ZYMOTICS MAGAZINE

Here’s a list of most expensive wines in the world

2010-09-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s a list of most expensive wines in the world that You may put on your Wine Holders. These wines of course is the best wine in the world. Some of them are sold in charity auctions while the other are sold in high price because of its age. Let’s take a look at those most expensive wines in the world

10. Screaming Eagle Cab 1992: $300

This wine is usually sold for $300 but this wine should have ranked first in terms of price, its value was somehow overshadowed as it was auctioned for charity. Imperial of Screaming Eagle Cab 1992 was sold at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000 for an astronomical sum of $500,000. The wine as purchased by Cisco Systems executive Chase Bailey. Though technically it had fetched the highest ever price, but much of its price has to be discounted as it was meant for charitable purposes.

Screaming Eagle Cab 1992

9. Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1982: $700

Ninth in line is fifty cases (six hundred bottles) of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1982. The sale was made at Christie’s/Zachy’s New York in 1997 for an astonishing price of $420,000 ($700 per bottle).

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1982

8. Screaming Eagle 1994 : $3,833

At the eighth spot stands three bottles of Screaming Eagle 1994, sold at Christie’s Los Angeles in 2000. The price fetched was $3,833 per bottle.

Screaming Eagle 1994

7. Romanée-Conti DRC 1990 : $5,800

Romanée-Conti, DRC 1990 is in the seventh place. 6 magnums of the wine were sold at Zachy’s New York at $5,800 each.

romanee conti drc 1990

6. Le Montrachet, DRC 1978 : $23,929

Sixth in line is Le Montrachet, DRC 1978. Seven bottles of it were sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2001 at $23,929 per bottle.

Le Montrachet DRC 1978

5. Romanee Conti, DRC 1990 : $28,112

At the fifth place stands set of eight bottles of Romanée-Conti, DRC 1990. The set was sold for $224,900 (or $28,112 per bottle) at Sotheby’s London in 1996.

Romanée Conti DRC 1990

4. Massandra Sherry : $43,500

Now comes the turn of the 1775 Sherry from the Massandra Collection, sold at Sotheby’s London in 2001. It fetched a price of $43,500. Massandra winery was highly admired in the Czarist Russia. Massandra’s cellar contains umpteen bottles (close to a million) of both Russian and Western European wines. This Sherry was the oldest among the Western European variety.

Massandra Sherry 1775

3. Chateau d Yquem 1784 : $56,588
The wine bottle of 1784 Chateau d’Yquem stands third. It was sold at Christie’s London in 1986 for an amazing sum of $56,588. This bottle also bears the initials of Thomas Jefferson.

Chateau dYquem 1784

2. Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 : $ 114,614

Jeroboam Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 fetched the second highest price ever. The wine was considered to be one among the highly admired vintages of the 20th century. It was sold for a whopping $114,614 at Christie’s London in 1997.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945

1. Chateau Lafite 1787 : $160,000

The bottle of wine that fetched the highest ever price was Chateau Lafite, 1787. It fetched a price of $160,000 at Christie’s London in 1985. The wine was bought for Forbes collection. The specialty of the bottle is that it bears Thomas Jefferson’s initials etched on the glass.

Chateau Lafite 1787

Those wines are perfect gifts for your best business partner, but may not a perfect Gifts For Doctors as they concern more about their health.

The New 7 wonders of the world for 2010 list

2010-09-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the list of the 7 new wonders of the world

Wonder	Location	Image
Taj Mahal ताज महल تاج محل	Agra, India
Chichen Itza Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha'	Yucatán, Mexico
Christ the Redeemer O Cristo Redentor	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Colosseum Colosseo	Rome, Italy
Great Wall of China 萬里長城 Wànlǐ Chángchéng	China
Machu Picchu Machu Pikchu	Cuzco, Perú
Petra البتراء al-Batrāʾ	Jordan

The Most Populated Country List of this 2010

2010-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Rank	Country / Territory	Population
1	People's Republic of Chinaⁿ²	1,339,360,000
2	India	1,187,340,000
3	United States	310,192,000
4	Indonesia	237,556,363
5	Brazil	193,477,000
6	Pakistan	170,481,000
7	Bangladesh	164,425,000
8	Nigeria	158,259,000
9	Russia	141,927,297
10	Japan	127,390,000
11	Mexico	108,396,211
12	Philippines	94,013,200
13	Vietnam	85,846,997
14	Germany	81,802,257
15	Ethiopia	79,221,000
16	Egypt	78,998,000
17	Iran	75,078,000
18	Turkey	72,561,312
19	Dem. Rep. of Congo	67,827,000
20	Thailand	67,070,000
21	Franceⁿ³	65,447,374
22	United Kingdom	62,008,049
23	Italy	60,402,499
24	Myanmar (Burma)	50,496,000
25	South Africa	49,991,300
26	South Korea	49,773,145
27	Spain	46,072,834
28	Ukraine	45,871,738
29	Colombia	45,611,000
30	Tanzania	45,040,000
31	Argentina	40,518,951
32	Sudan	39,154,490
33	Kenya	38,610,097
34	Poland	38,167,329
35	Algeria	35,423,000
36	Canada	34,236,000
37	Uganda	33,796,000
38	Morocco	31,916,000
39	Iraq	31,467,000
40	Nepal	29,853,000
41	Peru	29,461,933
42	Afghanistan	29,117,000
43	Venezuela	28,920,000
44	Malaysia	28,306,700
45	Uzbekistan	27,794,000
46	Saudi Arabia	27,136,977
47	Ghana	24,333,000
48	Yemen	24,256,000
49	North Korea	23,991,000
50	Mozambique	23,406,000
51	Republic of China (Taiwan) ⁿ⁴	23,131,093
52	Syria	22,505,000
53	Australiaⁿ⁵	22,452,190
54	Côte d'Ivoire	21,571,000
55	Romania	21,466,174
56	Sri Lanka	20,410,000
57	Madagascar	20,146,000
58	Cameroon	19,958,000
59	Angola	18,993,000
60	Chile	17,126,000
61	Netherlands	16,612,500
62	Burkina Faso	16,287,000
63	Kazakhstan	16,197,000
64	Niger	15,891,000
65	Malawi	15,692,000
66	Mali	14,517,176
67	Guatemala	14,377,000
68	Ecuador	14,243,000
69	Cambodia	13,395,682
70	Zambia	13,257,000
71	Senegal	12,861,000
72	Zimbabwe	12,644,000
73	Greece	11,306,183
74	Chad	11,274,106
75	Cuba	11,204,000
76	Belgium	10,827,519
77	Portugal	10,636,888
78	Czech Republic	10,512,397
79	Tunisia	10,432,500
80	Guinea	10,324,000
81	Rwanda	10,277,000
82	Dominican Republic	10,225,000
83	Haiti	10,188,000
84	Bolivia	10,031,000
85	Hungary	10,013,628
86	Serbiaⁿ⁶	9,856,000
87	Belarus	9,467,700
88	Sweden	9,380,437
89	Somaliaⁿ⁷	9,359,000
90	Benin	9,212,000
91	Azerbaijan	8,997,400
92	Burundi	8,519,000
93	Austria	8,372,930
94	United Arab Emirates	8,190,000
95	Switzerland	7,782,900
96	Israel ⁿ⁸	7,627,800
97	Honduras	7,616,000
98	Bulgaria	7,576,751
99	Tajikistan	7,075,000
100	Hong Kong	7,026,400
101	Papua New Guinea	6,888,000
102	Togo	6,780,000
103	Libya	6,546,000
104	Jordan	6,472,000
105	Paraguay	6,460,000
106	Laos	6,436,000
107	El Salvador	6,194,000
108	Sierra Leone	5,836,000
109	Nicaragua	5,822,000
110	Kyrgyzstan	5,550,000
111	Denmark	5,543,819
112	Slovakia	5,429,763
113	Finland ⁿ⁹	5,367,800
114	Eritrea	5,224,000
115	Turkmenistan	5,177,000
116	Singapore	5,076,700
117	Norway ⁿ¹⁰	4,901,200
118	Costa Rica	4,640,000
119	Central African Republic	4,506,000
120	Ireland	4,459,300
121	Georgia ⁿ¹¹	4,436,000
122	Croatia	4,435,056
123	New Zealand	4,387,900
124	Lebanon	4,255,000
125	Puerto Rico	3,998,000
126	Palestinian territories	3,935,249
127	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,760,000
128	Republic of the Congo	3,759,000
129	Moldova ⁿ¹²	3,563,800
130	Liberia	3,476,608
131	Uruguay	3,372,000
132	Mauritania	3,366,000
133	Lithuania	3,329,227
134	Panama	3,322,576
135	Armenia	3,238,000
136	Albania	3,195,000
137	Kuwait	3,051,000
138	Oman	2,905,000
139	Mongolia	2,772,300
140	Jamaica	2,730,000
141	Latvia	2,237,600
142	Namibia	2,212,000
142	Kosovo	2,212,000
143	Lesotho	2,084,000
144	Slovenia	2,064,080
145	Republic of Macedonia	2,048,620
146	Botswana	1,978,000
147	Gambia	1,751,000
148	Qatar	1,696,563
149	Guinea-Bissau	1,647,000
150	Gabon	1,501,000
151	Trinidad and Tobago	1,344,000
152	Estonia	1,340,021
153	Mauritius ⁿ¹³	1,297,000
154	Swaziland	1,202,000
155	East Timor	1,171,000
156	Djibouti	879,000
157	Fiji	854,000
158	Bahrain	807,000
159	Cyprus ⁿ¹⁴	801,851
160	Guyana	761,000
161	Bhutan	708,000
162	Equatorial Guinea ^[5]	693,000
163	Comoros ⁿ¹⁵	691,000
164	Montenegro	626,000
165	Macau	542,200
166	Solomon Islands	536,000
167	Western Sahara	530,000
168	Suriname	524,000
169	Cape Verde	513,000
170	Luxembourg	502,207
171	Malta	416,333
172	Brunei	407,000
173	Bahamas	346,000
174	Belize	322,100
175	Iceland	318,006
176	Maldives	314,000
177	Barbados	257,000
178	Vanuatu	246,000
179	Netherlands Antilles	201,000
180	Guam	180,000
181	Samoa	179,000
182	Saint Lucia	174,000
183	São Tomé and Príncipe	165,000
184	Federated States of Micronesia	111,000
185	U.S. Virgin Islands	109,000
186	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	109,000
187	Aruba	107,000
188	Grenada	104,000
189	Tonga	104,000
190	Kiribati	100,000
191	Jersey	90,050
192	Antigua and Barbuda	89,000
193	Northern Mariana Islands	88,000
194	Seychelles	85,000
195	Andorra	84,082
196	Isle of Man	80,000
197	American Samoa	69,000
198	Dominica	67,000
199	Bermuda	65,000
200	Marshall Islands	63,000
201	Guernsey	61,811
202	Greenland	57,000
203	Cayman Islands	57,000
204	Saint Kitts and Nevis	52,000
205	Faroe Islands	48,760
206	Liechtenstein	35,904
207	Monaco	33,000
208	Turks and Caicos Islands	33,000
209	San Marino	31,794
210	Gibraltar	31,000
211	British Virgin Islands	23,000
212	Cook Islands	20,000
213	Palau	20,000
214	Anguilla	15,000
215	Tuvalu	10,000
216	Nauru	10,000
217	Montserrat	5,900
218	Saint Helena ⁿ¹⁶	4,500
219	Falkland Islands	3,000
220	Niue	1,500
221	Tokelau	1,200
222	Vatican City	800
223	Pitcairn Islands	50

Richest Man in the World Year 2010 Issue

2010-09-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Richest People in 2010

#1. Carlos Slim Helu

Age: 70
Fortune: Self made
Source: Telecom
Net Worth: $53.5 billion
Country of Citizenship: Mexico
Industry: Communications
Marital Status: widowed, 6 children

Telecom tycoon who pounced on privatization of Mexico’s national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world’s richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. Net worth up $18.5 billion in a year. Recently received regulatory approval to merge his fixed-line assets into American Movil, Latin America’s biggest mobile phone company. His construction conglomerate, Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo, builds roads and energy infrastructure. Son of a Lebanese immigrant also owns stakes in financial group Inbursa, Bronco Drilling, Independent News & Media, Saks and New York Times Co.

#2. William Gates III

Age: 54
Fortune: Self made
Source: Microsoft
Net Worth: $50.0 billion
Country of Citizenship: United States
Industry: Software
Marital Status: Married, 3 children

Last year’s #1 billionaire, Bill Gates is now the world’s second-richest man. Net worth still up $13 billion in a year as Microsoft shares rose 50% in 12 months, value of investment vehicle Cascade swelled. More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft; investments include Four Seasons hotels, Televisa, Auto Nation. Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft in 2008 to focus on philanthropy. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to fighting hunger, improving education in America’s high schools, developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

#3. Warren Buffett

Age: 79
Fortune: Self made
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Net Worth: $47.0 billion
Country Of Citizenship: United States
Industry: Investments
Marital Status: widowed, remarried, 3 children

Top 2 billionaire in 2009 slipped one spot, although his net worth is up $10 billion in past 12 months on surging Berkshire Hathaway shares. Shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric amid 2008 market collapse. Recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion. Son of Nebraska stockbroker met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, used company as a vehicle to invest in insurance (Geico), food (Dairy Queen), utilities (MidAmerican Energy) and recently green tech (electric-car maker BYD).

#4. Mukesh Ambani

Age: 52
Source: Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas
Net Worth: $29.0 billion
Country of Citizenship: India
Marital Status: Married, three children

His Reliance Industries, already India’s most valuable company, recently bid $2 billion for 65% stake in troubled Canadian oil sands outfit Value Creation. Firm’s $14.5 billion offer to buy bankrupt petrochemicals maker LyondellBasell was rejected. Since September company has sold treasury shares worth $2 billion to be used for acquisitions. Late father, Dhirubhai, founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died, Mukesh and his brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded over control; mother eventually brokered split of assets, with Mukesh getting oil and gas and petrochemicals businesses. Still at odds with Anil over gas supply agreement; awaiting Supreme Court’s final ruling. Has yet to move out of the family’s high-rise, which he shares with his brother, into his new 27-story home in downtown Mumbai. Owns cricket team Mumbai Indians.

#5. Lakshmi Mittal

Age: 59
Source: Steel
Net Worth: $28.7 billion
Country of Citizenship: India
Marital Status: Married, two children

Indian immigrant heads world’s largest steel company; ArcelorMittal was formed via hostile takeover three years ago. Stock in company makes up bulk of his fortune; shares at a four-year low, with steel prices down 75% since last summer. Arcelor posted $2.6 billion loss in most recent quarter; announced plans to slow acquisitions, cut capital expenditures, pay down debt. Started in family steel business in the 1970s, branched out on his own in 1994. Also owns pieces of Mumbai’s Indiabulls Group, London’s RAB Capital; owns stake in, sits on board of Goldman Sachs.

#6. Lawrence Ellison

Age: 65
Source: Oracle
Net Worth: $28.0 billion
Country of Citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Thrice divorced, remarried; two children

Oracle founder’s fortune continues to soar; shares up 70% in past 12 months. Database giant has bought 57 companies in the past five years. Completed $7.4 billion buyout of Sun Microsystems in January; acquired BEA Systems for $8.5 billion in 2008. Studied physics at U. of Chicago; didn’t graduate. Started Oracle in 1977; took public a day before Microsoft in 1986. Owns 52% stake in business-software company NetSuite; shares worth $480 million. Racing junkie owns 453-foot yacht Rising Sun with friend David Geffen.

#7. Bernard Arnault

Age: 61
Source: Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon
Net Worth: $27.5 billion
Country of Citizenship: France
Marital Status: Married; five children

Bernard Arnault is the richest European, as shares of his luxury goods outfit LVMH – maker of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon, surge 57%. LVMH is developing upscale Shanghai commercial property, L’Avenue Shanghai, with Macau billionaire Stanley Ho. Renaissance man owns French tour operator Go Voyages, yacht builder Royal Van Lent; has a stake in French retailer Carrefour. Built Le Cheval Blanc in ski resort town of Courchevel, France, where he likes to spend New Year’s Eve. Father, Jean, who died in January, made small fortune in construction; sale of that business later helped fund Arnault’s move into real estate and eventually into luxury goods. Still a family affair: son Antoine, 32, and daughter Delphine, 34, sit on LVMH’s board.

