yellowstone’s waters are directly atop the Continental Divide and therefore flow to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. If you catch a glimpse of Yellowstone, you’re looking at America’s first national park, established in 1872. You’re also looking at three states: Ninety-six percent of the park is in Wyoming, 3 percent is in Montana and 1 percent is in Idaho.

Cape Cod

Major flight path: Boston departures or arrivals

Flying over Boston? Look below to see Cape Cod, which is a glacial moraine left behind by the last ice age. Like Long Island, Cape Cod is a long ridge of sand covered by forest and farms. Look closely for the artificially created Cape Cod Canal, which severs the peninsula from the mainland. Cape Cod is speckled with “kettle ponds” that formed as glaciers receded. The distinctly curving tip that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean is actually a sand spit carved by the ocean. At the sand spit’s far northern end is Provincetown, where the Pilgrims first anchored the Mayflower in 1620. They settled across the bay in Plymouth, and the rest is history.

The Missouri River

Major flight paths: Numerous

The longest river in the U.S. starts in the Rocky Mountains in Montana and flows 2,341 miles into the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. You’re likely to spot the Missouri if you’re flying over major population centers such as St. Louis; Kansas City, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; Bismarck, N.D.; or Great Falls, Mont. The Missouri River was navigated by many explorers, but the most famous were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the early 19th century. They used it to discover a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

Yosemite National Park

Major flight paths: San Francisco to Las Vegas or Phoenix

Flights from San Francisco to destinations such as Las Vegas and Phoenix frequently pass right over Yosemite National Park, according to “Window Seat: Reading the Landscape From the Air.” Repeated glaciation over the last 1 million years has scrubbed the underlying granite smooth. Look for shiny white granite lobes, including the well-known El Capitan and Half Dome, rising up from an emerald green forest of pine, cedar, fir and giant sequoia. And be on the lookout for two wild and scenic rivers, the Merced and the Tuolumne, which begin within Yosemite's borders and flow westward through the Sierra foothills.

Long Island

Major flight path: New York to Boston

Two New York City airports, LaGuardia and JFK, are located in Queens, on the western end of Long Island. Peer out your window and behold the 118-mile-long island, a glacial moraine left behind by the last ice age. If you can imagine that Long Island is shaped like a giant fish, look for Great Peconic Bay on the eastern end, which creates the fish’s caudal fin. The Hamptons, towns that are home to wealthy New Yorkers, are just south of Great Peconic Bay. If you see a giant, artificial-looking circle in the middle of Long Island, you’ve spied Brookhaven National Laboratory. The ring is a large particle accelerator where physicists study what the universe may have looked like in its first few months.

Mississippi River

Major flight path: New York to Dallas

The Mighty Mississippi, the largest river system in North America, flows 2,320 miles in serpentine fashion from Lake Itasca, Minn., to New Orleans, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. You’re most likely to see this wide, muddy river if you’re flying over cities such as Minneapolis/St. Paul; St. Louis; Davenport, Iowa; Vicksburg, Miss.; and, of course, New Orleans. The river serves as a partial boundary for 10 states. It’s prone to flooding and experienced four “100-year floods” in the 20th century. When it isn’t covered by water, the Mississippi floodplain is ideal farmland. Look for patchwork quilts of cotton, rice and corn fields nearby.

Lake Michigan

Major flight paths: Chicago to Dallas, Atlanta or Toronto

The Great Lakes are a huge, dominant landmark in the Midwest. Lake Michigan, nearly the size of West Virginia, is easy to see from the air. Millions of people live along its shoreline. You’re likely to see it when flying into or out of Chicago, but you can also spot it above Hammond, Ind., and Milwaukee. It’s rare for Lake Michigan to freeze over completely, but it came close in 1979, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since airborne and satellite observations of lake ice began four decades ago, only two other years, 1977 and 1994, have seen periods when nearly 90 percent of the lake was ice-covered.

Pictures of the Rubik's Cube

2011-03-23T21:05:00.000+05:00

Pictures of the Rubik's Cub

Rubik's an excellent tool for training the mind, but he can also play the role of tools for creating works of art.Located in Toronto, an art studio Cube Works Studio creates the most famous puzzles huge paintings.Collect all even one Rubik's cube can be difficult, but in these pictures are thousands, which makes the process of their creation is even more difficult.

Studio employees have set several world records, including creating a monumental copy of the Sistine Chapel of 12,000 blocks and the Last Supper from the 4050 Rubik's cube.Probably, Erno Rubik had no idea that his toy would be used as such, but I'm sure he would not be opposed.

Elizabeth Taylor has died in Los Angeles

2011-03-23T19:06:00.000+05:00

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor has died in Los Angeles. She was 79.
Publicist Sally Morrison says the actress died Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from congestive heart failure. Morrison says her children were at her side.
She'd been hospitalized for about six weeks.
Taylor first gained stardom as a child and appeared in more than 50 films. She won Oscars for her performances in "Butterfield 8" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
She was equally famous for extraordinary beauty and her stormy personal life, including eight marriages and a series of physical ailments.
In later years, she was a spokeswoman for humanitarian causes, notably AIDS research. That work gained her a special Oscar in 1993.

Boudoir in the toilet

2011-03-22T15:28:00.001+05:00

One woman here is thus transferred his toilet.

Argues that the toilet in this form for several years, even sent photos to the contest.

And as you will appreciate her efforts?)

Luxury beach retreats around the world

2011-03-22T15:15:00.000+05:00

Among the most desired vacations ever, beach resorts have redefined luxury and indulgence to a whole new level.

When money is no object, these lavish waterfront hotels and pricey beach resorts provide the ultimate experience whether you are traveling on your honeymoon, family or for business.

1. The Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru: Maldives

It's a double combo of pleasure with two of the biggest players in the luxury game teaming up. The Maldives is paradise on Earth with its emerald waters and talcum-soft sand. Together with the Banyan Tree, a name synonymous with the best in the spa business, how could you go wrong?

Look to spend: From US$1335 per night

2. Little Palm Island: Little Torch Key, Florida (USA)

If it's good enough for presidents of the United States, you know it's going to be an affair to remember. Welcoming guests aged 16-years and above only, this renowned resort down by The Keys is especially perfect if you enjoy a more active vacation. The surrounding waters are travelled to from near and far for its marine life, or, if an adrenaline-kick is what you're after, there's also sky diving available.

Look to spend: From US$1190 per night

3. Hayman Island: Queensland, Australia

Australia's most awarded resort takes you on an unparalleled experience of the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands. As one of the prime dive spots areas of the world, the usual maritime activities are a must; but, we're most impressed by the Whitehaven Indulgence Picnic. It begins with a helicopter tour over Hayman and some of its surrounding islands, Then you'll touch down at your very own private picnic spot for a private meal. A trip that would make Robinson Crusoe proud!