#8. Eike Batista

Age: 53
Source: Mining, Oil
Net Worth: $27.0 billion
Country of Citizenship: Brazil
Marital Status: Divorced, two children

This year’s biggest gainer added $19.5 billion to his personal balance sheet. Son of Brazil’s revered former mining minister who presided over mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce got his start in gold trading and mining. Insists Dad didn’t help: “All my businesses started from zero. My father was a problem for me because he never let me near Vale.” Made a pile in resources and other services, but two-thirds of his fortune comes from relatively new source, OGX, the oil-and-gas exploration company he founded in 2007 and took public a year later. Police raided his home in 2008, alleging Batista smuggled gold and unfairly influenced the acquisition of a railroad. He denied all wrongdoing, emerged unscathed. New IPO for shipbuilding business (OSX) could raise $5.6 billion later this month—world’s largest IPO so far this year. Onetime champion offshore powerboat racer; formerly married to Playboy cover girl. Provided financing to Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic committee, helping the city win its bid for 2016 Olympic Games.

#9. Amancio Ortega

Age: 74
Source: Zara
Net Worth: $25.0 billion
Country of Citizenship: Spain
Marital Status: Married; three children

Spain’s richest man is founder and chairman of the Inditex Group which operates under several brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, has 4,500 stores in 73 countries including new spots in Mexico and Syria. Set up joint venture with Tata Group subsidiary to enter India in 2010. Betting on Florida real estate: bought Coral Gables office tower that is currently home to Bacardi USA. Also owns a luxury apartment complex in Miami; properties in Madrid, Paris, London and Lisbon, a horse-jumping circuit, an interest in a soccer league; has investments in gas, tourism and banks. Railway worker’s son started as a gofer in a shirt store. With then-wife Rosalia Mera, also a billionaire, started making dressing gowns and lingerie in living room.

#10. Karl Albrecht

Age: 90
Source: Aldi / Supermarkets
Net Worth: $23.5 bil
Country of Citizenship: Germany
Marital Status: Married, two children

Germany’s richest person owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud, one of Germany’s (and Europe’s) dominant grocers. Has 1,000 stores in U.S. across 29 states. Estimated sales: $37 billion. Plans to open New York City store this year. With younger brother, Theo, transformed mother’s corner grocery store into Aldi after World War II. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got northern Germany and the rest of Europe. Retired from daily operations. Fiercely private: little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

Source: Forbes

The Top 10 Smartest Animal in the World

2010-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

1. CHIMPANZEE Topping our list of smartest animals is another great ape, the chimpanzee. The impressive intellectual abilities of this animal have long fascinated humans. They can make and use tools, hunt collectively, and are capable of advanced problem-solving. They are also able to learn sign language to communicate with humans and can remember the name sign for individuals they have not seen for several years. But perhaps the most amazing feature of the chimpanzee is its ability to use symbols for objects and combine the symbols in a sequence to convey a complex idea. Such intellectual gifts are probably central to maintaining this animal's complex social groups, where they form strong bonds and observe elaborate hierarchical structure.

2. DOLPHIN Have you ever wondered why dolphins and other cetaceans are the star attraction at most aquariums? It's because they're smarter than almost any other creature on the planet. Dolphins are extremely social animals. Schools of dolphins can be observed in the world's oceans surfing, racing, leaping, spinning, whistling and otherwise enjoying themselves. They also have a sophisticated "language," though humans have only begun to unravel it. Dolphins use tools in their natural environment and can learn an impressive array of behavioral commands by human trainers. Like many of the most intelligent animals on Earth, dolphin females remain with their young for several years, teaching them all the tricks of the dolphin trade.

3. Orangutan The great apes are considered the smartest creatures after humans. Of course, humans are biased in this regard, but the intellectual capacity of the great apes is difficult to deny. Among them, orangutans stand out as being especially gifted in the brains department. They have a strong culture and system of communication, and many have been observed to use tools in the wild. Orangutans live in widely scattered communities and form strong social bonds, which may be the key to their advanced cognitive skills. Females remain with their young for many years, teaching them all they need to survive in the forest.

4. ELEPHANT Contrary to popular perception, elephants are more than just lumbering giants with big ears and a good memory. In fact, elephants are quite elegant, cultured and curious. They have been known to clean their food and use tools in various ways in the wild, and they can also follow human commands in captivity. Elephants are also extremely caring and empathetic to other members of their group and to other species, which is considered a highly advanced form of intelligence.

5. CROW Crossing the street against traffic may be called "jay-walking," but jays and other members of the crow family understand better than some humans the importance of waiting for the light to change. Crows living in urban areas are known to gather nuts from trees and then place them in the street for passing cars to crack open the shells. Then, after waiting patiently for the light to change, they return to the street to retrieve their nutty snack - an impressive example of animal innovation. Crows also communicate in elaborate population-specific dialects and play games and tricks on one another. Some scientists even believe that crows are more intelligent than primates.

6. PIG Despite a reputation for gluttony and poor hygiene, pigs are actually highly intelligent animals. Both domestic and wild species are known for their ability to adapt to a variety of different ecological conditions. They seem to be at least as trainable as cats and dogs, and certain domestic pigs have become a favorite pet in the U.S. Pigs are also extremely flexible. Unlike most other ungulates, which are strictly herbivorous, pigs and their relatives are omnivores with a diet that sometimes includes worms and small vertebrates. Where they have been introduced around the world, pigs tend to out-compete the native species. Though devastating to the native species, this trend is yet another strong indication of pig cleverness.

7. SQUIRREL This animal's dogged persistence and impeccable memory have made it the nemesis of gardeners throughout its vast range. Most squirrels display an impressive array of tricks and strategies that help them survive. For starters, these clever creatures are essentially woodland animals that have adapted to living alongside humans, eating out of bird-feeders, flower gardens and whatever food might be lying around. They are also able to store and cache food for leaner times, and then find their hidden morsels many months later. They may also pretend to hide food in order to confuse potential thieves, which researchers believe shows an advanced level of cunning and intellect.

8. PIGEONS Pigeons are abundant in most major cities of North America, but most people think of them as mere pests. However, this ubiquitous bird is actually quite smart. Because pigeons have been the subjects of countless scientific experiments, there is a wealth of knowledge about their intellectual abilities. For example, pigeons can recognize hundreds of images even after several years have passed. They can also identify themselves in a mirror, be taught to perform a sequence of movements and to discriminate subtle differences between two objects - pretty impressive for a mere pest.

9. OCTOPUS Kudos should go to the invertebrate with the strength and skill to screw a lid off a jar! No. 9 in our list is the octopus, one of the smartest creatures in the sea. This animal is still poorly understood, but scientists are constantly discovering new and impressive octopus abilities. They play, solve problems, navigate through mazes and have a respectable short-term memory. But how is an animal that belongs to the same class as the snail capable of such clever feats? It may be that the combination of strength, agility, curiosity and a lot of brainpower sets the octopus apart from its soft-bodied brethren.

10 RAT
in our countdown of smartest animals is the rat, a highly intelligent yet much-maligned animal in Western cultures. Widely used in research, the lab rat has been known to find shortcuts, loopholes and escape routes in the laboratory experiments designed by the top scientific minds of our time. In Chinese culture, the rat is revered for its cunning and resourcefulness. And for good reason - the rat has successfully colonized every continent on Earth except for Antarctica. And if history is any indication, they'll be there too soon enough.

SOURCE :DISCOVERY CHANNEL

8 Perfect Summer Lake Towns

2010-07-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Nature hikes, canoe trips, pancake breakfasts—just another perfect summer day in one of America's best lake towns.

By Beth Collins

Don't leave Lake Chelan without taking a
ferry up the lake-the fjord-like gorges make
for stunning scenery, with the slopes of the
North Cascades dropping dramatically into
the deep-blue water.

Photo: Maurice King/Flickr

Chelan, Wash.

on Lake Chelan

Everywhere you look in Chelan, some ruddy-cheeked soul is kayaking, swimming, fishing, or windsurfing on the 50-mile-long glacier-fed lake. The Stillwater Inn, a butter-yellow 1906 house just a block from the beach, makes an ideal home base, thanks in part to the fortifying breakfasts of fresh-baked goods and fruit served each day. Two miles down the road, in downtown, the one-screen Ruby Theatre has been entertaining families since 1914, and these days it doubles as a community meeting place that hosts benefit concerts, dance recitals, and school plays. Don't leave without taking a ferry up the lake—the fjord-like gorges make for stunning scenery, with the slopes of the North Cascades dropping dramatically into the deep-blue water. Most ferries make a stop in Stehekin, population 95, where the local organic garden sells fresh vegetables, goat cheese, and yogurt for an off-the-beaten-path afternoon picnic.

The lighthouse in Grand Marais, Minn., on Lake Superior.

Photo: northernimages.com

Grand Marais, Minn.

on Lake Superior

Lake Superior begins at the edge of town, and the Boundary Waters—a series of connecting lakes that offer 1,500 miles of canoe routes—is just 25 miles southwest. Fishing for prime trout and salmon has improved in recent years owing to a massive restocking program. Before you set out for a day of activities on the lake, fuel up at World's Best Donuts. The name sounds like hyperbole until you taste the confections: The simple cake doughnut, with a dense, chewy inside and a golden, just-crisp-enough outside, is a thing of beauty. For dinner, head to the Angry Trout Cafe at sunset and ask for a table outside. The combination of simply prepared, freshly caught fish, a light evening breeze, and sunlight reflecting off the lake is enough to make you consider investing in a summer cabin. East Bay Suites has rooms with lake views, kitchenettes, and balconies.

Lake Dillon hosts the Dillon Open Regatta, the world's highest at more than 9,000 feet above sea level.

Photo: Courtesy of the Town of Dillon

Dillon, Colo.

on Lake Dillon

Lake adventures in this Summit County town—within 15 miles of ski-season hotspots Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper Mountain—start at the Dillon Marina, with weekend sailing regattas, boat rentals, and meet-ups for guided Saturday-morning hikes and kid-friendly wildflower walks. From the marina, head two blocks to downtown for the Friday farmers market, where more than 90 vendors sell fresh produce and folk-rock musicians entertain the crowd. For some good old-fashioned fun, spend an afternoon at 18-lane Lakeside Bowl, the only bowling alley in the county. The rooms at the Best Western Ptarmigan Lodge are nothing to write home about, but the lakeside location just a block from the marina is hard to beat. Rooms with decks and lake views are available

Hagg Lake, an easy nine miles away from quirky Forest Grove, offers sports like waterskiing and kayaking.

Photo: Courtesy of Travel Portland

Forest Grove, Ore.

near Hagg Lake

Just 25 miles west of Portland, Forest Grove is quintessential Oregon: laid-back and outdoorsy with a healthy dose of quirk. The historic downtown is lined with old-fashioned ironwork street lamps, sophisticated wine bars, and boutique gift shops. Institutions like Joe's Ice Cream & Deli will take you back to an America you thought was long gone—get the black-licorice ice cream, a townie favorite. The 1,100-acre Hagg Lake is an easy nine miles away and sits at the base of Oregon's coastal mountain range, surrounded by picnic areas, two boat launches, and 15 miles of hiking trails. Serious fishermen appreciate that the lake is well-stocked with rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and yellow perch, and waterskiing and kayaking opportunities are easy to find, too. The area's most unique lodging option comes from the McMenamin brothers, famous in the Northwest for converting old buildings into hotels and bars. In 2000, they restored a late 20th-century Masonic home and opened McMenamins Grand Lodge, a 77-room hotel. On rainy days, hang out at the lodge and watch a second-run movie at the Compass Room Theater with a burger and fries; there's also a heated outdoor saltwater soaking pool for post-waterskiing recuperation.

Near Maine's Rangeley Lakes region, rest your head at North Country Inn Bed & Breakfast.

Photo: Courtesy North Country B&B

Rangeley, Maine

on Rangeley Lakes

Maine is home to more undeveloped land than any other state in the country, so keep an eye peeled for herons, eagles, and, of course, moose—maybe while sailing Rangeley Lake on a guided boat tour led by Sam-O-Set Four Seasons and Dockside Sports Center. The company can also set you up with anything from a basic canoe to a 20-foot speedboat. Back in town, browse the quilt and antiques shops downtown, like Threads Galore, a quilter's paradise with close to 1,000 bolts of fabric, plus classes where you can meet locals. Then head south about five miles to Edelheid Road, where you'll find the Maine Mountain Maple plantation. Take a tour of the sugar shack, where locally tapped sticky sap is made into sugary syrup, and one free taste later, you'll never buy the generic stuff again. Rest your head at North Country Inn Bed & Breakfast. It's a bit like visiting your favorite great-aunt—if she served you quiche or pancakes topped with fresh fruit every morning.

Leland's roots as a fishing village aren't hard to spot-the main attraction here is Fishtown, a cluster of old shanties converted into shops and restaurants and now a lakeside historic district.

Photo: rkramer62/Flickr)

Leland, Mich.

on Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau

Leland rests on a peninsula between Lake Michigan and petite Lake Leelanau. Families who've been spending the summer here for generations often arrive by boat and never set foot in a car during their stay. The town's roots as a fishing village aren't hard to spot—the main attraction here is Fishtown, a cluster of old shanties converted into shops and restaurants, now a lakeside historic district. Locals love the pretzel-bread sandwiches at the Village Cheese Shanty, and kids never let parents walk by the Dam Candy Store without stopping for an ice cream cone or chocolate-covered cherries. The 107-year-old Riverside Inn and Restaurant, one block from downtown, has a homey feel but is classy enough to offer an extensive international wine list and dining on the deck with views of the Leland River. If you do bring a car, make time to explore the wineries of northern Michigan. The pinot noir from Chateau Fontaine, just three miles outside Leland, has a vibrant berry flavor—it's the perfect summer wine.

Rainbow Bridge overlooking Donner Lake, on California's Old Highway 40.

Photo: Courtesy iStock/Switchback PR

Truckee, Calif.

on Donner Lake

This year, skip Lake Tahoe and head 16 miles south to Donner Lake's warmer water temperatures and small-town atmosphere. Originally an Old West town (you can still visit the original 1875 jailhouse), Truckee is a great base for exploring the lake's many outdoor activities—lately, stand-up paddleboarding is the sport of choice. Truckee also has a growing local art scene—a slew of new galleries has opened recently, including Riverside Studios, which sells pottery, jewelry, and clothing made by a collective of area artists, and Carmel Gallery, home to Olof and Elizabeth Carmel's impressionistic prints and photographs. Whatever your plans, carb up first with the All Day Addiction, a concoction of hash browns, avocado, Canadian bacon, and two eggs, at 1940s-style diner Jax at the Tracks. Later, you can relive your adventures over a Base Camp Golden Ale at Fifty Fifty Brewing Co., where all the beers are brewed in-house, and watch the sun set over the water from the redwood deck at Loch Leven Lodge.

The marina at Deep Creek Lake rents everything from canoes to powerboats, plus kid-friendly toys like water trampolines.

Photo: Courtesy Garrett County Chamber of Commerce/Timothy Jacobsen

Oakland, Md.

on Deep Creek Lake

At the southern end of Deep Creek Lake, Oakland is home to Lakeside Creamery, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor dishing out 90 flavors to flocks of visitors. The peach ice cream, made from fresh local fruit and milk sourced from area dairy farms, is a perennial summer favorite. Right next door, Copper Kettle Popcorn sells the standard sweet-salty version and regional specialties like popcorn sprinkled with Old Bay, plus homemade fudge and chocolate-dipped pretzels. You can get to both by car, but it's more fun to arrive by water and pull up to the boat slips. Deep Creek Marina rents everything from canoes to powerboats, plus kid-friendly toys like water trampolines. If it's swimming you're after, try the mile of shoreline at Deep Creek Lake State Park. Naturalists often lead free nature hikes and evening campfire talks centered around the area's black bear population. Rest your head at the Lodges at Sunset Village, tucked deep in the woods about eight miles from Oakland. The cabins sleep four to 10 people and have working fireplaces, rustic

Forbes magazine top 40 richest man in the Philippinmes year 2010

2010-07-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

Forbes Magazine’s 40 Richest in the Philippines for 2010:

The Top 1 - top 10

1. Henry Sy US$5 billion

2. Lucio Tan $2.1 billion

3. John Gokongwei Jr. $1.5 billion

4. Jaime Zobel de Ayala $1.4 billion

5. Andrew Tan $1.2 billion

6. Tony Tan Caktiong $980 million

7. Enrique Razon Jr. $975 million

8. Beatrice Campos $840 million

9. George Ty $805 million

10. Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. $760 million

Top 11 - top 20

11. Inigo and Mercedes Zobel $ 730 million

12. David Consunji $715 million

13. Emilio T. Yap $665 million

14. Andrew Gotianun $500 million

15. Vivian Que Azcona $445 million

16. Oscar Lopez $420 million

17. Manuel Villar $380 million

18. Jon Ramon Aboitiz $360 million

19. Mariano Tan $330 million

20. Robert Coyuito, Jr. $310 million

Top 21 - 30

21. Roberto ONgpin $300 million

22. Alfonso Yuchengco $260 million

23. Betty Ang $165 million

24. Enrique Aboitiz $150 million

25. Gilberto Duavit $145 million

26. Mynardo Jimenez $143 million

27. Felipe Gozon $120 million

28. Alfredo Ramos $117 million

29. Manuel Zamora $116 million

30. Wilfred Uytengsu, Jr. $115 million

Top 31 - 40

31. Benjamin Romualdez $110 million

32. Wilfred King $100 million

33. Tomas Alcantara $99 million

34. Bienvenido Tantoco, Sr. $95 million

35. Frederick Dy $70 million

36. Eugenio Lopez III $68 million

37. Lourdes Montinola $65 million

38. Luis Virata $57 million

39. Jesus Tambunting $55 million

40. Philip Ang $50 million

6 Easy Slim-Down Strategies

2010-02-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

Losing weight is about a series of small steps--one less dessert here, an extra 10 minutes on the elliptical there--plus smart lifestyle moves that continually inch you closer to your goals. But like any change, try to do everything at once and you could wind up feeling deprived and deflated (and not in the good way). So instead of vowing to cut calories AND exercise 7 days a week AND forsake ice cream and pizza for the rest of your life, start out with a few of these research-proven tricks that can help you drop pounds. Once you've mastered one, add in another; before you know it you'll see results on the scale--no drastic changes required.

1) Weigh yourself daily

Why It Works: Weekly weigh-ins are a staple of many popular weight loss programs, but some studies show that daily weighing can be key to lasting weight loss. When researchers at the University of Minnesota monitored the scale habits of 1,800 dieting adults, they found that those who stepped on every day lost an average of 12 pounds over 2 years (weekly scale watchers lost only 6) and were less likely to regain lost weight. Step on the scale first thing every morning, when you weigh the least. Expect small day-to-day fluctuations because of bloating or dehydration, but if your weight creeps up by 2% (that's just 3 pounds if you weigh 150), it's time to skip dessert.

2) Keep TV viewing under 2 hours a day

Why It Works: TV junkies miss out on calorie-burning activities like backyard tag with the kids; instead, they become sitting ducks for junk-food ads. One study found that adults who watch more than 2 hours of TV per day take in 7% more calories and consume more sugary snacks than those who watch less than an hour a day. Wean yourself off the tube by introducing other activities into your life. Eliminate the temptation to watch between-show filler by recording your must-see programs so you can fast-forward through the ads. Or subscribe to a mail-order DVD service like Netflix, and make a movie the only thing you watch all day.

3) Eat 4 g of fiber at every meal

Why It Works: A high-fiber diet can lower your caloric intake without making you feel deprived. In a Tufts University study, women who ate 13 g of fiber or less per day were five times as likely to be overweight as those who ate more fiber. Experts see a number of mechanisms through which fiber promotes weight loss: It may slow down eating because it requires more chewing, speed the passage of food through the digestive tract, and boost satiety hormones. To get 25 g of fiber a day, make sure you eat six meals or snacks, each of which contains about 4 g of fiber. For to-go snacks, buy a piece of fruit; it's handier than vegetables, so it's an easy way to up your fiber intake. One large apple has just as much fiber (5 g) as a cup of raw broccoli.

4) Sleep at least 7 hours a night

Why It Works: A University of Chicago study found that people deprived of Zzzs had lower levels of the hormones that control appetite. "The research suggested that short sleep durations could be a risk factor for obesity," says James Gangwisch, Ph.D., an epidemiologist from Columbia University Medical Center. Sure enough, his follow-up study of 9,588 Americans found that women who slept 4 hours or less per night were 234% more likely to be obese. The key number for most people is 7 hours or more a night, he says, so set an early bedtime and stick to it.

5) Drink 8 glasses of water per day

Why It Works: Water is not just a thirst quencher--it may also speed the body's metabolism. Researchers in Germany found that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increased their subjects' metabolic rate by 30%, and the effect persisted for 90 minutes. One-third of the boost came from the body's efforts to warm the water, but the rest was due to the work the body did to absorb it. "When drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used, unlike when drinking sodas, where additional calories are ingested and possibly stored," explains the lead researcher, Michael Boschmann, M.D., of University Medicine Berlin. Increasing water consumption to 8 glasses per day may help you lose about 8 pounds in a year, he says, so try drinking a glass before meals and snacks and before consuming sweetened drinks or juices.

6) Stick to an 8-hour workday

Why It Works: A University of Helsinki study of 7,000 adults found that those who'd packed on pounds in the previous year were more likely to have logged overtime hours. Lack of time for diet and exercise is most likely the cause, but it's also possible that work stress has a direct effect on weight gain through changes in hormones like cortisol. Set firm limits on your workday so that when you're done, you still have the oomph to take a bike ride and cook a healthy dinner. To help you stay productive enough to finish on time, set an hourly alarm; when it goes off, deal with your most pressing duties.

Sleep Problem

2010-01-25T22:12:00.001-08:00

Tired? You're not alone. About 20 percent of Americans get fewer than six hours of shut-eye nightly, and a growing number have to rely on sleep aids to fall asleep or stay that way, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Is getting more (and better) sleep possible without the help of drugs? To find out, we asked three Woman's Day staffers to share their nighttime troubles with the experts. Here's what they learned.

Problem #1: "I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep." -Marilu Lopez, group creative director

Marilu wakes up almost every night between 3:30 and 4 a.m. and is unable to fall back to sleep. To pass the time and try to make herself sleepy again, she reads The New York Times on her BlackBerry. She eventually falls back to sleep but then wakes up early in the morning and feels exhausted all day.

Advice: Step one is to break the BlackBerry habit, says Joyce Walsleben, RN, PhD, diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and coauthor of A Woman's Guide to Sleep. The problem is twofold: Not only is reading news articles too stimulating, but the light from the BlackBerry itself can get in the way of the production of hormones that are essential for sleep.

Dr. Walsleben's top tips:

Ban the BlackBerry from the bedroom. Also cover (or remove) clocks so that you're not disturbed by the light from them or tempted to stare at the numbers.
Stay in bed. If you wake up, keep your eyes closed and practice relaxation exercises that will hopefully lull you back to sleep. One to try: Picture yourself outdoors on a beautiful day with a jar of soap and a wand. Imagine that you're slowly blowing bubbles, and follow each one until it's out of sight. Keep blowing bubbles until there's no more soap in the jar.
Relax during the day, too. Take at least three minutes to practice the bubble exercise (or another relaxation technique, such as deep breathing) so that you're not overwhelmed by the worries of the day as soon as your head hits the pillow.

Did it work? "The bubble imagery didn't work for me--I found the concept more annoying than relaxing," says Marilu. "But I have fallen back to sleep a few times by just staying in bed and telling myself, ‘Do not open your eyes. Do not turn on the BlackBerry.'"

Problem #2: "I only get four to five hours of sleep a night." -Abigail L. Cuffey, assistant health editor

Abby's friends call her a vampire because she's such a night owl. She tends to get a second wind around 11:30 p.m. and ends up staying awake until at least 2 a.m. But she also wakes up early in the morning, so the bottom line is she's not getting very much rest. She relies on lots of caffeine to keep her going through the day. On the weekends Abby stays up even later but sleeps in later as well.

Advice: Too much caffeine and inconsistencies between Abby's workweek and weekend sleep schedules are preventing her from getting enough rest, says Michael J. Breus, PhD, a clinical psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist. If she's serious about improving her sleep habits, she needs to ease off the caffeine and stick to a regular schedule.

Dr. Breus' top tips:

Start "caffeine fading." There's no need to abandon coffee entirely--plus, going cold turkey can cause bad headaches. A better idea is to drink most of your caffeinated beverages early in the morning and taper off as the day goes on. If you're currently used to five or six cups of coffee a day, try having one or two cups of drip coffee in the morning, a latte (which has a higher milk-to-coffee ratio) or half-caf coffee midday, and a tea or cola in the afternoon if you're still craving caffeine. But after 4 p.m., no more caffeine!
Set your alarm clock or cell phone to go off 30 minutes before bedtime as a reminder to stop what you're doing and get ready for bed.
Take a hot bath or shower right before bed. This should make you sleepy because your temperature will rise and then dip--and body temperature naturally drops when you get sleepy.
Go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time on weekdays and weekends. (A shift of about an hour is OK.)

Did it work? "The advice was good but hard to stick to because life--the holidays, my birthday, etc.--got in the way," says Abby. "But when I did follow it, it worked really well, especially the hot shower at night. Whenever I took one I felt almost tranquilized once I crawled into bed."

Problem #3: "I have night sweats--but I'm only in my 20s!" -Ayn-Monique Klahre, associate home design editor

During the workweek, Ayn-Monique usually goes to bed around 10:30 p.m., but her husband often reads in the bedroom, so the light disturbs her about 30 minutes later. Once she's awakened, she tosses and turns but eventually falls back to sleep--only to be awakened around 3:30 a.m. feeling cold but scrunched into a little ball and sweating. She's exhausted when her alarm goes off in the morning and often hits the snooze button repeatedly. On the weekends she tends to stay out much later and sleeps soundly once she's finally in bed.

Advice: A medical issue could be responsible for Ayn-Monique's sleep troubles, but Dr. Walsleben suspects that her sleep cycle is simply out of whack because she goes to bed so much later on the weekends than she does during the week and because she's going to bed during the week while her husband is still reading.

Dr. Walsleben's top tips:

Normalize your weekday and weekend sleep routines as much as possible. That might mean going to bed slightly later during the week than you are now, as well as turning in a bit earlier on Friday and Saturday. The goal is to bridge the gap.
Embrace the darkness. Even if you fall asleep with the light on, it probably won't be quality sleep--and it's all too easy to be woken up. If your husband insists on reading in the bedroom after your bedtime, ask him to use a book light or wear an eye mask yourself.
Talk to your doctor. If you practice these lifestyle changes for a few weeks and you're not sleeping any better--and still waking up sweating--see your primary care doctor to make sure an unknown medical problem isn't to blame.

Did it work? "Staying up a little later during the week helped me sleep more soundly, and I've used an eye mask when my husband is reading in bed," says Ayn-Monique. "But I still woke up sweaty on occasion, so I'm not sure this issue has been fully addressed. I'll mention it to my doctor at my next physical just to make sure nothing else is going on."

Dating Deal Breakers: When It's Time to Get Out

2010-01-23T19:01:00.002-08:00

Getty Images

As an eligible single woman, it's only natural to be looking for that significant other who will sweep you off your perfectly pedicured, Louboutin-clad feet. You go out with the girls in hopes of catching the eye of your future Prince Charming and securing that fairytale ending, but sometimes dating trials run amuck, leaving you with an experience that you wish you could have skipped out on.

Dating can be fun, but oftentimes we have to weed out the freaks before we find the ones worth our time. Some guys have idiosyncrasies that are just too much to handle, but what are the real red flags that should send you running in the completely opposite direction? Here are some deal breakers that we think warrant an instant end to the relationship. These guys mean trouble:

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The Cheater
This guy plans dates with multiple girls at a time even when you've been seeing each other for a couple of weeks at minimum. He claims he's keeping his options open, but what that really means is that he has commitment issues and that he's somewhat of a player. This guy definitely is not ready to be in a monogamous relationship, so get out before you get hurt. Keep your eyes peeled for his constant checking of text messages and any smirks that may cross his face while he responds.

The Liar
Like the cheater, this guy won't be straight up with you. He'll ignore certain topics you bring up and will try to immediately change the subject. If he can't look you in the eyes when you ask him what he did that day, then there's a problem. This should send you running in the opposite direction before he ends up lying about something much more serious than his daily routine. Obviously this guy has major skeletons in his closet, and you won't want to stick around long enough to find out what they might be.

The Guy that Needs Anger Management
This guy will seem perfect and charming at first, but the more time you spend with him, the more you'll notice all the little things that make him tick... He'll talk to you about how upset he got over something a normal person would shrug off without a second thought. Once he gets comfortable with you, beware. The snapping will most likely get directed at you. Warning: this guy will probably need to punch something (like a wall) to relieve his anger. So get out, because he's bound to turn into an angry, manipulative, control freak in time.

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Inappropriate Commentary
This guy's mom never taught him how to properly respect a woman. He probably views you as an object and worships music artists who make a living out of lyrics that oftentimes degrade women. He's the guy that will talk about your rear end beyond the point of sexiness, or he'll comment about other women's assets in front of you. Not okay. Don't get caught up with this type of guy -- he'll only make you feel bad about yourself in the end, and that's a definite deal-breaker.

The Cheapskate
A cheapskate is cheap. He'll take you to dive bars and pinch pennies even if he's not on a budget. Eventually he'll be asking you to foot the bill or join forces when the check comes. Offering to help out with costly dating expenses is only fair when you're in a serious relationship, but if he requests that you foot the bill on the first date, then politely move on.

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Poor Hygiene
Chronic bad breath, disgusting body odor, and poor sartorial choices all fall under the category of poor hygiene, which is just plain gross -- and definitely a deal-breaker. Pass on these guys, unless you have a strange fetish for uber-grungy types. You may think you can persuade him to clean up his act, but we never recommend entering a relationship in which you're already scheming to change your man's ways.

The Tease
This guy is just full of empty promises. He'll have a slew of great ideas that just don't come to pass, leaving you high and dry. Don't let him pull you into his negative ways with zero follow-through. It will only turn you into a pessimist, and who wants to be around one of those?

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The Mama's Boy
The definition of a mama's boy is a guy with no shame who still lives at home. He'll probably introduce you to his parents right off the bat and tell you that he's still dependent because he's saving up for his so-called "bright future." In our poor economy, we'll give younger twentysomething dudes a break in this case, but let's face it -- if this guy is almost 30, and still shacking up with mom and dad -- DEAL-BREAKER.

The Guy with Weird Friends
This guy takes a while to introduce you to his friends, but once he does, you automatically know why: they're freaks. This should make you wonder about his true character and whether or not you'd be willing to spend a large chunk of your time with these dudes. We think this is your exit cue.

The Napoleon Syndrome
This is the short man with the big mouth who feels the need to be outspoken in order to make up for his vertical challenge. He'll most likely end up embarrassing himself (and you) when you're out in public because of his need for attention. Plus, we'd never want to date a guy who has serious underlying issues with insecurity. Confidence is the ultimate form of sexiness.

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Top 5 Most Expensive Small Towns

2010-01-23T19:01:00.001-08:00

1. Sagaponack, N.Y.

2. Jupiter Island, Fla.

3. Hunts Point, Wash.

4. Los Altos Hills, Calif.

5. Fairbanks Ranch, Calif.

Click here to see the full list of the 50 Most Expensive Small Towns in America.

China teen seen as hero for killing local official

2010-01-21T20:47:00.001-08:00

BEIJING – When Li Shiming was stabbed through the heart by a hired assassin, few of his fellow villagers mourned the local Communist Party official many say made their lives hell by seizing land, extorting money and bullying people for years.
Instead, villagers in the northern town of Xiashuixi have made Li's teenage killer something of a local hero. More than 20,000 people from the coal-mining area petitioned a court for a lenient sentence.
"I didn't feel surprised at all when I heard Li Shiming was killed, because people wanted to kill him a long time ago," said villager Xin Xiaomei, who says her husband was harassed for years by Li after the two men had a personal dispute. "I wanted to kill Li myself, but I was too weak."
The murder trial has again cast a harsh light on abuses of power by communist cadres and the frustration many ordinary Chinese feel with a one-party system that sometimes allows officials to run their districts like personal fiefdoms.

By GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press Writer Gillian Wong, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 21, 10:07 am ET

15 most popular NBA Player

2010-01-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has retained the No. 1 spot on the NBA's most popular jerseys list, a ranking he has held since the start of the '08-09 season. The rankings are based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the '09-10 season.
Kobe is on top (don't say it!), LeBron James'(notes) Cavs' thread is second, Magic man Dwight Howard (notes) is third, and checking in at number four, ahead of superstar Dwyane Wade (notes), is Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (notes).
The biggest surprise, of course, is Rose, who climbed seven spots from his No. 11 ranking last year.
Matt Watson of NBA FanHouse wonders if Rose's jump can be credited to his virgin playoff performance; "the Bulls aren't even as good as they were last year, but fans likely remember how Rose helped force the Celtics to an epic seven-game, seven-overtime series."
I'm sure there's some truth to that, but I have a much simpler explanation: the Bulls' jerseys just look good. In fact, I'd argue that if Hornets guard Chris Paul (notes) played in Chicago's stylin' red-and-black — instead of this nightmare — he'd probably be top five material, too. The actual design of the jersey must play some small part. This is fashion, after all.
Here's a look at the

Top 15:

1. Kobe Bryant (notes), Lakers

2. LeBron James, Cavaliers

3. Dwight Howard, Magic

4. Derrick Rose, Bulls

5. Dwyane Wade, Heat

6. Kevin Garnett (notes), Celtics

7. Chris Paul, Hornets

8. Paul Pierce (notes), Celtics

9. Shaquille O'Neal (notes), Cavaliers

10. Pau Gasol (notes), Lakers

11. Carmelo Anthony (notes), Nuggets

12. Steve Nash (notes), Suns

13. David Lee (notes), Knicks

14. Allen Iverson (notes), 76ers

15. Kevin Durant (notes), Thunder

Egypt announces find of ancient cat goddess temple

2010-01-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

Watch slide Show

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press Writer – 11 mins ago

CAIRO – Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old temple that may have been dedicated to the ancient Egyptian cat goddess, Bastet, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said Tuesday. The ruins of the Ptolemaic-era temple were discovered by Egyptian archaeologists in the heart of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C.

The city was the seat of the Greek-speaking Ptolemaic Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt for 300 years until the suicide of Queen Cleopatra.

The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century B.C.

Mohammed Abdel-Maqsood, the Egyptian archaeologist who led the excavation team, said the discovery may be the first trace of the long-sought location of Alexandria's royal quarter.

The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, suggested that this may be the first Ptolemaic-era temple dedicated to the cat goddess to be discovered in Alexandria.

This would indicate that the worship of the ancient Egyptian cat-goddess continued during the later, Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said.

Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities were also found in the ruins, he added.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist, said the temple may have been used in later times as a quarry as evidenced by the large number of missing stone blocks.

Modern Alexandria was built squarely on top of the ruins of the classical-era city and many of its great temples, palaces and libraries remain undiscovered.

The temple was found in the Kom el-Dekkah neighborhood near the city's main train station and home to a Roman-era amphitheater and well preserved mosaics.

Best And Worst Car ever in the World 2010 reports

2010-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

Overall Brand Perception

Best		Worst
Brand	Score	Brand	Score
Toyota	196	Hummer	11
Ford	141	Saab	13
Honda	135	Mercury	13
Chevrolet	124	Mazda	13
Volvo	92	Suzuki	19
Mercedes-Benz	92	Infiniti	19
BMW	90	Jeep	22
Cadillac	87	Lincoln	26
Subaru	81	Kia	27
Lexus	80	Mitsubishi	28

As we analyzed the results from this year's survey, we have found that marketing and news coverage can be important influences, shaping brand perception over time. Conversely, the brands that can clearly deliver on core purchase factors will make lasting impressions.

In contrast to brands that have a strong image in only one area, such as Volvo with safety, the brands that see the greatest success are those that excel in multiple areas, such as Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet.

For consumers, it's important to remember that brand perception often reflects distortions of reality, as is discussed in the following sections. It pays to look beyond your impressions and do your homework, especially in the areas that are most important to you.

ConsumerReports.org has a variety of tools that can help you to quickly and efficiently narrow down a wish list, based on real-world test results, reliability data, owner costs, and other ratings. In addition, we have recently expanded our premium offerings to include Cars Best Deals Plus, which provides the Bottom Line Price to help you get the best deal, full test-track reports from our engineers, and detailed reliability findings, so you can see what types of specific problems owners are experiencing.

Top 10 Hottest Celebrities of the year 2009

2010-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: Say what you want about the Jennifer Aniston break up, the old relationship to Billy Bob and the nonstop baby business, but Angelina Jolie, 32, and Brad Pitt, 44, are still gorgeous after all these years. What’s the best feature we think they have in common: their lips. And all that goodwill and humanitarian work too, of course.
Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith: The Smiths have been married since New Year’s Eve in 1997, and are often considered to be a solid Hollywood couple. They both acknowledge that it takes a lot of hard work to have a successful marriage, and that they can be attracted to other people. Will has been ranked as one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive, and Jada is certainly one of our picks for most beautiful women.
Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry: Hardest question ever: who is more beautiful, Halle Berry or Gabriel Aubry? After a string of bad and abusive relationships, Halle Berry has finally been dating someone worth her time. Gabriel Aubry has been with the Oscar-winning actress since early 2006, and in March 2008, the couple welcomed their baby daughter, Nahla. Halle and Gabriel are a more low-key Hollywood couple, despite Halle’s position as a former beauty queen, an Academy Award winner, and one of the most beautiful women in the world. We just can’t wait to see what baby Nahla looks like with parents like these.
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias: This couple combines the best of Russian and Spanish genetics to make everyone else in the world extremely jealous. Kournikova and Iglesias have been together since 2002, and not much has changed since then. Anna’s still got that beautiful blonde hair, Enrique still makes women around the world scream with his lean physique and pretty boy face. But will they ever get married? People reports that Anna says she will never get married, despite Enrique’s proposals.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady: When Victoria’s Secret supermodel started dating Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in late 2006, everyone started speculating about the scandal surrounding his new love just after breaking up with his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan. But all scandals aside, who can deny the beauty of Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian supermodel and arguably sexiest woman alive, and the all-American features of Tom Brady? It seems like Gisele has even started sharing model tips with her boyfriend, since Tom recently snagged a Stetson campaign.
Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom: Miranda Kerr is a successful runway model and Victoria’s Secret Angel. The young Australian, 25, is known for her bright blue-ish green eyes, dark hair, dimples, and cheery smile. Now, though, she is getting even more attention for her relationship with Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Carribean star Orlando Bloom, whose brooding dark looks mask his supposedly "sweetheart" charms.
Bar Refaeli and Leonardo DiCaprio: On-again, off-again couple Leonardo DiCaprio and Israeli model Bar Refaeli actually look kind of similar, when Leo’s clean shaven and has ditched his baseball cap. They both have sandy colored hair, thin but beautiful lips, and piercing, hooded green eyes. Bar evidently doesn’t believe in marriage, so we’ll just have to see how long Leo can hold on.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher: When Demi and Ashton got together, all anyone wanted to talk about was the age difference, and how cool it was that Demi got to snag herself a young, hot stud. But we just couldn’t stop trying to figure out who was more beautiful: Eyes: Ashton ties with Demi; Hair: Ashton ties with Demi: Body: Ashton ties with Demi; Jaw line: Ashton and Demi. It’s no wonder they’re so perfect for each other!
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem: We all thought that Javier Bardem was weirdly hot with that mushroom hairstyle in No Country for Old Men and as Brother Lorenzo in Goya’s Ghosts. But we have to thank Penelope Cruz for bringing her new man out to the beaches so we could get a real look at what was underneath those costumes. And what do we have to say about Penelope? Only that she’s probably the most stunningly gorgeous creature on the planet. Ever.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren: Jessica Alba has been ranked as the Sexiest Woman Alive by FHM and has been on the cover of numerous magazines like Playboy, Elle and others. Alba is of Mexican, French and Danish descent and makes men drool with her sexy pout, beautiful brown eyes and smooth skin. Her fiance, Cash Warren, also has seriously beautiful eyes and an adorable smile, so we know that their new baby, expected in the spring or summer of 2008, is going to be gorgeous as well.

"World's least known bird" found breeding in Afghanistan

2010-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Researchers have found in Afghanistan the first known breeding area of the large-billed reed warbler, which was dubbed in 2007 as "the world's least known bird species."
Researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Sweden's Gothenburg University said they had found the breeding area in the remote and rugged Wakhan Corridor of north-eastern Afghanistan that has escaped the worst effects of war.
They used field observations, museum specimens, DNA sequencing, and the first known audio recording of the species to find the birds and verified the discovery by capturing and releasing almost 20 birds, the largest number ever recorded.
A preliminary paper on the finding appears in BirdingASIA, describing the discovery in Afghanistan as "a watershed moment" in the study of this bird.
The first specimen of the large-billed reed warbler was discovered in India in 1867 but the second find was not until 2006 in Thailand.
"Practically nothing is known about this species, so this discovery of the breeding area represents a flood of new information on the large-billed reed warbler," said Colin Poole of WCS's Asia Program, in a statement.
"This new knowledge of the bird also indicates that the Wakhan Corridor still holds biological secrets and is critically important for future conservation efforts in Afghanistan."
The find came after Robert Timmins from the WCS was conducting a survey of bird communities in the area.
The Wakhan Corridor has escaped the worst effects of the long years of war suffered elsewhere in Afghanistan since the December 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. The corridor, populated primarily by Wakhi farmers and yurt-dwelling Kyrghyz herders, is also home to snow leopards and wild Marco Polo sheep.
Timmins heard a distinctive song coming from a small, olive-brown bird with a long bill which he taped and later discovered to be a large-billed reed warbler.
The following summer WCS researchers returned to the same area and used a recording of the song to bring out others and catch almost 20 birds for examination.
The WCS said it is currently the only organization conducting scientific conservation studies in Afghanistan, the first such efforts in over 30 years, and it has contributed to a number of conservation initiatives in tandem with the Afghan government.
It helped produce Afghanistan's first list of protected species, an action that has led to a ban on hunting snow leopards, wolves, brown bears, and other species.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Domino's changed its pizza recipe. Here's what we think?

2010-01-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

Big news in pizzaland: Domino's announced that it had a new core pizza recipe. The crust now has a garlic-herb seasoning; the sauce is supposed to be sweeter and bolder; and the cheese, well, the company is promising "shredded cheese made with 100% real mozzarella and flavored with just a hint of provolone," which makes you wonder what they were using before. They released a video on the making of the new Domino's pizza and even Stephen Colbert was impressed they finally changed the old gross recipe.

How does the new Domino's pizza taste? Is it better? Is it good? Slice tried it (hoping it would at least be a step up from their oven baked Philly cheesesteak sandwich.)

Answer: The New Domino's Pizza Recipe Is Better

The thing that gave me pause the most when I read the Domino's press release was the bit about the sauce: "Sweeter, bolder tomato sauce with a medley of herbs and a red pepper kick."

To my taste, the old Domino's sauce was already too sweet. Making it any sweeter would push it into the realm of Papa John's, which I think has the sweetest sauce of the major chains. This was a big mistake on Domino's part, I thought.

But somehow, the "bolder" part and the "medley of herbs" and "red pepper kick" seem to balance out any additional sweetness. If anything, the sauce seems less sweet than before—maybe it's just more balanced now.

The "red pepper kick" is pleasant and probably just where it needs to be to appeal to a mainstream audience. It's not too spicy but still provides a gentle heat that lingers a bit after you've finished a slice.

Good job on the sauce, Domino's.

The Crust

When I read the press release on the crust ("garlic seasoned crust with parsley baked to a golden brown"), I mistakenly assumed the garlic and seasonings would be baked into it.

When the pies I ordered yesterday afternoon arrived, I thought I had the old recipe in my hands. Despite assurances from my local Domino's on the phone and from the delivery guy, I didn't see herbs in the crust. And the bread base looked much the same as the Domino's I remembered.

But there it was, a slight garlicky flavor. Was I imagining things, experiencing a placebo effect of flavor? I was confused. Instead of rushing out a post on Slice, I contacted Domino's representatives and double-checked whether my nearby Domino's was indeed serving the new-recipe pizza.

And then, I ordered it again today just to be sure. This time getting a half-and-half pizza: hand-tossed crust with one half sauce and cheese and the other just sauce. You know, to better taste the red stuff.

On inspection this morning, I realized that the garlic-herb seasoning is visually subtle. It could be mistaken for an overspray of Parmesan, which I'm used to from the mom-and-pop pizzerias I usually frequent. But if you look, there it is. Instead of impregnating the crust, the garlic-herb seasoning blend is applied to the rim of the pizza.

It's almost like the end crust, or cornicione, has now become a sort of complimentary built-in order of lightly seasoned breadsticks. If you were previously inclined to leave the end crusts as "pizza bones," maybe you should now order an extra cup of marinara sauce (50¢) and dunk 'em.

As far as "baked to a golden brown," so what? It was baked to a golden brown before. In my opinion, there's no noticeable difference in crust texture or doneness.

In fact, the only thing different with the crust seems to be the addition of the seasoning. I'd imagine that those of you who don't like it could ask that they not apply it.

As for the cheese, I have no idea how it's different. Domino's can talk about the "hint of provolone," but it's difficult to discern as the dough and sauce overpower any subtlety you'd hope to pick up in the cheese.

source: Yahoo

The Highest earning Celebrities of the Year

2010-01-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Jay-Z and Beyonce earned a combined $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009. (WireImage)Forbes

LOS ANGELES -- The indisputable king and queen of the hip-hop prom are Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles. The couple, who quietly married in 2008, not only produce and sing some of the biggest hits on the charts (including "Single Ladies" and "Empire State of Mind") but they oversee clothing lines, perform around the world, and endorse products from companies like American Express and Budweiser.

All that hard work has paid off. Between June 2008 and June 2009 the couple earned a combined $122 million putting them squarely at the top of our annual Top-Earning Couples list.

In Pictures: See the Full List Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples

Our list includes actors, musicians, and professional athletes. We talked to agents, managers, producers, and lawyers to determine what celebrities earned from staring in movies, touring, selling albums, playing professional sports, creating lines of clothing and perfumes, and appearing in ads.

Jay-Z and Beyonce both contribute significantly to their joint earnings. Last year Beyonce out-earned Jay-Z, bringing in $87 million to his $35 million. (The couple also topped last year's list with $162 million. About half of that came from each star.)

For the couple in second place on our list, it's more about his big payday. Harrison Ford and his girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, earned a combined $69 million, $53 million less than Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Almost all of that came from Fords work in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Ford and producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made a unique deal with Paramount on the movie that gave them a significant portion of the film's earnings after the studio broke even. As a result Ford eared a jaw-dropping $65 million for putting back on Indy's trademark fedora. Flockhart earns for her work on the TV show "Brothers & Sisters."

In third place: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The power couple earned a total of $55 million split about evenly between them both. Pitt had one of the biggest hits of his career last year with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Jolie has embraced her inner action hero with 2008's "Wanted" and the upcoming film "Salt."

Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, rank fourth with $48 million. Smith is perhaps the last of the great movie stars. Even in recessionary times he still can demand a $20 million paycheck. Pinkett Smith has a burgeoning career of her own. She voices Gloria the hippo in the popular "Madagascar" films and last year produced "The Secret Life of Bees."

The Smiths would earn even more if we were including whole families. Their daughter, Willow, appeared in "I Am Legend" with her dad and did voice work with her mom on "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." Jaden Smith co-starred with his father in "The Pursuit of Happyness" and will star in the upcoming remake of "The Karate Kid."

Rounding out the top five are David and Victoria Beckham. The pair earned $46 million between June 2008 and June 2009. The vast majority of that comes from David Beckham, who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also playing for A.C. Milan and could appear in his fourth World Cup this summer.

Reporting by Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes.com

8 healthy and delicious Food

2010-01-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

If you are looking to drop a few pounds, but don't like to diet, you're going to love what I'm about to tell you: By focusing on eating more of certain weight-loss superfoods, rather than obsessing about which nibbles are off-limits, you can reach your weight loss goal without feeling an ounce of deprivation or pang of hunger.
Pile these winners on your plate and watch the numbers on the scale plummet!