Look to spend: From US$590 per night

4. Amanpulo Resort: Manila, Philippines

Amanpulo, or 'peaceful island', is everything its name claims to be. The island is secluded and it's a great place to runaway to get away from it all. The 40-strong residences are modelled after traditional 'bahay kubo' huts and its environmentally enhancing ambience allow nature to strip you of all your stresses.

Look to spend: From US$800 per night

5. Bulgari Hotels & Resorts Bali (Bali, Indonesia)

A perfect unification of traditional Balinese designs and exquisite Italian décor, each villa has its own garden, pool and an outdoor living room. Standing atop a cliff, the resort overlooks the magnificent Indian Ocean. If privacy and seclusion is what you are looking for, this is the place to be.

Price per night: From US$720

Written Portraits

2011-03-22T14:57:00.000+05:00

To promote literature in Holland and autobiographies, this is the series of artworks and Dutch Book Week this year by the agency thought Van Wanter Etcetera around 3D portraits of authors Vincent Van Gogh, Anne Frank, Louis Van Gaal and Kader Abdolla.

Photorealism from Glenreya tutor

2011-03-16T17:53:00.000+05:00

Glennrey Tutor (Glennray Tutor) was born in Missouri in 1950. He paints in the genre of photorealism in 1983. Glennrey exhibited around the world. Work tutors are full of colors, light and objects of childhood. Happy viewing:)

Hello Kitty hell. Possession of a sweet kitty Kitty Kawainui review

2011-03-12T15:53:00.000+05:00

You probably be surprised to know how many things in this world "belongs" to a made-up creatures, cartoon characters, comics, computer games, TV series ... C popular SpongeBob, Mario Bros, Pacman and the Angry Birds can be compared except that kitty Kitty, who "dedicated" is not just a holiday home in Shanghai, Hello Kitty, but still very, very many gadgets, accessories and other items of daily use. About this - our current review. Cars Hello Kitty

You've probably seen around town ride around beautiful cars belonging to leaders known cosmetic companies "sects", and remember how beautifully painted this transport: ornaments made of flowers, stickers with the logo of the company, nice airbrushing on the body. In Hello Kitty, too, has a "sect", which, however, do not circulate or directories, either through friends or on the shares. But the cars from the Hello Kitty can be seen in large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and, of course, Asian megacities, where I came from very Hello Kitty. Clothes, Hello Kitty

Another great source of income for those who earn money by "cloning" Hello Kitty, the clothes with her image. Prints on dresses and shirts, hats with ears and bows, gloves, cat-like paws with claws and pads - everything is immediately bought up the Asian fans, which are then happy to show off in these strange new dress in the city and serve as an object of envy for those same fans Kitty Kitty , and surprise - for the Europeans, whose mentality does not allow enough to emulate a favorite multpersonazham. Lingerie Hello Kitty

For those who love Hello Kitty, but put his love for show shy designers produce underwear with a picture of cute cats. And not just for women but for men as surprising as it may sound.
Gadgets Hello Kitty

Well, to produce gadgets in style and form of Hello Kitty is already God himself commanded. And these gadgets range is wide and varied, from players to phones, from toasters to microwaves, not to mention the sewing machine, which we wrote recently in a review of women's gadgets, dedicated to March 8.
Respirators Hello Kitty

And that's where respirators are classified in the style of Hello Kitty, I really find it difficult. Not so in the above category of gadgets, not a decoration, of which just below ...
Hello Kitty Ornaments

Speaking of jewelry. Some Asian newlyweds so loved the baby-pussy, they prefer to arrange their entire wedding, so on-HelloKitty `nski. And even a bride wedding rings represent the kitty with a pretty pink bow, lined with little pink diamonds. Well, if the groom does not agree to an engagement ring with Kitty, we can always persuade him to give a ring on the first anniversary.

But those who marry too early, Hello Kitty will still be in the teeth. More precisely, on the teeth, in the form of unusual brackets. And that is impressive!
Sweets Hello Kitty

So what no thematic sweets! Hello Kitty because, first of all, a children's character, but children are known to be fond of sweets, even though parents are strictly limited by the amount absorbed by these.
Phonebooth Hello Kitty

And finally - Kawainui telephone box from an unknown author. Such lovely ears with telephones dyeing on some streets of Hong Kong, Tokyo and several cities in Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea.

Political Satire on The German Carnival

2011-03-10T17:23:00.000+05:00

In Germany was "mad Monday". The Germans were lucky with the weather - in the middle of the street carnival festivities in the cities of the Rhine was an unusually sunny and warm. Under blue skies, very rare for a carnival pores in Germany, millions of fun entertainers. As usual on the streets of German cities was driven carts with large satirical figures made of papier-mache. This year, the satire was as caustic as ever. Got it all - from Merkel to Gaddafi.

Figures made of papier-mache, representing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Abdullah. Perched behind Jullian Assange, snapping his dials WikiLeaks.

Nobel Peace Prize Siaobo Liu from China in the form of a yellow Statue of Liberty at the carnival in Cologne. Center of the carnival, which peaked at the "Crazy Monday", as before, the city became the Rhine: Cologne, Mainz and Duesseldorf.

The figure of Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a swastika, escaping from the flames of revolution, symbolizing the political unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Cartoon figure of Barack Obama, who is trying to push a camel in the eye of a needle. The figure represents a futile attempt to establish peace in the Middle East.

Bishop with a little boy sitting on a chair, on which is written: "We have every day - Youth Day. " A hint of scandal associated with numerous cases of clergy sexual abuse of minors.

Ramshackle house of cards, the cards which represent the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Map with Hosni Mubarak has already fallen ...

Known for its its open homosexual German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in the form of saws, which reads "bore. "

The figure of the Libyan leader, Muhammad al-Gaddafi with a barrel of oil, and Europe with a bag of money. Europe kisses the Libyan dictator, probably in the stomach.

Former Defense Minister of Germany Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, made of papier-mache shows the pilot the aircraft crashing into the building of the Federal Chancellery. Just a week before the carnival Minister resigned - his PhD thesis was recognized plagiarism.

During the carnival in Düsseldorf was driven through the streets of figures of women in robes who veil of gradually turning into a bag.

Figure, making fun of the decision to hold the FIFA World Championships in Russia and Qatar. Football Federation FIFA caricature depicted as a busty prostitute who holds the bill of a hundred euros.

The figure of Angela Merkel as Pippi Longstocking, which is on their shoulders alone drags on his bull the EU. "

Criticism of the authorities for extending the service life of NPP. Princess Merkel and her frog-princes - the German energy companies that control the plant.

The figure made of papier-mache, depicting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a cartoon character on the Simpsons Montgomery Burns, the carnival in Cologne.

The figure of Angela Merkel as a priestess of voodoo, stick a needle in a doll at a carnival in Mainz. On the doll in the hands of cartoon Merkel - the name filed recently retired minister, Pogorevshikh on plagiarism.

At the carnival in Mainz during the parade through the streets drove figure made of papier-mache, depicting the Pope with the balloons in the form of condoms. This is - a reminder that in an interview late last year, Benedict XVI said that sometimes Catholics can use condoms, but only in certain cases, such as when there is a risk of contracting HIV or sexually transmitted diseases. Until now, we recall the Roman Catholic Church responded extremely uncomplimentary about condoms and other contraceptive methods, considering them sinful.

The figure made of papier-mache, depicting the last chapter of the Central Bank of Germany, Thilo Saracen, piercing spear Turkish woman with children.

Most Inexplicable Nude Scenes Ever

2011-03-05T18:25:00.000+05:00

Some movies, like Basic Instinct and Species, provide countless displays of gratuitous nude scenes, and that’s great because we expect them to. Conversely, certain movies contain nudity that jumps out at you like a forgotten $20 bill in your jacket pocket or a surprisingly large bowel movement. It’s such a surprising turn of events that you don’t even have time to prepare yourself for it. Maybe later you go back and try to find the scene somewhere on the web, or in some cases you try and forget about it as soon as possible, but you’ll always remember the shock of a certain actor or actress exposing themselves.

Without further ado, here are 10 movies with the most surprising nudity. Get ready for most inexplicable nude scenes.

The Gift

Right now Mrs. Cruise is either a victim of scientology’s brainwashing or a happy actress that hit pay dirt when she was the first person with a vagina to elicit an erection from Tom Cruise.

Either way, Katie Holmes used to be just another actress trying to make a buck in Hollywood playing Joey Potter from Dawsons Creek. In the middle of her Dawson’s micro-fame, she had an ensemble role in 2000’s The Gift. With Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi starring, she decided to shed her adorable Joey Potter character (literally the girl next door on Dawsons), and drop trou. We never saw it coming, and we probably never will again as there were reports that Cruise blocked her full nudity in Thank You for Smoking. She did end up in a sex scene in that movie, which didn’t show any skin, so we think Cruise got to them.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

This 2008 movie was given a lot of promotion before it was released. There were posters all over NYC on cabs and subway walls, so everyone knew it was coming out. What we didn’t know (at least if we ignored the pre-release interviews about the film) was that Jason Segel was going to expose his man bits in the opening scene. Segel upped the ante for comedians everywhere by possessing the balls to show his junk for laughs (forgive all the puns). It turns the opening break-up scene with Kristen Bell into an uncomfortable peep show for Jason. I guess he pulled it off, but it still doesn’t make up for our shock.

Wedding Crashers

This movie had a solid R rating, but most of us thought it would be for language and sexually mature theme. We all secretly hoped for some nudity, and we weren’t disappointed when the musical montage in the first part of the film provided us with a bevy of topless beauties falling into bed with the leading men Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.

This was more surprising than you would think because the Janet Jackson fiasco had occurred the year before, and it had drastically cut down on the amount of skin movie studios would allow. Thankfully, the movie was a huge hit, even with the R rating, which paved the way for other like-minded filmmakers.

About Schmidt

Oh good lord Kathy! This movie is probably more famous for a 54-year-old Kathy Bates bearing it all, than it is for Nicholson or anything else. No one could have seen this coming, as geriatric nudity is generally frowned upon, especially in a rather mainstream movie (although this wasn’t the only nudity with elderly women, as we will see later in the list). I say mainstream because Nicholson and Bates are big names in Hollywood. Bates ended up scaring us as much as Annie Wilkes ever did.

Half Baked

Dave Chappelle has said in interviews that this movie was watered down before its release. Well, even with the watered down version released, every pothead in America has seen it at least once, as it has become a cult hit. If you’ve had a chance to watch the DVD instead of the edited for TV versions (no one saw this in the theater), then you’ll remember the climactic fight scene with Sampson’s henchwomen. A woman’s breast slips out as the heroes do battle. Everyone freezes for a second in the film and it takes the audience off guard as well (See also The 40year Old Virgin).

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle

This is another stoner comedy with a topless scene that jumps out at us. During Harold and Kumar’s long odyssey to White Castle, the duo encounter the boil infested Freakshow who agrees to drive them when Neil Patrick Harris hijacks their car. Well, when Harold and Kumar meet Freakshow’s wife, played by Malin Akerman, you don’t really know where it’s headed. Still reeling from Freakshow’s countenance, Malin’s gorgeous breasts are suddenly out of her shirt and she is begging Harold to touch them. You’re barely done keeping your lunch down around Freakshow before Malin bares all. It’s a shocking twist in the Freakshow vignette.

The Thomas Crown Affair

Anyone that claimed to see this one coming is lying to you. It appeared to be a nice remake of the 1968 original. Going in, you expected a classy sex scene to appear, but that sex scene would only hint at the dalliance between stars Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan (in the original Faye Dunaway does not expose herself). But all of sudden they are on the spiral staircase, and a sex scene unfolds which is sultry AND revealing. It’s a sex and sweat filled romp across Thomas Crown’s luxurious townhouse. Russo looks incredible at her age, so kudos to a Hollywood actress bearing all at 45, and pulling it off. Which bring us to number 3 on our list.

Something’s Gotta Give

Jack Nicholson stars in his second film on this list. This time, his co-star is a regal Diane Keaton. Instead of an aging Kathy Bates, we have a 57-year-old Keaton inadvertantly exposing herself to Nicholson’s character. The scene is more slapstick then lust, but it was still a shocking display of bravado for star Keaton, who is a big enough draw in her own right that she didn’t need to go sans clothing. She actually looks pretty good, especially in comparison to Bates’ horror show, but it’s shocking anyway when you think about her Hollywood Hall of Fame credentials.

Just One of the Guys

In this film, Joyce Hyser plays high school student Terri Griffith, who goes undercover as a boy to get a high school newspaper story (gotta love the 1980’s high school plot devices). This classic is rife with immature sexual humor and terrible outfits, all 80’s staples. Also, a 1980’s staple: gratuitous nudity (see Porky’s and Fast Times at Ridgemont High). So, in the climactic scene, Hyster’s protagonist is caught in flagrante at the prom (where else) and exposes her true gender to a flabbergasted Rick Morehouse, played by Clayton Rohner. We are almost as shocked as Morehouse when we discover Hyser has been hiding that beautiful figure the whole movie.