1) PastaPractice that fork twirl! Turns out you can enjoy spaghetti, rigatoni and all the rest, and still drop pounds—as long as you opt for a 100-percent-whole-wheat version. Whole grains contain more fiber, so it takes a smaller serving to satisfy you than standard spaghetti would. Boil up a pot for a speedy supper—just stick to a 1-cup cooked serving topped with marinara and supplement with steamed veggies to keep a lid on calories. Check out these five recipes that'll help keep your noodles nutritious.

2) Fish Remember that corny joke about the "see food" diet? The vitamin D in fatty swimmers such as wild salmon may curb your appetite, according to research from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. Marinate your fave fillet in a mixture of lime juice, garlic and cumin; chill for 20 minutes, then grill for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, flipping once.

3) Veggies Putting a generous amount of low-calorie, high-fiber fruits and vegetables on your plate before adding a smaller portion of carbs fills you up without bulking you up. In fact, by eating at least 34 grams of fiber per day, you’ll absorb up to 6 percent fewer calories. Toss 1/4 cup navy beans on your salad (5 g), add a half cup of raspberries to your cereal (4 g), snack on an apple with the skin (3.3 g) or pair a baked sweet potato (3.8 g) with your dinner. Organic local produce often has more nutrients, so opt for pesticide-free when possible.

4) Fat Yes, you read that right! Despite its name, not all fat will make you fat. In fact, the healthy kind helps you feel full, so you'll eat less over the course of a day. It also aids your body's absorption of the vitamins in other things you eat. Add a bit of healthy fat to each meal and snack, such as almond butter on an apple and olive oil on your greens, to stay satisfied and head off cravings. Looks like we should start calling fat "slim!"

5) Flax Want to squeeze even more power from your sandwich? Choose bread that contains flax—these seeds have lignan, a phytoestrogen that may help you slim. Aim for a loaf that also has at least 3 g of fiber per 100 calories and is made from 100 percent whole grains (all the flour and all the grains should be whole). Four grams of fiber and fewer than 120 calories per slice, and is made from filling stone-ground wheat, says SELF contributing editor Janis Jibrin, R.D. Bored of the same old PB&J? Try one of these 6 souped-up sandwiches from top chefs.

6) Snacks Fueling up on a 150-calorie snack in between meals means you're less likely to vacuum up your lunch and dinner. Stash smart, shelf-stable nibbles such as nuts, dried fruit, energy bars and whole-grain crackers in your desk drawer, and make hummus, sliced veggies and string cheese permanent fixtures in your fridge—they're your edible insurance against overeating! Find more slim snacking tips in our guide.

7) Eggs Sunny-side up or over easy, an egg a day keeps the weight away! According to research, people who had eggs for breakfast ate fewer calories over the next 24 hours than those who scarfed predominantly carbs—yet they were more satisfied! Research shows you can have seven a week without raising your risk of heart disease. If you’re typically a bit, well, scrambled, in the morning, make a veggie frittata on Sunday and nuke a slice to eat each day during the week. Get cracking!

8) Spices Want to curb hunger while adding flavor? Grab a shaker! Seasonings like cayenne, turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary and sage offer major flavor for almost no fat and calories, making good-for-you foods as delicious as they are healthy. And research shows 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes on your pasta can help you eat fewer calories and fat at later meals. Make this spice and others a part of your life and you'l look hot, hot, hotter than ever!For easy tweaks that make a big difference, try the Jump Start Diet plan at Self.com and lose big—no calorie math required!

Meet Mikey, 8: U.S. Has Him on Watch List

2010-01-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Myth: The No-Fly list includes an 8-year-old boy.
Buster: No 8-year-old is on a T.S.A. watch list.
“Meet Mikey Hicks,” said Najlah Feanny Hicks, introducing her 8-year-old son, a New Jersey Cub Scout and frequent traveler who has seldom boarded a plane without a hassle because he shares the name of a suspicious person. “It’s not a myth.”
Michael Winston Hicks’s mother initially sensed trouble when he was a baby and she could not get a seat for him on their flight to Florida at an airport kiosk; airline officials explained that his name “was on the list,” she recalled.
The first time he was patted down, at Newark Liberty International Airport, Mikey was 2. He cried.
After years of long delays and waits for supervisors at every airport ticket counter, this year’s vacation to the Bahamas badly shook up the family. Mikey was frisked on the way there, then more aggressively on the way home.
“Up your arms, down your arms, up your crotch — someone is patting your 8-year-old down like he’s a criminal,” Mrs. Hicks recounted. “A terrorist can blow his underwear up and they don’t catch him. But my 8-year-old can’t walk through security without being frisked.”
It is true that Mikey is not on the federal government’s “no-fly” list, which includes about 2,500 people, less than 10 percent of them from the United States. But his name appears to be among some 13,500 on the larger “selectee” list, which sets off a high level of security screening.
At some point, someone named Michael Hicks made the Department of Homeland Security suspicious, and little Mikey is still paying the price. (His father, also named Michael Hicks, was stopped for the first time on the Bahamas trip.)
Both lists are maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are given to the Transportation Security Administration, which in turn sends them to the airlines.
A spokesman for the T.S.A., James Fotenos, said that as a rule, “there are no children on the no-fly or selectee lists,” but would not comment on Mikey’s situation specifically.
For every person on the lists, hundreds of others may get caught up simply because they share the same name; a quick scan through a national phone directory unearthed 1,600 Michael Hickses. Over the past three years, 81,793 frustrated travelers have formally asked that they be struck from the watch list through the Department of Homeland Security; more than 25,000 of their cases are still pending. Others have taken more drastic measures.
Mario Labbé, a frequent-flying Canadian record-company executive, started having problems at airports shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, with lengthy delays at checkpoints and mysterious questions about Japan. By 2005, he stopped flying to the United States from Canada, instead meeting American clients in France. Then a forced rerouting to Miami in 2008 led to six hours of questions.
“What’s the name of your mother? Your father? When were you last in Japan?” Mr. Labbé recalled being asked. “Always the same questions in different order. And sometimes, it’s quite aggressive, not funny at all.”
Fed up, in the summer of 2008, he changed his name to François Mario Labbé. The problem vanished.
Several Web sites, including the T.S.A.’s own blog, are rife with tales of misidentification and strategies for solving them. Some travelers purposely misspell their own names when buying tickets, apparently enough to fool the system. Even the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy once found himself on a list.
“We can’t just throw a bunch of names on these lists and call it security,” said Representative William J. Pascrell Jr., a New Jersey Democrat. “If we can’t get an 8-year-old off the list, the whole list becomes suspect.”
Mr. Fotenos, the T.S.A. spokesman, promised improvements in a few months, as the agency’s Secure Flight Program takes full effect. Under the new system, airlines will collect every passenger’s birth date and gender, along with their names. The T.S.A. will cross-check all that with the watch lists. Previously, the airlines cross-checked the lists themselves, using only the names.
Certainly, Mikey’s date of birth, less than a month before 9/11, should prevent him from being mistaken as a terrorist.
A third grader at a parochial school in Clifton, N.J., Mikey recites the drill like the world-weary traveler he is. Leave early for the airport, always with his passport. Try to get a boarding pass at the counter. This will send up a flag. The ticket agent, peering down at tiny bespectacled Mikey, will apologize or roll her eyes, and call for a supervisor. The supervisor, after a phone call — or, more likely, a series of phone calls — will ultimately finagle him onto the plane. But the Hickses are typically the last to select seats and the last to board, which means they sometimes can’t sit together.
Mrs. Hicks, a photojournalist who herself got Secret Service clearance to travel aboard Air Force II with then-Vice President Al Gore, anticipated additional chaos following the attempted underwear bombing. Before leaving for the Bahamas on Jan. 2, she reached out to Congressman Pascrell’s office, which then enlisted a T.S.A. agent to meet the family at the airport. Even this did not prevent Mikey from an extra pat-down.
On the way home last Friday, Mikey’s boarding pass showed four giant red S’s at the airport in Nassau. “Oh, random screening,” Mrs. Hicks said. Mikey asked his mother not to worry and said he would use his tae kwon do — he has a junior black belt — if needed. Mrs. Hicks said she wanted to take pictures of her son being frisked but was told it was against the rules.
Mikey, who would rather talk about BMX bikes and his athletic trophies than airport security, remains perplexed about the “list” and the hurdles he must clear. “Why do they think a kid is a terrorist?” Mikey asked his mother at one point during the interview.
Mrs. Hicks said the family was amused by the mistake at first. But that amusement quickly turned to annoyance and anger. It should not take seven years to correct the problem, Mrs. Hicks said. She applied for redress in December when she first heard about the Department of Homeland Security’s program.
“I understand the need for security,” she added. “But this is ridiculous. It’s quite clear that he is 8 years old, and while he may have terroristic tendencies at home, he does not have those on a plane.”

Top 10 Most Visited Beach in the World

2010-01-07T00:50:00.000-08:00

1. Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Copacabana is a borough located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach.

The district was originally called Sacopenapã until the mid-18th century. It was renamed after the construction of a chapel holding a replica of the Virgin of Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. It was incorporated into the city on July 6, 1892.

Copacabana begins at Princesa Isabel Avenue and ends at Posto Seis (lifeguard watchtower Six) near the Forte de Copacabana (Fort Copacabana). Beyond Copacabana, there is the small Arpoador beach, followed by the famous borough of Ipanema.

According to Riotur, the Tourism Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, there are 63 hotels and 10 hostels in Copacabana.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copacabana_(Rio_de_Janeiro)

2. Waikiki, Hawaii.

Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City & County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikiki and one of the best known beaches in the world.

The neighborhood extends from the Ala Wai Canal (a channel dug to drain former wetlands) on the west and north, to Diamond Head on the east. The name means spouting fresh water in Hawaiian for springs and streams that fed wetlands that once separated Waikiki from the interior. Waikiki has long been a place of relaxation. In particular, the area was a retreat for Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s.

Today the neighborhood and beach are considered the center of the tourist industry in Hawaii, with an abundance of both high-rise resort hotels (including the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Halekulani hotel, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, and the Sheraton Waikiki) and historic hotels dating back to the early 20th century (such as the Moana Surfrider Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel).

As seen in the picture, Waikiki Beach is noted for its magnificent view of Diamond Head. The frequently visited tourist beach, easily accessible by an alley next to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, is actually fairly short, with half of it marked off for surfers. For some distance into the ocean the water is quite shallow, although there are numerous rocks on the bottom, so waders should watch where they put their feet. As with most ocean beaches the waves can have some force, particularly on windy days.

The beach has had its problems with erosion, leading to the construction of groins and beach replenishment projects. For example, in the 1920s and 1930s sand was obtained from Manhattan Beach, California, and transported via ship and barges to Waikiki.

Since 2001, there have been free movies on the beach. Many tourists from around the world can view a movie on an outdoor 30 foot screen. This particular free movie event in Waikiki is called "Sunset on the Beach". Sunset on the Beach typically shows movies of no higher than a PG rating. Recently, they showed Enchanted.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waikiki

3. Cancun, Mexico.

Cancún is a coastal city in Mexico's easternmost state, Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula best known as the Mexican Caribbean or at the northern section of the Mayan Riviera; however Cancun does not share a similar climate or topography to the Mediterranean.

It is the municipal seat of Benito Juárez municipality and a world-renowned tourist resort. The city center is located on the mainland which connects over the Nichupté and Bojórquez lagoons to a narrow "7" shaped island where the modern beachfront hotels are located. The island of Isla Mujeres is a nearby island located off the coast and is accessible by boat from Puerto Juarez or Punta Sam.

The older section of the city, known as "El Centro" follows the original master plan, consists of neighborhoods called "supermanzanas" (superblocks) that are formed by the intersections of the boulevards and traffic circles (roundabouts). This area is characterized by winding streets with cul-de-sacs that tend to keep out the main flow of traffic, including market places such Xel Ha. They usually have one or more parks, green spaces, paseos (pedestrian walkways) and various national historical monuments. Ave. Tulum is the main north-south artery (connecting downtown to the airport some 30km to south). Tulum is bisected by Ave. Coba (pronounced Koh bah). East of Ave. Tulum, Coba becomes Ave. Kukulcan which serves as the primary road that runs through the long "7" shaped hotel zone. Ave. Tulum is terminated on the north side by Ave. Paseo José López Portillo which connects to the main highway to Chichen Itza and Merida. Another major north-south road is Ave. Bonampak which runs roughly parallel to Ave. Tulum. The main ferry to Isla Mujeres is located off Bonampak.

The original master plan was repeatedly modified and, on the mainland, often ignored. To save on the cost of installing sewage systems and other public services, the design of much of the rest of the city reverted to the grid plan after Hurricane Gilbert (1988). The newest upper-middle-class residential areas reflect the original plan, but are much less intimate. Less expensive developments are comprised almost entirely of identical one- or two-story small row houses, sometimes built around interior plazas. Almost all buildings on the mainland are under four stories high.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancun

4. Surfer's Paradise, Australia.

Surfers Paradise is a suburb on Australia's Gold Coast in Queensland. Colloquially known as 'Surfers', the suburb is famous for its many high-rise apartment buildings and wide surf beach. The central feature of the Surfers Paradise central business district is Cavill Mall, which runs through the centre of the main shopping precinct. Cavill Avenue, named after Jim Cavill, an early hotel owner, is one of the busiest shopping strips in Queensland, and is the centre of activity for night life and 'schoolies' trips.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise

5. Negril, Jamaica.

Negril is a large beach resort located across parts of two Jamaican parishes, Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. Downtown Negril, the West End cliff resorts to the south of downtown, and the southern portion of the seven mile beach are in Westmoreland. The northernmost resorts on the beach are actually located in Hanover. Both parishes are part of the county of Cornwall. The nearest large town and capital of Westmoreland is Savanna-la-Mar.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negril

6. South Beach, Florida.

South Beach is the section of Miami Beach, Florida that encompasses the southernmost 23 blocks of an island separating the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, thanks to the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, John S. Collins, and others. The area has gone through numerous man-made and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane that destroyed much of the area.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Beach

7. Phi Phi, Thailand.

The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. Phi Phi Don, the larger and principal of the two Phi Phi islands, is located at [show location on an interactive map] 7°44′00″N, 98°46′00″E. Both Phi Phi Don, and Phi Phi Leh, the smaller, are administratively part of Krabi province, most of which is on the mainland, and is located at 8°02′30″N, 98°48′39″E.

Ko Phi Phi Don (meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. There are no accommodation facilities on this island, but it is just a short boat ride from Ko Phi Phi Don. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island, are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea.

Phi Phi Don was initially populated by Muslim fishermen during the late 1940s, and later became a coconut plantation. The Thai population of Phi Phi Don remains more than 80% Muslim.

Ko Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 movie The Beach. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry. There was criticism during filming of 'The Beach' that the permission granted to the film company to physically alter the environment inside Phi Phi Islands National Park was illegal.

Following the release of The Beach, tourism on Phi Phi Don increased dramatically, and with it the population of the island. Many buildings were constructed without planning permission.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Phi_Islands

8. Boracay, Philippines.

Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boracay

9. Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago. The archipelago consists of seven major islands, one minor island, and several small islets. They are of volcanic origin and can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean. These islands are located just off the coast of the north-western portion of the African continent/mainland, nearest the political divide of Morocco and Western Sahara. They form the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands were formed by the Canary hotspot. The status of capital city is shared by the two cities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands

10. Natadola Beach, Fiji.

Google hopes to change wireless retail game with Nexus One

2010-01-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

It wasn't much of a secret, really, but the sleek, Android-powered Nexus One is finally here, and yes: you can buy it directly from Google, over the Web. As expected, the unlocked, no-contract Nexus One will cost you a pretty penny, but subsidized versions will also be available from T-Mobile and ... what's this, Verizon Wireless? You betcha.Announced Tuesday during a press conference at Google's Mountain View headquarters, the Nexus One (designed by phone maker HTC under Google's strict supervision) is available for purchase right now on Google's new Web store rather than through a carrier—a twist that some observers see as a paradigm shift in the wireless market, where the balance of power is usually tipped in the carrier's favor.