Titanic

The most financially successful movie of all time shocked audiences with an illicit portraiture scene showing all the full-bodied Kate Winslet had to offer. Going in, the PG-13 rating had everyone believing any love scenes would be edited down. In actuality, the steamy love scene in the car did not have any nudity. But before Kate and Leo do the nasty, we beheld Kate in all her glory as Leo tried to capture all her incredible curves on canvass. It was absolutely astounding when seen on the big screen and especially so considering how many families went to see it.

Quick anecdote about Titanic-I actually won a lot of money from a friend in college when he said that Titanic couldn’t possibly be PG-13 because it showed Winslet in the buff. I collected my money and never looked back, so this is our number one surprising movie nude.

Living Statues

2011-03-05T18:08:00.000+05:00

Great collection of pictures with living statues. Actually, it is Yevpatoriya Open Living Statues Championship, Ukraine. It takes place annually in May between the 1st and the 7th. Every country can participate in this Championship. Some “statues” look like real ones, especially their make-up perfectly done gives that impression.

Weirdest CIA Experiments and Operations

2011-03-04T16:33:00.000+05:00

Over the years, the American Central Intelligence Agency has gained a reputation for being the most far-reaching, sophisticated, and effective government intelligence agency on the planet. At the same time, the CIA has also become known for its incredible paranoia and propensity to undertake costly, sometimes illegal, and often downright absurd projects in the name of gaining an edge on the competition. From spy cats to psychic hippies, the following are ten of the weirdest spy programs the government has proposed and funded over the years.

Operation Gold (also known as Operation Stopwatch by the British)

There is nothing related to gold, even if a conversation recorded at the right time can be worth much more. In 1953, during the Cold War, CIA has worked extensively with MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service to intercept phone calls made in Russia at the highest level.
The easiest way to do it was to act in East Berlin, which was occupied by the Russians. CIA dug a 450-metre (1,476-foot) tunnel to intersect a series of cable less than 47 cm (18") below a busy street. About half a million calls were recorded in 50,000 tapes in less than one year. The fun part is that a British compromised the whole project, providing information to the KGB when the CIA began working on the tunnel. Thus, the Russians had allowed ordinary military communications to take place through the cables to create the impression that they had no aggressive intention against West Berlin. Project Pigeon

In the time of the World War II, pigeons were crucial to the U.S. CIA recruited B.F. Skinner, a well known researcher who was studying the way in which animals behave when they are punished or rewarded. These methods have effective results when it comes about training animals, so the Americans intended to train pigeons for use in a missile guidance system. Can you imagine that? Skinner has trained some pigeons in this regard and placed them inside missiles to record their flight path. The pigeons would peck at the screen if it was drifting off course. The results were disappointing and the whole project required $25,000.
Acoustic Kitty

If a cat comes near an important embassy, nobody would believe that it may be a potential master of espionage. It seems incredible, but the CIA has spent about 20 million dollars on this utopian project. The CIA got some cats, trained them and implanted microphones, antennae and batteries into their ears, tail and chest. Then the cats were sent near the Russian embassy. Unfortunately the first cat sent into the field was supposedly run over by a taxi.
Operation Northwoods

In the '60s, the CIA thought about how to remove Fidel Castro from power. The easiest was to persuade the other heads of state that the communists were about to commit acts of terrorism in the U.S. Basically, the CIA wanted the Americans to kill some important persons in the US and perform a series of violent terrorist actions and then somehow blame Cuba for all these events. Kennedy categorically rejected the plan. After his death, it was shown that the Northwoods existed on paper.
The Stargate Project

The $20 million Stargate Project was about a large number of psychic experiments and investigations undertaken by the U.S. government. There were tens of million of dollars invested in people who has extraordinary capabilities they could use to predict future events and read hidden documents. It's true that some people were having up to 15% more powerful senses than ordinary people. However, the CIA cancelled the project because of the poor results achieved. There are some rumors that the Russians still invest in similar experiments.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion

Despite the name of this project, we're not going to talk about pigs. In 1960, the CIA has received approval from the president to start a secret operation against Cuba, and especially against Fidel Castro. 1,300 Cubans were intensively trained and sent to the Bay of Pigs to attack Castro's troops. But Cuban intelligence was already aware of the planned invasion.
As a result of this project, 100 Americanized Cubans and 2,000 Cubans were killed in minutes. The bay was full of obstacles and the American troops had to surrender. A year later, Fidel Castro released the prisoners in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine for Cuban people.
Operation Midnight Climax

Central Intelligence Agency has experienced all sorts of projects over the years and has not hesitated to use innocent people. It seems incredible that these things have actually happened. Starting with 1960, the CIA has used hallucinogenic drugs like LSD to analyze their effects on unsuspecting citizens. For example, these substances were administrated in food and drinks and given to people who were closely observed by agents. CIA wanted to know exactly what happens. They were collecting data directly from witnesses, not only from agents.
Drugs could be easily used on politicians and other important people as long as their effects were well known. New York Times conducted the most detailed study on Midnight Climax and the Americans have been terrified by the fact that many of them were used by CIA for observing the evolution of syphilis, and more. But these are other stories...

Operation Mockingbird

Operation Mockingbird was the largest operation of propaganda and manipulation conducted by the CIA in the U.S. In the '50s, over 3,000 agents were infiltrated in the media to gain control of the free press. New York Times, Newsweek and Time Magazine were practically controlled by the CIA. Considering that the media s a huge power in a state, no one knew what was really going on. In the '60s, someone brought the program to light.
Project MK-ULTRA

It may seem weird to say that the CIA conducted experiments on the mind control and the creation of "zombies" able to perform certain tasks after being tortured and subjected to psychological and chemical stress for a long time. But it actually happened. Since the early '50s, the CIA launched the great project MK-ULTRA. Many people were recruited, receiving substances like LSD or amphetamine, electric shocks, brain washing or other incredible means of control.
The files are classified, but there is enough information in the specialized press. It is even said that MK-ULTRA is still conducted successfully. This is the only way in which the drugs labeled as 'the truth serum' can be tested.
Operation Mongoose

Have you thought that the Bay of Pigs invasion was the only attack against Castro? Well, then you must know that during the Cold War was remove the Cuban leader from power. The operation involved several attempts to assassinate Castro. Thus, the CIA tried to poison Castro's personal supply of cigars, spray a TV studio with hallucinogens, plant chemicals in his clothes and more.
Nothing had the expected results. In fact, the same happened in Europe with Hitler. Later, Cuba faced the missile crisis, Kennedy made an agreement with Russia and Fidel Castro has survived the threats.

Amazing Custom Wedding Cakes

2011-03-01T15:38:00.000+05:00

After the wedding gown, what tops the bride's checklist? The wedding cake, of course! We rounded up some of the most amazing creations from bakers who labor over these decorative and decadent custom cakes. If you're a bride-to-be on the hunt for your own wedding cake, or just a fan of incredibly intricate cake designs, you will be amazed at these beautiful and creative custom wedding cakes.