Then again, Google is sticking with the practice of charging an arm and a leg for an unlocked, no-contract handset. If you want it unlocked for use with any SIM card and without a contract, the phone will set you back a cool $530. Here in the U.S., you'll be able to use the Nexus One with either an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card; that said, AT&T users will only be able to tap into the carrier's EDGE data network, while T-Mobile customers can use both EDGE and 3G.

Another option is to opt for a traditional two-year contract with T-Mobile, which brings the price of the Nexus One down to $180. That detail has already been well leaked; one of the surprises Tuesday, however, was the news that Verizon Wireless in the U.S. (which currently has the Android-powered Motorola Droid) and Vodafone in Europe are also on board with the Nexus One, with versions of the handset for those networks due in the spring. Interesting. (I should note, though, that the current unlocked Nexus One will only work on GSM-based networks, not CDMA carriers like Verizon or Sprint; I'm assuming that the eventual Nexus One for Verizon will be a CDMA phone.)

If you've been following all the rumors over the past few weeks about the Nexus One, few of the hardware details revealed by Google on Tuesday will come as a surprise. Yep, the Nexus One is slim and trim, alright, measuring about 0.45 inches thick and weighing in at a relatively light 4.6 ounces, and as predicted, it'll come with a speedy 1GHz "Snapdragon" processor under the hood, a five-megapixel camera with an LED flash, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, a slot for microSD memory expansion, and a standard 3.5mm jack for headsets. Missing in action: a slide-out keypad and "multitouch" for the Web browser (for "pinching" or "zooming" Web pages).

Also on board the Nexus One: the latest version of Android (version 2.1, to be precise), which adds a series of interface enhancements, more home screens (five, up from three), live news and weather widgets, "live" wallpaper (which, as demonstrated during Google's press conference, might feature a forest scene with falling leaves and water that ripples at your touch), and even built-in voice recognition for any text field on the phone (meaning you can simply speak rather than type out a text message).

Now, I haven't personally seen the Nexus One yet, but the bloggers at Engadget have, and their praise is, well ... somewhat guarded. No question, they say, the Nexus One is a sleek, sexy, and speedy handset, but the bloggers conclude that the much-vaunted 2.1 version of Android doesn't look all that different from the Droid's version of Android. Also, while the Nexus One is "fast," says Engadget, it's "not so much of a leap up from the Droid."

So yes ... it sounds like the big news with the Nexus One is the way in which it's being sold, not so much the handset itself (although the hardware certainly does sound impressive). But while I'm pleased that Google is selling the Nexus One unlocked out of the gate, the unsubsidized $530 price tag is awfully steep (otherwise, I would have definitely bought one myself).

In any case, that's the scoop; if you're interested in more details about the Nexus One, you can check out Google's site right here.

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/63313

the thing 10 you must know about real estate

2010-01-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Is 2010 the year to buy a house? It certainly looks that way: After a steep run-up in prices during the first half of the decade, home values have plummeted back to 2003 levels. Fixed mortgage rates are sitting near record lows. And the foreclosure epidemic--while painful for many home owners--has created some wonderful opportunities for bargain hunters. If that's not enough, Uncle Sam is handing out thousands of dollars in tax credits to nearly all first-time buyers and the bulk of existing home owners who close a purchase by June.

But while the 2010 outlook appears inviting, there's one key catch. "You need to have a stable job," says Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody's Economy.com. The economy is showing signs of life, but the unemployment rate is already at 10 percent and expected to go higher. And while those mortgage rates are attractive, buying a house makes sense only if you can bank on your income stream. So before you consider purchasing a home, take a hard look at your job, your company, and your industry.

That said, here are 10 things to know about real estate in 2010:

1. Prices to bottom: After more than three years of falling, real estate values have shown signs of stabilization in recent months. At the national level, home prices slid nearly 9 percent between the third quarter of 2008 and the same period this year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price report. That's a notable improvement from the second quarter's nearly 15 percent annual drop and the first quarter's 19 percent decline. This improvement will give way to a bottom in home prices--finally!--in 2010, but not before additional declines, Zandi says. Zandi projects home prices will hit bottom in the third quarter of 2010 after logging a peak-to-trough decline of roughly 37 percent, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller national home price index. "That means we've got another roughly 10 percent [decline] to go," Zandi says.

2. Mortgage delinquencies up: Amid falling home prices and a nasty labor market, roughly 1 in every 7 mortgages was either past due or in foreclosure by the end of the third quarter--the highest delinquency rate in the 37-year history of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey. Two factors are expected to drive delinquencies even higher next year. First, nearly 1 in 4 homeowners currently owes more on their mortgage than the property is worth, which increases their odds of default. And secondly, the national unemployment rate--which already stands at 10 percent--will peak at about 10.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010, says Patrick Newport, an economist at IHS Global Insight. Additional job losses mean more borrowers won't be able to pay their mortgage bills. "The [delinquency] rate is going to stay up there for quite a while because the job market is going to be really weak for a while," Newport says.

3. Foreclosures move upstream: The number of foreclosure sales will increase to about 1.9 million in 2010, according to Moody's Economy.com. And while we've already seen a growing number of more expensive homes heading into foreclosure, Heather Fernandez, vice president of marketing at the real estate search engine Trulia, expects the trend to pick up steam next year. (Trulia is a U.S. News partner.) "We are poised in 2010 to see a surge of foreclosures from prime borrowers. Hundreds of billions of dollars in option [adjustable rate] mortgages are set to be recast" next year, Fernandez says. Option adjustable rate mortgages allow borrowers to make lower monthly payments for an initial period, after which the payments adjust--or "recast"--higher. For some borrowers, the new payments can be more than twice their initial payments. Combined with other factors, like the loss of a job, a recasting option adjustable rate mortgage can make borrowers more likely to default. "These are [properties] at higher price points [and] potentially in more desirable neighborhoods," Fernandez says.

4. Mortgage rates to rise: Anyone who purchased a home in 2009 was presented with some extremely attractive mortgage rates. Rates on 30-year, fixed mortgages fell to an average of 4.88 percent in November, down sharply from 6.09 a year earlier. A key factor behind the plunge was a Federal Reserve program, first announced in November of 2008, that purchased debt and mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the program is slated to expire at the end of the first quarter, and if private investors don't step up, fixed mortgage rates could jump. (The Fed, of course, could always decide to extend the program.) The unwinding of this Fed program, the improving economy, and mounting concern over government deficits could push rates on 30-year, fixed mortgages to roughly 5.5 percent by mid-2010 and close to 6 percent by the end of the year, says Mike Larson of Weiss Research. "Almost all signs to me point higher," Larson says.

5. Buyer's market remains: With prices still falling, mortgage rates remaining historically attractive, and additional homes hitting the market in the form of foreclosures, the dynamics of the real estate market will continue to favor buyers over sellers in 2010. That means those looking to buy a home next year should not feel pressured to act impulsively. "You don't need to have a sense of urgency, but understand that as time progresses the balance of power as we get into 2010 is going to slowly but surely shift away from [buyers]," Larson says. "It is not going to be a strong seller's market, but it will be more evenly distributed as the year goes on." Data from the real estate firm Zillow show that home buyers are already losing the leverage they once enjoyed. While home buyers landed a median discount of 4.6 percent off listing prices in January, the size of the gap fell to 2.7 percent by October. Expect this gap to close further as 2010 marches on.

6. Modification plan could be modified: While the Obama administration has put nearly 700,000 borrowers into temporarily restructured mortgages, it had found permanent fixes for just 31,382 struggling homeowners through November. What's more, critics have identified two key shortcomings of the government's $75 billion antiforeclosure plan. First, the program isn't much help for borrowers struggling to stay in their homes as the result of a job loss. And the rickety labor market is a key factor behind rising delinquencies. At the same time, the plan does not sufficiently address the issue of negative equity--owing more on your home loan than the property is worth--which also works to increase foreclosures. "The current modification program does not address negative equity and is therefore destined to fail," Laurie Goodman, a senior managing director at Amherst Securities Group, told a congressional committee in written testimony on December 8. "It must be amended to explicitly address this problem." Zandi says the government may move next year to overhaul the modification program in two ways: improving troubled borrowers' negative equity positions by writing down some of the mortgage principal, and helping to turn troubled homeowners into renters.

7. FHA lending standards may increase: While banks have jacked up lending standards in the face of mounting delinquencies, mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration--which come with a minimum down payment of just 3.5 percent--have remained accessible to a wide swath of borrowers. The FHA guarantees nearly 30 percent of new-home purchase mortgages today, up sharply from just 3 percent in 2006. But the rapid growth has occurred alongside an increase in mortgage delinquencies. As a result, the FHA's reserves have dipped below congressionally mandated levels. The development has put pressure on the Obama administration to beef up its requirements for agency-backed home loans. In early December, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it would make several changes to FHA mortgage requirements: raising up-front cash requirements, boosting minimum credit scores, and perhaps charging more for insurance premiums. Additional new restrictions may be in store. Taken together, the developments could work to choke off the supply of mortgage credit to borrowers who can't get financing elsewhere.

8. Tax credit available through June: On top of lower prices and cheap mortgage rates, Uncle Sam is offering an additional incentive to get buyers into the market next year. In early November, President Obama signed a bill extending and expanding a popular tax perk for home buyers. The legislation gives qualified first-time home buyers a tax credit of up to $8,000 if they close the purchase of a primary residence by the end of June. Meanwhile, qualified current home owners are eligible for a credit of up to $6,500 when they buy their next principal residence. But while the tax perk may make a home purchase more tempting, would-be buyers should make sure they have the job security and financial wherewithal to handle the transaction before going ahead. "Don't let [the home buyer tax credit] be the thing that drives you to act," Larson says.

9. Markets will vary a great deal by region: The performance of the national housing market is much less important that the dynamics of your local market, and sales and pricing trends will vary a great deal from one area to the next in 2010. "There will be geographic pockets where the values will still continue to decline, and there will be geographic pockets where they increase," said Dale Siegel, a mortgage broker and the author of The New Rules for Mortgages. That means anyone interested in buying real estate next year can't just read the national headlines. Instead, find a good blog that covers the local housing market and consider speaking with a real estate agent with experience in the area. Check out online listings--pay close attention to pricing and inventory trends. And make sure to head out to open houses to get a firsthand feel for the market.

10. Mobile maps can help: Advances in technology have enabled would-be home buyers to increase the efficiency of their searches. For example, Zillow's iPhone app allows home buyers to see the estimated values and listed prices of the properties they pass on the street. The app, which is free, has been downloaded more than 830,000 times. Trulia has unveiled a similar product that allows users to find nearby open houses as well. "If you are sitting in a neighborhood having brunch on a Sunday, you can very easily pull up your phone [and] walk into open houses," says Trulia's Fernandez.

Most anticipated Video Games of the year 2010

2010-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

Weighing In On Bread

2009-12-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

Weighing In On Bread

By Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D. - Posted on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, 2:48 pm PST

Those super-heavy, "all-natural" loaves of bread may look and sound like they're healthy, but their density signals that they probably contain more calories than most other loaves. Plus, they're typically made with simple sugars like high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and maltose that will add even more calories.

If you're watching your weight and wondering, "Can I eat bread?"--don't despair. I'm here to tell you that you really can have your bread and eat it too without automatically putting on weight. There's a simple rule--the weight and starch connection--that will help you choose a loaf wisely.

What's the weight and starch connection?

Starches, such as breads and baked goods, usually contain a standard amount of calories by weight, about 80 calories per ounce, whereas heavier breads are going to contain a higher calorie count. Most slices of regular bread weigh about an ounce (80 calories); a single slice of dense, "all-natural" bread, however, might weigh 2 or even 3 ounces (160 to 240 calories).

So if you're looking for a low-cal bread, start by assessing how much the loaves weigh. Pick up two different loaves, holding one in each hand; the one that is lighter is generally going to be the one with fewer calories. It's that simple.

Muffins and most other baked goods, like banana breads and plain cakes, contain roughly 125 calories per ounce. So if you pick up a "healthy," "all-natural" bran muffin and it feels like a brick, consider the caloric consequences: A standard 4-ounce muffin weighs in at around 500 calories, almost the equivalent of 7 slices of standard bread.

Remember to "weigh in" on breads and starches before you buy them--it's easy, free, and could perhaps save you a ton of calories in the long run!

Top 10 saled shoes

2009-12-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

Women’s Shoes with Ruffles
Ruffles make an elegant touch to any type of cute dress shoe, even this season’s hottest boots! Get her some of these eye catching shoes and she will be walking pretty for the winter. Check out the newest styles from Marc Jacobs, Steve Madden and Banana Republic.
Women’s Boots
Warm winter boots make a great match with skirts and jeans, and keep the legs cozy during the winter. Wrap up a pair of some hot boots from brands like Ugg, Skechers, and Naturalizer.
Women’s Pumps & Dress Shoes
Pumps, high heels, platforms, whatever she's into, she will be more into you with the gift of beautiful dress shoes. Watch her eyes light up this holiday season when she sees dress shoes from designer brands like Prada, Marc Jacobs, and BCBG Max Azria.
Men’s Casual Shoes
If comfort is what he craves, then he's going to need some new pairs of comfy casual shoes this holiday season. A great holiday gift idea would be to pair some casual shoes with a new pair of his favorite jeans. Check out styles from Skechers, Nike, and Cole Haan.
Women’s UGG Boots
There's a lot more to Ugg's brand than just the classic tall boot that was popular last winter. This year, Ugg shoes is featuring the sleeker boots of it's line, with buckles and leather ties to add a bit of style.
Women’s Fashion Flats
Women’s flats look great with just about anything. Whether she’s wearing an A-line or pencil skirt, jeans or slacks, flats are stylish and provide a lot of comfort. The top styles of the season are flats with bows or ruffles, animal print flats, and plaid flats.
Men’s Dress Shoes
He will be stepping in style this holiday season in a nice new pair of dress shoes. He will love the styles from brands like Cole Haan, Florsheim, Kenneth Cole and more!
Women’s Cowboy Boots
Cowboy boots made their way to the fashion runway for this season's hottest boot trend! Shop for hot boots by designer brands like Carlos Santana, Donald J Pliner, Steve Madden and more!
Women’s Rain Boots
She won’t want the rain to go away when she’s wearing some fashionable rain boots! Now she can go puddle jumping all she wants! Shop for the hot brands that will help her stay warm which include Juicy Couture, Burberry, and Coach.
Men’s Athletic Shoes
If he's active and into sports, chances are he's going to need a good pair of athletic shoes.Check out the Nike iD line, where you can customize the color of the shoes and eve

35 Best Movie of the Decade 2009”

2009-12-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

"35 Best Movie of the Decade 2009”

1. The Reader
2. Bed Time Stories
3. Avatar
4. Resident Evil
5. Twilight Saga
6. Two Lovers
7. The Cars
8. Kill Bill
9. The Proposal
10. Ghost Rider
11. Harry Potter and the & the half blood Prince
12. Transformer
13. Marley & Me
14. Yes Man
15. Shrek
16. Bride Wars
17. Seven Pounds
18. Ink Heart
19. lick
20. The Break-Up
21. Planets of the ape
22. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
23. Spider Man 3
24. Evan Almighty
25. Happy Feet
26. Wrong Turn
27. One way
28. The Invisible Iron Man
29. Ultra Violet
30. Dark Night
31. Hell Boy 2
32. Finding Nemo
33. Robots
34. Underworld
35. Elektra

Zymotics magazine Presents “21 Famous Person in the world”

2009-12-21T23:06:00.000-08:00

“21 Famous Person in the world”

Barrack Obama
Julia Roberts
Oprah Winfrey
Cameron Diaz
Angelina Jolie
Jim Carrey
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
Brad Pitt

9. Tom Cruise

10. Rowan Atkinson

11. Bon Jovi

12. Britney Spears

13. Michael Jackson

14. Bill Gates

15. Adam Sandler

16. Golden Boy

17. Jackie Chan

18. Corazon Aquino

19. Beyonce

20. May Weather

21. Celine Dion

How can You save Your CellPhone if it is in the Water There are steps For you to know

2009-12-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

this happened to mine. whatever you do immediately take your phone battery out. the reason why our phones stop working after its in the water is because you try to turn it on again without letting it dry and the battery shorts the phone. now u have to be patient this si the ONLY WAY. u have to put ur phone in a bag of rice..i know this sounds crazy but the rice sucks up all the moisture..leave it there for 2-3 days...WITHOUT turning the phone off..that is crucial. and then try to leave it on something warm like a tv...i did this and i turned my blackberry on and it works PERFECT. i swear it was even sitting in water for over 30 secs. GOOD LUCK..

and whatever you do..DO NOT CHECK TO SEE IF IT WORKS...wait at least 2.5 full days.