Retro Charm

Yes, you too can have Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman design your wedding cake. His unconventional style is perfect for those brides looking for the wild imaginings of a pastry rebel.

Indian Chic

Rick Reichart, who co-owns cakelava with his wife, Sasha, designed this colorful sculpted-pillow wedding cake with handcrafted accent pieces for a yoga instructor's tropical wedding. To tie in the Hawaiian component, the bride chose guava and mango flavors for her cake.

Bananas for Victorian

With a keen eye for architectural detail, Confetti Cakes modeled this chocolate ganache-layered banana cake after the wedding venue: a Victorian mansion. The colored frosting on the shutters and accents matches the paint chips used in remodeling the real thing.

Violet and Gold Lace

Cakemaker Yvette Humbert covered each tier of this intricate bohemian-style cake with a layer of purple fondant, followed by a pattern of appliqué fondant lace brushed in gold luster dust. She crafted the crowning gold dome topper of the same edible lace.

Wedding Wonder of the World

A confectionary wonder, the entirely edible Taj Mahal cake was created over a two-week period to honor the bride and groom's Indian heritage. Cardboard mailing tubes provided the form for the brick-patterned gum-paste towers that surround this 65-pound white velvet cake with fresh key lime filling.

From Russia with Love

With a nod to the bride's Russian ancestry, cakemaker Yvette Humbert crafted this confection in blue, white, and gold. Each tier represents a plate from the bride's antique Russian china set with blue fondant-covered dummy tiers in between.

Pretty as a Peacock

This stunner features five stacked tiers of vanilla and chocolate cake with floral separators of sugar flowers that include deep coral peonies and white cherry blossoms. The sugar peacock perched on the top tier was inspired by the motif of the wedding reception.

Runway Bride

Thirty-four hours of handiwork and a 500-mile commute from San Francisco to Palm Springs, CA, made this dream wedding cake a reality for the founder of San Francisco Fashion Week. The four-tiered, 20-foot, 50-pound, Moroccan-Chic cake was created for her runway-themed nuptials.

Topsy-Turvy

Matt Lewis of Matty Cakes Bakery created this frosted feat of alternative angles known as the Topsy Turvy Cake. Four tiers defy gravity while displaying intricate surface sugar designs and fluffy frosting detailing.

Make Mine Moroccan

A Moroccan-born bride who loves bright colors inspired this cheerful wedding cake created by Cakes by Sam, a 2009 Brides Choice Award-winner on WeddingWire.com. Every adornment on this pink-and orange stunner is handcrafted from fondant.

Clock Tower of Love

The bride and groom were musicians who met in London and moved there after the wedding. They wanted the cake to display their love of music and the city that brought them together.

Something Spooky?

Colette Peters, who earned a master's degree in painting and worked as a designer for Tiffany & Co., started Colette's Cakes in 1989. Her artistic background is evident in this whimsical nod to Tim Burton's haunting classic animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

XOXO

X's and O's are worth a thousand words. Or so says Suzy of Cakes by Suzy, who designed the 100-serving XOXO cake for a Valentine's Day bridal show. Suzy thought it would be fun to explore the Valentine's Day theme and so came up with this pink-and-brown ode to lovers' code.

Must Love Travel

What kind of wedding cake do you get when an air traffic controller marries a C-130 aircraft navigator? An aviation-themed compass cake, of course! It took Rick Reichart of cakelava 10 hours to create this strawberries-chantilly confection, presented on a map of significant destinations of the bride and groom.

Autumn Splendor

As a natural extension of the season's beauty, Dianne Rockwell created this pumpkin buttercream tiered cake tiled in chocolate mosaic. The edible display of autumn splendor features handmade sugar-paste fall leaves and pumpkins.

Mountain Adventure

This outdoorsy couple requested a mountainous cake for their wedding reception on Bear Mountain in upstate New York. Embracing the nature theme, sugar artist Penny Stankiewicz decorated the pumpkin cake with caramel buttercream in autumn mountain colors, sugar-paste flowers and ivy, and blue sugar shards.

Iridescent in Orchid

Edible iridescent orchid pink pearl dust and a hand-piped floral design give this cake its unique beauty. The tiers feature Tahitian vanilla cake with strawberry, white chocolate, and lemon mousseline and dark chocolate cake with espresso, bittersweet chocolate, and hazelnut mousseline.

The "Wow!" Cake

For the bride (and her mother) who wanted an ooh-and-ahh-producing cake comes this romantic, eight-tiered colossus. Sam and her helper spent more than 1 1/2 hours applying the pink gum-paste roses once they'd delivered the cake to the reception venue.

Edible Adobe

Designed for lovers of the Southwest, this unique wedding cake depicts traditional Pueblo dwellings. Iced in sunbaked adobe-colored buttercream with desert turquoise buttercream accents, the multitiered cake features realistic gum-paste wooden ladders and stick structures.

Romantic and Rosy

Kristine Bender's Bride and Groom Silhouette Cake features a fondant-covered almond cake with custom silhouette plaque, black and white ribbons, and sugar sweet peas, anemones, and ranunculus. To complement the pink theme, the cake is layered with strawberry cream.

Sugar Blooms and Branches

In homage to the hydrangeas, cabbage roses, and calla lilies the bride chose for her wedding decor, Amy Beck re-created the blooms out of sugar, as well as an intricate system of sugar branches to anchor them.

Luck o' the Irish

Cakes by Suzy entered this Celtic stained-glass-style wedding cake into the "Let Them Eat Cake" charity competition in 2009, benefiting City of Hope. The top tier, complete with a handmade, edible gold cross topper, was auctioned off, along with her accompanying leprechaun groom's cake.

Lucky in Love

A Vegas couple scored the jackpot with this popular Freed's Bakery's cake originally designed for July 7, 2007. Get it? Lucky number 7/7/7. The flashy cake, which includes edible poker chips and a "Married in Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, can be ordered in a variety of flavors including Light White Cake with Bavarian Cream and Sun Lemon with Raspberry Mousse.

Hawaii Ink

Bride and groom tattoo artists requested this stylized koi fish- and wave-tattoo cake for their 70-person wedding. Cakelava's Rick Reichart designed the Kona Toffee Crunch-flavored cake in white, black, and gray to mimic the inky colors of the profession the couple shares.

Bedazzled Beauty

In her quest for the ultimate wedding cake, the bride requested that each tier of her cake be a different shape and that the entire confection be dripping with crystals and jewels. Mission accomplished! The cake is iced in buttercream, and the flowers are all hand-molded gum paste.

Drawing on walls

2011-02-14T16:23:00.000+05:00

White papers + marker (11 photos)
One man got tired of that in his room, boring white walls.
He took a marker and started drawing.
It was very cool

‘Dallas’ returning

2011-02-03T13:45:00.000+05:00

Some of the original cast of “Dallas” – including Larry Hagman-- are returning to Southfork for a series pilot.some new actors are joining the cast. The series is expected to follow the younger Ewings, and

WikiLeaks Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

2011-02-03T13:43:00.000+05:00

Both Julian Assange and his website, WikiLeaks, have been nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. A member of the Norwegian Nobel committee says the site promotes human rights, democracy and freedom of speech.Last year's winner is currently behind bars.Plans for a WikiLeaks biopic are now underway.

New Allegations in Halle Berry’s Custody Battle

2011-02-03T13:41:00.000+05:00

The custody dispute between the actress and her ex-boyfriend is getting nastier.Berry quit a movie to go to court, and Gabriel Aubrey denies allegations that their daughter, Nahla is unsafe with him. Now, there are reports that Aubrey has used a racial slur.Singer John Mayer has been in his share of difficult breakups.Alec Baldwin’s split with Kim Basinger got more difficult after he left a voice mail for his daughter.

World’s Newest Oldest Person

2011-02-03T03:47:00.000+05:00

With the death Monday of 114-year-old Eunice G. Sanborn the world has a new oldest person. She’s also 114 years old, but Besse Cooper lives in Georgia. Find out to what she credits for her longevity.Walter Bruening of Great Falls, Mont., is the world’s oldest man .Centenarians are the fastest growing age group.Calculate your possible life expectancy.

Martin Sheen control over son’s finances

2011-02-03T03:45:00.000+05:00

Martin Sheen Charlie Sheen’s father, is reportedly looking at legal options in order to help his son. Charlie was recently hospitalized. He has also decided to do rehab at home, which is reportedly causing concern for his family.Due to Charlie Sheen’s troubles, the CBS hit "Two and a Half Men" is going on hiatus.Charlie Sheen’s co-star Jon Cryer was recently on "Conan.The 22^nd season of “Survivor” starts soon.

Sport that tattoo!

2011-02-02T15:10:00.000+05:00

Athletes' weird and wacky body inscriptions

From the NBA to the EPL, tattoos have become ubiquitous in the sporting world, with stars inking them for all sorts of weird and wacky reasons. Check out the handful in this gallery.

US basketballer Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets

Welsh rugby league player Jordon James of the Celtic Crusaders

Italian footballer Christian Vieri of Fiorentina

Another of Christian Vieri's tattoos

Welsh and Manchester City footballer Craig Bellamy

England cricketer Kevin Pietersen

Danish and Liverpool footballer Daniel Agger

England and Los Angeles Galaxy footballer David Beckham

Another one of Becks' tattoos

David Beckham's Sanskrit tattoo

Portuguese and Chelsea footballer Deco

American basketballer Deron Williams of Utah Jazz

Argentinian football legend and current national team coach Diego Maradona

Another one of Maradona's tattoos

French and Panathinaikos footballer Djibril Cisse

Cisse's calf tattoo

Faboi Cannavaro

Italian and Juventus footballer Fabio Cannavaro

Spanish and Liverpool footballer Fernando Torres

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic

US basketball star Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers

Kobe Bryant's arm tattoo

Former American sprinter LaTasha Jenkins

NBA Star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquaio

Russian tennis star Marat Safin

Italian and Inter Milan footballer Marco Materrazi

Another one of Marco Materazzi's tattoos

Boxer Mark "Bomber" Thompson

Slovak and Liverpool footballer Martin Skrtel

Martin Skrtel's arm tattoo

F1 legend Michael Schumacher

Boxing king Mike Tyson

English and Newcastle United footballer Danny Guthrie

British professional boxer Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton

Welsh and Derby County footballer Robbie Savage

Portuguese and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's leg tattoo

Serbian basketball great Milan Gurovic

Women's tennis star Serena Williams

Irish and Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland

Irish and Sunderland footballer Andy Reid

American and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard

England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney

Pole dancing around the world

2011-02-01T15:44:00.000+05:00

Who knew that a simple prop - a metal pole - could enable such... stimulating movements. The International Pole Championships, featuring absolutely entrancing pole dance performances, recently concluded in Tokyo. See below for the steamy hot pictures.

Pole-dancing may have started in the smoky backrooms of adult-only bars -- but now performers have lifted the velvet curtain on what they say is a sensual art form and a great workout.
After modern belly-dancing took the world by storm, pole-dancing is the latest craze for women who say they do it for their own enjoyment, not that of men drooling over their fleshy curves in strip joints.
To be sure, in pole-dancing 2.0, the artistes do keep some of their clothes on, and the new family-friendly form owes as much to circus acrobatics and gymnastics as it does to the seedier red-light variety.
"The sport has two streams," said Tina Burrett, a spokeswoman for the International Pole Dance Fitness Association, speaking at the sport's third international championship held in Tokyo on Thursday night.
"One is associated with the stripping and sex industry, but I think today the more dominant stream is actually connected to fitness."
Burrett said that "the reason why it has become so popular with a lot of women is that, not only does it allow someone to express their sexuality, but it's actually an incredible workout too."

International Pole Championships in Tokyo

Mai Sato of Japan performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Karen Ng of Singpore performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Loic Lebret of France performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Giulia Piolanti of Italy performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Anamarie G. Garbo of Philippines performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Michelle Hafner of Australia performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Zoraya Judo of U.S. performs a pole dance during the International Pole Championships in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

A dancer performs during a break at the International Pole Dance Championships in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Pole dancing around the world

Pole dancer Terresa Tabas, 24, performs during the third semi-annual "Pole-A-Palooza" pole dance competition at JET nightclub at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. 25 contestants competed for a prize money of $10,000. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Pole dancer Amy Ravin, 26, performs during the third semi-annual "Pole-A-Palooza" pole dance competition at JET nightclub at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. 25 contestants competed for a prize money of $10,000. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A pole dancer performs during the third semi-annual "Pole-A-Palooza" pole dance competition at JET nightclub at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. 25 contestants competed for a prize money of $10,000. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Pole dancer Anika, center, performs during the third semi-annual "Pole-A-Palooza" pole dance competition at JET nightclub at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Anika won the competition. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A pole dancer performs during the finals of China's first pole dancing competition in Beijing Sunday July 15, 2007. More than 50 competitors from across the country, both male and female, are taking part in the competition. The competition is being organized by dancer Luo Lan, who introduced pole dancing as a form of exercise in Beijing in 2006. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A pole dancer competes during China's first pole dancing competition in Beijing Saturday July 14, 2007. More than 50 competitors from across the country, both male and female, are taking part in the competition. The competition is being organized by dancer Luo Lan, who introduced pole dancing as a form of exercise in Beijing in 2006. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

A pole dancer performs during China's first pole dancing competition in Beijing Saturday July 14, 2007. More than 50 competitors from across the country, both male and female, are taking part in the competition. The competition is being organized by dancer Luo Lan, who introduced pole dancing as a form of exercise in Beijing in 2006. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

23 Best Beaches of the SI Swimsuit Issues

2011-02-01T14:49:00.002+05:00

SI Swimsuit Issue Beaches
Every February, Sports Illustrated releases its much anticipated swimsuit issue. We pay tribute to 23 cover destinations which are every bit as beautiful as the models.