1
Get it out of the water as soon as possible. The plastic covers on cell phones are fairly tight, but water can enter the phone in a short period of time, perhaps only 20 seconds or less. So grab your phone quickly! If you can't get to it in time, your best bet is to remove the battery while it is still under water. Water helps dissipate heat from shorts that can damage the phone, so most damage occurs when the inside of the phone is merely wet and there is a power source. This can go both ways. Being under water is more likely to short the battery to even more sensitive contacts, so be careful.
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2
Don't panic. Your phone will probably not be too damaged if you right away take it out of the water. While it's in the water, immediately take it out.
3
Remove the battery. This is one of the most important steps. Don't take time to think about it; electricity and water do not mix. Cutting power to your phone is a crucial first step in saving it. Many circuits inside the phone will survive immersion in water provided they are not attached to a power source when wet.
4
If you have a sim card ,remove your SIM card. Some or all of your valuable contacts (along with other data) could be stored on your SIM. To some people this could be more worth saving than the phone itself. SIM cards survive water damage well, but some of the following steps are unnecessary i.e. don't heat it. Just pat it dry and leave it aside until you need to connect your phone to your cellular network.
5
Dry your phone. Obviously you need to remove as much of the water as soon as possible, so you can save it from getting into the phone. Shake it out without dropping it, then use a towel or paper towel (ideally trying not to clog the wet paper in the gaps and grooves of the phone) to gently remove as much of the remaining water as possible. Dry the excess moisture by hand.
6
Remove any covers and external connectors to open up as many gaps, slots, and crevices in the phone as possible.
7
Use a vacuum cleaner if possible Let the phone sit on absorbent towels, napkin, or other paper. It is thought that letting a cellphone sit in rice will absorb moisture including under the screen. Remember that the goal is to evacuate all the moisture and humidity, not to trap it or add even more. Check the absorbent material every hour for 4 to 6 hours. If moisture is evident, repeat the vacuuming step and desiccant steps.
8
Use a hairdryer or the heating vent to your car. Turn the hairdryer on a medium setting and gently dry the keypad and trackball on the phone. Dry any parts that may have gotten damp for 5-7 minutes. If you do not have access to a hairdryer at the time, then the heater on in a car full blast. Hold the phone up to the vent and dry all areas for 5-10 minutes.
9
Test your phone. After you have waited a day or so, make sure everything is clean and dry looking and re-attach the battery to the phone and see if it works. If your phone does not work, try plugging it into its charger without the battery, if this works, you need a new battery. If not, try taking your cell phone to an authorized dealer. Sometimes they can fix it. Don't try to hide the fact that it has been wet. There are internal indicators that prove moisture.

Top 10 unique Names of the Car auto.

2009-12-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

10. The Entire Lincoln Lineup

2010 Lincoln MKZ

Lincoln is a brand with a considerable history, and we know they know how to give cars strong iconic names such as Continental or Navigator. Somewhere around 2007, many of those easy-to-remember names went out the window, leaving consumers with a hodgepodge of names starting with "MK." That's a shame because Lincoln has a strong lineup right now. What's the difference between the MKZ, MKX and MKS? Gimme a second to look it up because I honestly can't remember which is which.

9. Hyundai Equus

2011 Hyundai Equus

The inclusion of the Equus might be premature considering it's not even on sale yet, but this could be the push Hyundai needs to give the car a proper name before it's released. Companies occasionally give Latin names to products to make them sound sophisticated or fancy, but Equus just makes us think of the Broadway play of the same name — most recently starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame.

8. Toyota Yaris

2010 Toyota Yaris

There was a girl in my dorm freshman year who organized her shoes alphabetically by mood. She majored in dead languages and responded to every single question with "no worries." She once set the dorm microwave on fire by overcooking a ham-and-cheese Hot Pocket. Yes, that story is ridiculous and nonsensical ... sort of like naming a car Yaris.

7. Kia Forte Koup

2010 Kia Forte Koup

As writers, we're particularly offended when companies take liberties with the English language in an effort to be cutesy — and this is no exception. We actually like this car! But Kia is asking us to overlook years of schooling and experience to accept their quirky spelling of coupe. It might require a few sessions with a therapist before we can get to that happy place.

6. Subaru B9 Tribeca

2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca

Here we've got a family crossover named after a fashionable neighborhood in lower Manhattan and ... a World War II bomber? Consumers didn't understand the B9 moniker either; that part of the name got the ax when Subaru redesigned the SUV for the 2008 model year.

5. Volkswagen Touareg

2007 Volkswagen Touareg

A few Volkswagens could've made this list, but the Touareg was easily the name that tripped up our American mouths the most. Early Touareg commercials in the U.S. even depicted people struggling to say the name. When an automaker has to spend precious time and ad dollars helping consumers learn to pronounce the car's name — something is wrong.

4. Ford Probe

1993 Ford Probe

There are many borderline inappropriate jokes you could make about a 1990s sport compact named Probe, but we're far too classy for that. Even if you don't take into account the tasteless jokes, this is just a bad car name. There is nothing cool about a probe (the word, not the car). What thesaurus was Ford using where probe was synonymous with sleek and sporty?

3. Subaru Brat

1982 Subaru Brat

Although Brat is technically an acronym — it stands for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter — it's a particularly unfortunate one. "Brat" is almost never used to describe something positively. A brat is not a calm, confident driver who knows what he wants and how to get it. A brat is busy throwing a hissy fit in the corner because his mom won't let him borrow the car to go buy the new Styx album.

2. Isuzu VehiCROSS

2000 Isuzu VehiCROSS

Isuzu deserves a little credit for creating an attention-grabbing crossover before it was even a recognized vehicle segment, but the name practically beats consumers over the head with the idea (think SUV plus a cross-training sneaker). Add to that the unnecessary capitalization and the fact that VehiCROSS is a mouthful, and you have one bad name.

1. Ford Aspire

1997 Ford Aspire

It's pretty safe to say that many drivers' dream cars fall under the category of sports car or luxury auto; few children hope to one day spend their commuting hours behind the wheel of a 63-horsepower subcompact hatchback. When Ford slapped the Aspire name on the back of this car, they were basically saying: "Yeah, even our car knows you wish you were driving something cooler."

The 5 behavior of manipulative Behavior in our life

2009-12-14T16:17:00.001-08:00

Many of us like to think the best of people. We like to think that they shoot straight and are forthright in their intentions. We also like to believe that they will ask for what they want and not resort to crazy tactics to get it. Unfortunately, however, there are times when we come across those who will do whatever it takes to get what they want…including manipulation. Being manipulated never feels good, but the worst part of manipulation is that often, we don’t even realize that it is happening. Here are a few ways to know if someone is trying to manipulate you:

Buttering You Up: To get their way, manipulators will often make you feel good so that they can then ask you to do something that they want. The person may first compliment you or tell you what a wonderful job you did on something. Making you feel good will, in their mind, make it difficult for you to say no…after all, you wouldn’t want to disappoint them or give them reason to think you didn’t deserve the compliment in the first place. What you can do: Return the compliments and the niceties before saying no.
Guilt: This doesn’t only pertain to Catholics and Jewish Mothers; guilt trips have been a successful manipulation tactic for centuries. The saddest part of this strategy is that the victims of this tactic succumb to the manipulators’ demands because they feel they HAVE to, not because they WANT to. In personal relationships, this sets up a co-dependency that is extremely unhealthy. What you can do: Ask the individual if they want you to do something because you have to or because you want to. If they say they want you to want to do it, tell them that you don’t and that they are trying to force you into something you don’t feel comfortable with.
Broken Record: Probably the most obvious of formats is the broken record tactic. If a person asks you enough or pushes their agenda enough…constantly repeating the question or request over and over again…in slightly different ways, the victim will inevitably give in and give them what they want. Oye! What you can do: Ask the individual what they don’t understand about the word “no.” Tell them that asking you over and over again isn’t going to change anything and that they are inappropriately over-stepping boundaries.
Selective Memory: This one gets me the most. You swear you have a conversation about a plan and everyone is on the same page, and then one day, the manipulator pretends to remember the conversation completely differently, if at all. What you can do: Record your conversations…seriously! Okay, maybe not. At least have a witness that you can count on to back you up if the person pulls this shenanigan. Call them out on the fact that they conveniently change the game to fit their needs.
Bullying: If a person doesn’t get their way, they make you out to look or feel like the bad guy…like you are the wrong one. What you can do: Be firm and tell them that their bullying tactics are inappropriate and unacceptable.

Source: Yahoo.com

life is too short watch this video and realize....

2009-12-10T00:37:00.000-08:00

The richest woman in the world

2009-12-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

It looks like billionaire Abigail Johnson is moving closer to the Fidelity throne.

This month the daughter of Edward "Ned" Johnson III, lord of the world's largest mutual fund company, took charge of the board governing the company's fixed-income and asset-allocation funds. She now oversees 161 funds with more than $650 billion in assets.

Many Fidelity watchers believed "Abby" fell out of contention for the top spot at the company after her father moved her from the venerable mutual fund division to the more mundane retirement and retail group in 2005. (Others saw that move as an opportunity for her to understand another part of the family business.) Johnson will continue to run the retail group--the firm's largest division with $1.3 trillion in customer assets--as she takes on her new responsibilities.

In Pictures: World's Richest Women

A spokesman for Fidelity would not comment on the company's succession plans. He said the move was the logical next step in its strategy to split its board of trustees in half, and Ned Johnson has no plans of retiring.

Like the majority of the female billionaires in the world, Johnson inherited her fortune--yet still holds tremendous sway over her company. Today she's worth an estimated $8.5 billion, ranking her eighth on the new Forbes list of the world's richest women.

Topping the list is Christy Walton, who is worth $20 billion. Walton is the widow of Wal-Mart ( WMT - news - people ) scion John Walton, who died in a plane crash in 2005. Right behind her is Alice Walton, worth $19.5 billion.

Source:

http://www.forbes.com

Top 10 most Big population in the world

2009-12-09T00:21:00.000-08:00

10.

127,288,000

140,702,000

146,255,008

153,547,008

172,800,000

196,343,000

237,512,000

303,825,000

1,148,000,000

1,330,040,000

Source: http://www.aneki.com/populated.html

How to kill Bad Breath instantly

2009-12-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Mistletoe season has arrived, so it's absolutely crucial that your pout is smooch-worthy. Your lips are buffed, glossed, and puckered, but what about your breath? One in four people have bad breath, according to Colgate (and they should know, they make toothpaste). It's caused by many various factors, from the foods we eat, to the drinks we consume, to our daily hygiene and general health. It happens to the best of us, but there is no reason to not take action. Dirty mouth? Let's clean it up.

Chew the right thing
Okay, the obvious choice when you are less-than-kissable is to brush your teeth and tongue. (Yes, your tongue! It gets rid of odor-causing bacteria.) Mouthwash and sugar-free gum are another quick fix. Or, if you're feeling organic, chew a couple fresh mint leaves.

Stay hydrated
Classroom breath, office breath, church breath: whatever you call it, we've all experienced that weird, stale breath that comes from not opening your mouth for a while. It's actually caused by dehydration, so be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Peppermint tea spiked with anise or cinnamon is also recommended.

Gargle with hydrogen peroxide (yes, seriously)
We know this sounds awful, but gargling 50 percent hydrogen peroxide with 50 percent H20 for 5-30 seconds is an immediate and lasting cure for microbial bad breath. Also, almost every household is guaranteed to have a bottle. If not, every drugstore will, and the plus side to its medicinal taste is that it's super cheap--$1 for an 8-ounce bottle! (That's cheaper than gum these days!)
These tips will seriously do the trick. When implemented into your daily routine, they may even lessen that morning breath of yours!

Angel Locsin is now one of the highest vote in Top49women

2009-12-06T00:02:00.000-08:00

Angel Locsin is now one of the best Female sexiest women, because it earns more than 18 comments for just 4 days in top49women.blogspot.com if you want to vote you must visit this site to vote : how to vote if you open it please suppot angel Locsin as the # 1 Top 49 women on 2010, because the votation for Preliminary is now open.

Films shown at Baghdad bomb sites

2009-12-04T02:46:00.000-08:00

Baghdad is a city marked by years of violence with many visible scars remaining. However, a group of Iraqi film makers will show a series of feature films in the open air at the sites of four of the most devastating bombings in the Iraqi capital.

It is an attempt by filmmakers to show that no matter how much blood the militants may spill, they cannot kill artistic imagination.

Natalia Antelava, reports from Bagdad.

Somlias Explosion kill 9 people

2009-12-03T04:34:00.001-08:00

explosion ripped through an upscale hotel in Somalia's capital Thursday during a university graduation ceremony, killing nine people, including three Cabinet ministers and two journalists. The blast raised new questions about the ability of Somalia's weak government to control even the small area of the capital it holds.

African troops protecting the government wage near daily battles with Islamic militants who control much of central and southern Somalia.

Dubai mega-tower `last hurrah' to age of excess

2009-12-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – When work began in 2004 to build the world's tallest tower, Dubai's confidence also was sky high with a host of mega-projects on the drawing board or rising from the sands.

That swagger seems positively old school these days. It's been tripped up by a debt crunch that has humbled Dubai's leaders and exposed the shaky foundations of the city-state's boom years — leaving the planned Jan. 4 opening of the iconic Burj Dubai with a double significance of hello and goodbye.

It will be both a debutante bash for a new architectural landmark and a farewell toast to Dubai's age of excess.

The Burj Dubai — a steel-and-glass needle rising more than a half-mile (800 meters) — may be the last completed work from Dubai's time of the giants. Most other of the unfinished super-projects announced in recent years, such as a second palm-shaped island or a tower to surpass the Burj Dubai, are either recession roadkill or being considered on a far smaller scale.

If they are still considered at all.

Dubai last week dropped what amounted to a financial bombshell — announcing its main government-backed development group, Dubai World, needed at least a six-month breather from creditors owed nearly $60 billion.

World markets had known a day of fiscal reckoning was creeping up on what was once the world's fastest-growing city, swelling from about 700,000 in 1995 to more than 1.3 million today. But the depths of Dubai's red ink seemed to surprise everyone, rattling stock exchanges from Hong Kong to New York and adding exclamation points to obits-in-progress on the death of Dubai's golden years.

The Burj Dubai gala is now a welcome diversion. And one without a direct political sting: the building was developed by Emaar Properties, a state-backed firm not linked to the current debt meltdown.

"This tower was conceived as a monument to Dubai's place on the international stage," said Christopher Davidson, a professor at the University of Durham in Britain who has written extensively about the United Arab Emirates. "It's now like a last hurrah to the boom years."

It's not the first time a skyscraper has gone up as the economy swooned.

New York's 102-story Empire State Building was designed as the world's tallest building just before the 1929 stock market crash and opened in 1931 as the Great Depression was taking hold. In 1999, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, officially opened to claim the world-tallest crown — two years after the financial meltdown of the once-soaring Southeast Asian economies.

But the Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, occupies a special niche. Few cities have grown so far so fast — pushed along by runaway property speculation and the boundless ambitions of Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The recession barged in last year and quickly dried up the cash flow.

The brakes also were slammed on hundreds of Dubai projects — from residential towers that stand half-finished to a desert Xanadu that included a Universal Studios theme park and a "city of wonders" with full-size replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and other famous sites.

Sheik Mohammed even has grown a bit testy over Dubai's dimming star power. In a meeting with international investors in November, he switched from Arabic to English to tell naysayers in the media to "shut up."

Dubai's boosters hope the opening of the Burj Dubai — which include offices, residences and a hotel _will give them at least some respite from the bad news. The Dubai PR machine is working overtime.

A barrage of statistics — vital and trivial — are pouring out as the $4.1 billion building gets its finishing touches: more than 160 stories topped by a spire that reaches a reported 2,684 feet (818 meters), well above the runner-up skyscraper, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, at 1,671 feet (508 meters). The Burj has even pushed past other giant structures taller than Taipei 101 such as the CN Tower in Toronto and the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota.