Shark Bay, Australia

Despite its ominous name, Shark Bay is a beautiful beach resort north of Perth. Red sand dunes, turquoise waters, and the famous Monkey Mia dolphins bring thousands of travelers all the way to Australia's western edge. The scenery also brought Sports Illustrated here in 1985, where a young model posed for her second cover. Today, she is familiar to reality-TV fans after her short-lived stints as a judge and a participant.

Dominican Republic

This Caribbean nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, blends a fascinating mix of Spanish, African and native Taino history, food and culture. A short flight from the United States lands visitors on this affordable Caribbean idyll known for sugar, baseball, merengue and orchids. The swimsuit issue in 1987 featured a popular model on the Caribbean coast, where beaches such as Boca Chica and Bayahibe tempt with white sand and blue waters.

Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

The rocky coastal scenery of this bay near Phuket was featured on the 1988 swimsuit issue cover — along with this memorable model — but it also had its 15 minutes of fame in a movie. (Hint: One of the islands in the bay is called James Bond Island.) Phang Nga Bay is such a revered national treasure that the Thai government is lobbying for a World Heritage Site designation from the United Nations.

The Seychelles

Romantic and remote, this island nation 900 miles east of Africa in the Indian Ocean was an ideal location for the 1979 cover photo shoot. Dozens of white-sand beaches, tropical temperatures year-round and warm equatorial waters keep people coming back today for snorkeling, diving, fishing and luxury resort escapes. The Seychelles cover was the first of three consecutive covers for a California girl who became a supermodel, philanthropist and artist. (She won an award for the album cover she painted for her famous then-husband.)

Lanzarote, Spain

With the Summer Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, Sports Illustrated headed to Spain for that year’s swimsuit issue. The country’s 3,500 miles of coastline provided ample scenery, especially in the Canary Islands just west of Morocco. The cover model was photographed on Lanzarote, a dramatic and windy volcanic island, which is famous for its diving beaches, Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.

Jamaica

The Arawak word for this Caribbean island means “land of rivers and springs,” which make it a spectacular spot for playing in waterfalls — and that’s exactly what the 1983 cover model did. Jamaica’s most famous waterfall is Dunn’s River Falls near Ocho Rios, where visitors can climb over travertine shelves and cool off in the pool at the base of the falls.

Canouan Island, Grenadines

Canouan is only 3 square miles, but this southern Caribbean island sports its share of sun, surf and luxurious resorts. It’s also a great launching point for day trips to Palm Island, Mustique and stunning Tobago Cay. Still relatively undiscovered, Canouan has had a starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster and was the destination for the 2009 swimsuit issue featuring an Israeli model, perhaps better known for her romantic ties to a famous actor.

Kenya

Kenya was the magazine’s 1982 cover destination, and photographers captured the model in a red swimsuit at sunset. Dhows sailed behind her as she stood on the Coral Coast, a stretch of white-sand beaches leading south from Mombasa along the Indian Ocean. The region’s slave history provides a sobering lesson for today’s visitors, who come to swim with dolphins and turtles in the protected waters around Wasini Island — and perhaps spot leopards, colobus monkeys and baboons in coastal forests.

Captiva Island, Fla.

Captiva Island is a long, thin barrier island just west of Fort Meyers, and in 1981, when Sports Illustrated showed up for the swimsuit issue, it was still relatively undiscovered by vacation crowds. (Much earlier, travelers to this Buccaneer Coast were more notorious.) Today, this island is where people build second homes so they can enjoy the undulating sand dunes and endless stretches of sand sprinkled with seashells. The cover model in 1981 was a familiar face to SI readers, and later was seen on the cover of the 40th anniversary issue.

South Africa

The Kalahari Desert, Phinda Game Reserve and the Cape Peninsula are scenic backdrops to anyone’s trip to South Africa, but in 1996 it was here that two models — including one who went on to reality-TV fame — were photographed sporting leopard-print bikinis. Plan a trip today by starting in Cape Town, from which you can easily tour wine country, admire the coastal scenery and find unrivaled views from atop Table Mountain.

Bahamas

The water around the Bahamas is so clear you can often see to depths of 200 feet. That’s one reason people spend a lot of time in the water here: snorkeling, swimming, boating, diving and just plain splashing around. Other great attractions include Harbour Island Beach with its pink sand, Surfer’s Beach for its waves, and 100 square miles of ocean sprinkled with shipwrecks. Add the fact that it’s an easy flight from the United States, and it was a perfect locale for the SI swimsuit cover in 2005 that featured Carolyn Murphy.

Montauk, N.Y.

Montauk, on the eastern tip of Long Island, is a popular East Hampton hamlet famous for its summer beach resorts, sport fishing — and a mysterious creature. Six state parks make it easy to find a beach, and visitors should make a point to visit the 1797 lighthouse at the tip of the island, one of the oldest working lighthouses in the country. Montauk made the 2004 swimsuit issue cover, along with a model who recently climbed one of the world’s tallest mountains and was named a goodwill ambassador for the Africa Wildlife Foundation.

Cozumel, Mexico

The cover of Sports Illustrated’s first swimsuit issue in 1964 featured a woman in a modest white bikini standing on this narrow island 12 miles east of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cozumel was a hot new destination in the sixties, thanks to a TV show by a famous explorer who declared that the Palancar Reef was one of the best diving spots in the world. Today, snorkelers can swim among protected reefs with more than 500 species of fish in crystal-clear, azure waters.

Bora Bora

When you think of an island paradise, Bora Bora fits the bill. Sugar-white sand? Check. Calm, turquoise-colored water? Check. Thatched roofs and romance? Check, check. It sure made a perfect tropical setting for the 1986 swimsuit issue cover, which featured a woman who was born Eleanor Nancy Gow in Sydney, Australia. This was her first cover — she has since graced more SI Swimsuit covers than any other model. (How many?)

Maldives

Destinations along the equator — the Maldives, Ecuador and beyond — were the focus of the 1998 issue. In the Maldives, southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, temperatures range between 72 and 91 degrees year-round — what’s not to love? Add to that the 1,900 coral atolls that form the island nation and you have the makings of a picture-perfect escape. The cover model for this issue was also picture perfect: She once inspired a Barbie doll, and she’s widely known as a judge and producer of a popular TV show.