The Burj — designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill — is billed to have the world's fastest elevator at up to 40 mph (64 kph) and can be seen as far as 57 miles (95 kilometers) away. It takes three months just to clean all the windows.

But there's some facts that are still closely guarded, including how much of the office and residential space is leased and whether the financial meltdown will make the Burj another tower of debt.

The current price for purchase or rent, too, is also unclear. It's certain, though, that it's gone down along with property prices across Dubai in the past year. A report in October by the Investment Boutique, a real estate advisory firm in Dubai, said asking prices in the Burj Dubai area had slumped by 77 percent since the peak a year earlier.

"Buildings like the Burj Dubai are born from the optimism of the moment," said Carol Willis, director of The Skyscraper Museum in New York. "That may not necessarily be the mood when the project is finished."

The Burj Dubai also faces some location drawbacks that didn't burden Dubai's other signature structures, such as the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel and the Palm Jumeirah island that fans out into the Gulf. The Burj Dubai rises above a new annex of the city that was originally designed as a cluster of towers — which is now put on hold because of the economic crunch.

That leaves the Burj soaring above what amounts to high-priced empty lots.

But — for a moment at least — it will shift the spotlight back on Dubai from its oil-rich cousin, Abu Dhabi, the new boomtown of the UAE.

Abu Dhabi has already bailed out its debt-ridden neighbor once this year and is now watching from the wings as Dubai pleads for time with its global creditors. Dubai — without any oil resources — bankrolled its growth as a financial hub and a Mideast version of Las Vegas.

The rulers in more conservative Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, moved in other directions in their campaign to put the city on the world map in a generation.

In the past few months, Abu Dhabi hosted its inaugural Formula One race, won a global competition to host the headquarters of the new International Renewal Energy Agency and announced a $1 trillion plan to upgrade the city's roads, transportation and public venues. Also in the works are plans for branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums and a New York University campus.

Suddenly, Dubai is playing the unfamiliar role of second city.

Dubai opened its elevated metro line in September, but with only about a third of the stations opened. Last January, the state-owned builder Nakheel — which is part of the current debt crisis — said the fiscal crunch forced it to suspend plans for a Dubai skyscraper designed to top the Burj Dubai.

As Dubai's leaders try to calm markets and investors, Abu Dhabi planned a party.

A fireworks show on Wednesday for the UAE's national day was billed as the world's largest display, with 100,000 devices exploding over Abu Dhabi's biggest hotel.

Lady Gaga Interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2009-12-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

Kosovo tells world court independence

2009-12-02T01:39:00.001-08:00

The Hague (Reuters) - Kosovo said the world court Tuesday that the 2008 declaration of independence is IRREVERSIBLE, arguing against Serbia's claims to act as a "flagrant violation" of its territorial integrity.

At the beginning of the hearing UN review legality of the transfer, Serbian Ambassador to France Dušan Batakovic said a 15-judge panel he hoped for a decision that provides scope for talks with Kosovo to prevent a full break from Serbia and contribute to "peace and stability"

2009-11-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

“The Vote for the new”
Top49women is now open

2010

how to vote on Top49women in the world

Vote Angel Locsin as the top 1

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II speaks during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Port-of-Spain, Friday, Nov

2009-11-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

Port-of-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP): the leaders called Saturday for the Commonwealth an international legal agreement on climate change and a global fund with billions of dollars to help poor countries meet his command. The 53-nation conference is the largest gathering of international leaders before the global climate in the next month's summit.

Fake Gay or not the top viewed in Youtube

2009-11-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

The Most Expensive Painting In the world

2009-11-26T19:46:00.001-08:00

Jackson Pollock’s 1948 painting entitled Nov 5th 1948 was arguably his greatest masterwork, the most vivid expression of the painter’s unique style. When it was sold by David Geffen in 2006, it became the world’s most expensive painting in history at a price-adjusted $149.70 million dollars.
Artist : Jackson Pollock
Year : 1948
Year of Sale : 2006
Sale Price : $140 million
Currency Adjusted : $149.70 million

Nokia E75 the new latest model of nokia

2009-11-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

Nokia E75 uses the nemeric keypad and QWERTY keyboard that modeling, and use Symbian S60 operating system with 2.4 inches QVGA screen.

320 Mega Pixcel camera, support for GPRS, Wi-Fi , A-GPS.

airframe with 3.5mm headphone jack.

battery capacity up to 1050mAh, believe in standby is performing will

Is there any Curable medicine to AIDS?

2009-11-26T00:42:00.000-08:00

No cure for AIDS. Although antiretroviral treatment can suppress HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - and can delay the disease for many years, it can clear the virus completely. No confirmed case of someone getting rid of HIV infection. Sadly, it does not stop countless quacks and con artists touting unproven, often dangerous "AIDS cures" to desperate people. It is easy to see why an HIV positive person may want to believe in a cure for AIDS. Access to antiretroviral treatment is scarce in the world volume. When a person has a deadly disease they may clutch anything to stay alive. And even when antiretroviral treatment is available, it is far from an easy solution. Drugs should be taken daily for the rest of a person's life, often causing undesirable effects. A one-off cure to eliminate the virus once and for all is more appealing. Distrust of Western medicine is not wonderful, especially in developing countries. The Internet abounds with rumors of the pharmaceutical industry or the U.S. government AIDS cures barrier to protect the market for patented drugs. Many people want a remedy that "natural" or "traditional".

The maguindanao massacre incedent video

2009-11-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

Cranberry upside-down Cake made its easy

2009-11-25T18:30:00.001-08:00

Cranberry upside-down Cake To make advance:

Prepare up to 8 hours early; serve at room temperature or warm in a 300 ° F oven.

3 / 4 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

2 tablespoons plus

1 / 4 cup fresh orange juice, divided

1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries (about 3 cups)

3 / 4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient Note, below)

3 / 4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 / 4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature (see Kitchen Tip, below)

1 / 3 cup canola oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 / 2 cup low-fat milk, at room temperature Whipped cream for garnish

1 Preheat oven to 350 ° F. 2. Heat brown sugar,

2 tablespoons butter and

2 tablespoons orange juice in a large (12-inch) cast-iron or regular pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the mixture begins to bubble. Let cool. Coat the sides of pan with cooking spray. 3. Bring the remaining 1 / 4 cup orange juice and cranberries to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often, until about half the cranberries have popped. Pour evenly in cooled brown sugar mixture in pan. 4. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. 5. Separate egg whites and yolks. Put the yolks in a large bowl and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat in an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stir the flour mixture alternately with milk, using a rubber spatula, beginning and ending with flour. Stir just until flour is incorporated. Beat the egg whites in a clean dry mixing bowl with clean dry Beaters over medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Fold one third of the egg white batter, then gently fold in the rest until almost no white streaks remain. Spread the batter over the cranberries. 6. Bake until top is golden brown and cake pulls away from sides of pan, 30-40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan and carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 10 servings. (Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.) Per serving: 357 calories; 13 g fat (4 g Sat, 5 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 57 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 194 mg sodium; 94 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (15% daily value). Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour has less gluten-forming potential than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure tender baked goods. Find it in baking section of supermarkets or online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com. Kitchen Tip: To bring eggs to room temperature, set it on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge it (in shell) in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.

13 famous people of the world years 2009

2009-11-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Oprah Winfrey
JK Rowling
Elton John
Queen Elizabeth
Britney Spears
Prince Charles
Madonna
Paul McCartney
Dan Brown
Steven Spielsberg
Tom Cruise/ Tom Hanks
Angelina Jolie
George Clooney

Iceberg is Drifting in the sydney

2009-11-24T00:11:00.000-08:00

SYDNEY (AFP) – More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday.

An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist said the ice chunks, spotted by satellite photography, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the main South Island, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast.

Scientist Neal Young said more than 100 icebergs -- some measuring more than 200 metres (650 feet) across -- were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more.

He said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from the Antarctic as sea and air temperatures rise due to global warming.

"All of these have come from a larger one that was probably 30 square kilometres (11.6 square miles) in size when it left Antarctica," Young told AFP.

"It's done a long circuit around Antarctica and now the bigger parts of it are breaking up and producing smaller ones."

He said large numbers of icebergs had not floated this close to New Zealand since 2006, when a number came within 25 kilometres of the coastline -- the first such sighting since 1931.

"They're following the same tracks now up towards New Zealand. Whether they make it up to the South Island or not is difficult to tell," Young said.

New Zealand has already issued coastal navigation warnings for the area in the Southern Ocean where the icebergs have been seen.

"It's really just a general warning for shipping in that area to be on the alert for icebergs," said Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson.

The icebergs are smaller remnants of the giant chunks seen off Australia's Macquarie Island this month, including one estimated at two kilometres (1.2 miles) and another twice the size of Beijing's "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium.

Young earlier told AFP he expected to see more icebergs in the area if the Earth's temperature continues to increase.

"If the current trends in global warming were to continue I would anticipate seeing more icebergs and the large ice shelves breaking up," he said.

When icebergs last neared New Zealand in 2006, a sheep was helicoptered out to be shorn on one of the floes in a publicity stunt by the country's wool industry.

For diabetics, portion size matters

2009-11-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

Over the years, the profile of a nutritionist has evolved in many ways. From being someone who dealt only with basic meal plans, today’s nutritionist handles a variety of complex tasks.

When it comes to handling diabetic patients, the change is most dramatic.
From telling diabetics what foods to avoid, today’s nutritionist has to keep abreast of highly complex growing scientific knowledge.

Diabetics are mostly attracted to the special diabetic foods being marketed widely. Most of the time, these special foods are no different from foods for a normal individual.

A healthy meal plan for diabetics is generally the same as a healthy diet for anyone: it has to be low in fat (particularly saturated fats and trans fats) and must have moderate amounts of salt and starch.

In addition, the meals must be based on whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

watch maker i phone

2009-11-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

It was not so long ago that the spread of the mobile phone sent waves of fear through the reserved world of fine watchmaking. The practicality of a portable phone that doubled as an accurate digital timekeeper made the necessity for a wristwatch vanish almost overnight. But now, with the popularity of the iPhone and its myriad applications, the watch industry finally has been able

one more flu death in the city

2009-11-19T22:51:00.001-08:00

Toll in the state rose to 30 with one more death.

confirmed in Jaipur on Thursday.

With 63 more people testing positive, including 46children. the totel number of swine flu patient has the total number of swine flu patients in the state has reached 985. "A 42-year-old man from Bikaner, who was admitted to a private hospital here, died on Thursday," said a health official. Of the 63 new cases, 36 were from Jaipur, followed by Jodhpur with 18, Kota seven and two from Ajmer. The latest death took the casualty figure in Jaipur to 14 whereas the total positive cases in the city has reached 791 which is the highest in the state followed by Jodhpur with 108 positive cases and 11 casualties. Meanwhile, the government has asked 19 more educational institutes to close for the next seven days as some students of these schools were tested positive. Altogether, 30 students were tested positive on Thursday. Of the 985 positive cases so far, a whopping 618 are below 15 years with the age group of 6-15 being the most vulnerable with 450 positive cases. The health department, on the other hand, increased the number of screenings to check the spread of the disease. "We have aggressively started the screening process and all these units have been provided with adequate dose of medication," said a top health official. Meanwhile, the co-operative medicinal stores in the state have made arrangements for the sale of swine flu medicines at subsidized rates.

Miss universe s3x shocking scandal of the 2 candidates of ms. universe"

2009-11-19T00:11:00.000-08:00

It's the latest beauty pageant sex tape scandal - and surprisingly we're not talking about Carrie Prejean( one of the candidates of miss universe).

This time it involves Miss Trinidad and Tobago 2008, Anya Ayoung-Chee, who was reportedly recorded having sex with her boyfriend, Wyatt Gallery, and another woman in a menage a trois.

Initial reports suggested the other woman was Miss Japan 2008, Hiroko Mima. However, late last night, TMZ reported that Gallery was speaking out in order to clear her name.

According to TMZ, Gallery confirmed Ayoung-Chee was in the tape with him and another woman, but the other woman was not Miss Japan.

Gallery went on to claim the video was swiped from his laptop while at a repair shop in Trinidad. The video itself, he reportedly told TMZ, was shot back in 2007.

"I feel horrible and embarrassed for Anya, her family and myself," he told TMZ, and suggested the leaking of the tape was done intentionally to damage her career.

The Miss Universe organization appeared to be distancing itself from this scandal. However, in a quote to TMZ, its statement that the video was shot "eight months after the pageant" would seem to conflict with Gallery's claim it was filmed in 2007.

Maersk Alabama Had been 2nd Attack of pirate by use of gun!

2009-11-19T00:08:00.001-08:00

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device. A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds.

Black friday : People are preparing for a fight

2009-11-19T00:03:00.000-08:00

Attention, class. Here's a logic question for you: If it's true that everyone loves a deal, and Black Friday offers the best deals of the year, then is it safe to assume that folks will go into a state of high-grade hysteria the day after Thanksgiving? The answer is: duh, of course.

Though over a week away, Black Friday is already igniting the Search box. Shoppers have pushed up searches on "black friday 2009" and "black friday ads" to dizzying heights. One might think that retailers would keep the deals a secret until the big day, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In an effort to get spend-happy shoppers to their stores, retailers have "leaked" many of their most drool-worthy deals. Offers from Walmart, Best Buy, and Target are all garnering a ton of lookups. And, interestingly, many of the deals are quite similar.

CNN Money explains what shoppers can expect find at Walmart on November 27. According to sources, there will be HDTVs, laptops, toys, and Blu-ray players for the grabbing. Confirmed products include a 50-inch Sanyo 720p plasma TV for $598, a Magnavox Blu-ray player for $78, and a GPS from TomTom for $59.

And across the urban sprawl at Target? A lot of the same, actually. There, you can get a 32-inch LCD HDTV from Westinghouse for $246, some toys for 50 percent off, and toasters and coffeemakers for just $3. Best Buy will reportedly offer shoppers a 50-inch Samsung plasma TV for $898, "huge discounts" on GPS units, and a PlayStation 3 Slim with two games for $300.

It's worth noting that none of these deals are "official," as the stores have yet to confirm them. But odds are, they're the real deal. Set your alarms and sharpen your claws — it's gonna be a long day.

ZYMOTICS MAGAZINE

Here’s a list of most expensive wines in the world

The New 7 wonders of the world for 2010 list

The Most Populated Country List of this 2010

Richest Man in the World Year 2010 Issue

The Top 10 Smartest Animal in the World

8 Perfect Summer Lake Towns

Photo: Maurice King/Flickr

Chelan, Wash.

Photo: northernimages.com

Grand Marais, Minn.

Photo: Courtesy of the Town of Dillon

Dillon, Colo.

Photo: Courtesy of Travel Portland

Forest Grove, Ore.

Photo: Courtesy North Country B&B

Rangeley, Maine

Photo: rkramer62/Flickr)

Leland, Mich.

Photo: Courtesy iStock/Switchback PR

Truckee, Calif.

Photo: Courtesy Garrett County Chamber of Commerce/Timothy Jacobsen

Oakland, Md.

Forbes magazine top 40 richest man in the Philippinmes year 2010

6 Easy Slim-Down Strategies

Sleep Problem

Dating Deal Breakers: When It's Time to Get Out

Top 5 Most Expensive Small Towns

China teen seen as hero for killing local official

15 most popular NBA Player

Egypt announces find of ancient cat goddess temple

Best And Worst Car ever in the World 2010 reports

Overall Brand Perception

Top 10 Hottest Celebrities of the year 2009

"World's least known bird" found breeding in Afghanistan

Domino's changed its pizza recipe. Here's what we think?

The Highest earning Celebrities of the Year

8 healthy and delicious Food

Meet Mikey, 8: U.S. Has Him on Watch List

Top 10 Most Visited Beach in the World

1. Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

2. Waikiki, Hawaii.

3. Cancun, Mexico.

4. Surfer's Paradise, Australia.

5. Negril, Jamaica.

6. South Beach, Florida.

7. Phi Phi, Thailand.

8. Boracay, Philippines.

9. Tenerife, Canary Islands.

10. Natadola Beach, Fiji.

Google hopes to change wireless retail game with Nexus One

the thing 10 you must know about real estate

Most anticipated Video Games of the year 2010

Weighing In On Bread

Weighing In On Bread

Top 10 saled shoes

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