Aruba

Palm Beach, Eagle Beach and Baby Beach are all hot spots on the Caribbean island of Aruba, featured on SI’s 1984 cover. (It also featured the cover’s youngest model, an 18-year-old Czech woman.) The 20-mile island is steeped in Dutch colonial history, but most people come here for the sun, sand and water on the southwest coast. Activities abound, including deep-sea fishing, windsurfing, kayaking, diving and snorkeling.

Turks and Caicos

It’s hard to believe this paradise is only a three-hour flight from New York, but that’s just one of the many attractions of the Turks and Caicos. Divers come to these Caribbean islands to experience one of the world’s longest coral reefs; cruisers disembark on Grand Turk to explore shops and 230 miles of beaches; and anglers and boaters have more than enough coastline to explore among the eight major islands. Sports Illustrated took advantage of the crystalline waters to feature this model on the cover of the 1991 swimsuit issue.

Barbados

Steeped in British culture and history, this now-independent island is an ideal warm-weather escape. The west side of the island is known for its calm water and white beaches, such as Brownes and Brandons beaches near the capital, while the Atlantic side has waves perfect for boogie-boarding and surfing. The 2003 Barbados cover featured a Czech model who suffered a personal tragedy less than a year later that put her in a hospital for months.

St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Two-thirds of the island of St. John is a national park, so it doesn’t get much more pristine than this. Beaches on the north shore extend around every bay and cay, so there’s plenty of white sand and palm trees, without the crowds. Only an hour’s ferry ride from St. Thomas, St. John is an ideal location for a photo shoot, and Sports Illustrated put this island on its 2008 swimsuit issue cover. Appropriately, that year’s model is an avid surfer, and designed a paddleboard for women. She also was the first-ever spokeswoman for a legendary motorcycle company.

Bermuda

Pink-sand beaches, British traditions — afternoon tea is de rigueur — and great golf are just a few of the attractions of this island, just a two-hour flight from the East Coast. On Bermuda, you take life down a notch by forgoing the nightlife of other Caribbean islands and by not driving — visitors are limited to bikes or scooters here — but that is part of its sleepy charm. In 1995, a 5-foot-11-inch Czech model added her own charm to the swimsuit edition cover.

Tunisia

Although Africa’s northernmost country is currently in a state of political unrest and not safe to travel to, in 2001, Sports Illustrated traveled here with a Mexican model to explore its Mediterranean coast. The country’s heady mix of historical sites — Berber, Arab, Roman and Phoenician — add cultural dimension to a string of resort towns that dot the miles of sunny shore.

Cancun, Mexico

Mexico’s Mayan Riviera made the cover of the 1975 swimsuit issue — along with this swimsuit edition regular — back when it was called a “splashy new resort.” Today, Cancun is one of the most accessible and familiar Caribbean escapes for Americans, who go for the water sports, Mayan ruins like this famous temple, and the all-inclusive resorts that have sprouted up along the Yucatan peninsula over the years.

Florida Keys

In 1993, the magazine stayed close to home, picking various U.S. locations for the swimsuit issue, including a place that kept the models literally chilling on ice. The cover model had a much warmer time of it in the Florida Keys, the archipelago of 1,700 islands that stretch like pearls from the tip of Florida. It’s still a hot spot for people who seek out warm gulf breezes, miles of beaches, scuba diving and sport fishing — a favorite activity of a famous former resident.

Enormous Street Art on Abandoned Buildings

2011-02-01T11:59:00.000+05:00

Since most of you may already have seen around, the Gémeos, Blu and SAM3 facades are over and this is the right time to get them back. In Lisbon there are many places where you can find old abandoned buildings with bricked windows. Crono is a Portugese Urban Art project with the intention of pairing some of the best street artists with huge, beautiful (abandoned) buildings in Lisbon. It is really impressive when you pass by it on the bussy street. This street art is located near the metro exit of Picoas, where you can walk to from the Marquês de Pombal square.

Senator wants ban on select bath salts

2011-01-31T14:43:00.000+05:00

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York says he wants the federal government to ban new designer drugs known as bath salts that pack as much punch as cocaine or methamphetamines.
The small, inexpensive packets of powder are meant to be snorted for a hallucination-inducing high, but they are often marketed with a wink on the Internet or in convenience stores as bathing salts.
The Democratic senator is announcing a bill Sunday that would add those chemicals to the list of federally controlled substances. He is also pushing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban the substance in the state.
A handful of states have already banned the active ingredients in the powders.
Schumer says the bath salts "contain ingredients that are nothing more than legally sanctioned narcotics."

Wkileaks on 60 Minutes

2011-01-31T14:10:00.000+05:00

WikiLeaks Founder Assange Tells 60 Minutes: “Our Values Are Those Of The U.S. Revolution

In a “60 Minutes” interview, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange dismisses the idea that the United States might stop the revelations on his website.

“The U.S. does not have the technology to take the site down,” Assange tells Steve Kroft. “Just the way our technology is constructed, the way the Internet is constructed, it’s quite hard to stop things reappearing. We’ve had attacks on particular domain names. Little pieces of infrastructure — knocked out. But we now have some 2,000 fully independent in every way websites, where we’re publishing around the world. …It’s not possible to do.”

Assange says he never encouraged anyone to leak the U.S. diplomatic cables. He talked to Kroft over two days at a private English home where the WikiLeaks founder is under house arrest. He is fighting extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.

The interview will air at 7 p.m. Sunday on WKMG-Channel 6.

In another excerpt, Kroft asks: “But you were screwing with the forces of nature. You have made some of the most powerful people in the world your enemies. You had to expect that they might retaliate.”

Assange says: “I fully expected they’ll retaliate … Well, they see it as highly embarrassing. I think what it’s really about is keeping the illusion of control. I’m not surprised about that. I am surprised at … the sort of flagrant disregard for U.S. traditions. That is what I’m surprised about.”

Mystery of 200 Dead Cows in Wisconsin Solved

2011-01-31T13:40:00.000+05:00

Amongst all the stories of birds falling dead from the sky all around the world, came a smaller story of 200 cows falling over dead on a Wisconsin farm on January 14th. This story could have easily been the one to send doomsdayer’s to the brink, luckily it didn’t. Particularly lucky since a viable reason as to what happened has been given.
Authorities are now saying that the 200 cows died from moldy sweet potatoes. The 200 cows ate the moldy potatoes that contained a toxin strong enough to kill them. It was earlier speculated that the deaths could have occurred from a more common bovine rhinotracheitis, but the “ipomeanol’ in the moldy sweet potatoes caused pneumonia which eventually killed them.
Authorities say that no moldy sweet potatoes found their way to human food supply, and the infected cows were quarantined and discarded.