BLEACH EPISODE 256

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BLEACH EPISODE 256

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BLEACH EPISODE 255

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BLEACH EPISODE 254








BLEACH EPISODE 253

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Hubble catches Pluto changing color

Hubble sees Pluto changing color, ice sheet cover

AP – This undated handout photo provided by NASA, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows the dwarf …

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Thu Feb 4, 4:17 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Spurned Pluto is changing its looks, donning more rouge in its complexion and altering its iceball surface here and there.

Color astronomers surprised.

Newly released Hubble Space Telescope photos show the distant one-time planet — demoted to "dwarf planet" status in 2006 — is changing color and its ice sheets are shifting.

The photos, released by NASA Thursday, paint a Pluto that is significantly redder than it had been for the past several decades. To the layman, it has a yellow-orange hue, but astronomers say it has about 20 percent more red than it used to have.

The pictures show icy frozen nitrogen on Pluto's surface growing and shrinking, brightening in the north and darkening in the south. Astronomers say Pluto's surface is changing more than the surfaces of other bodies in the solar system. That's unexpected because a season lasts 120 years in some regions of Pluto.

"It's a little bit of a surprise to see these changes happening so big and so fast," said astronomer Marc Buie of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. "This is unprecedented."

From 1954 to 2000, Pluto didn't change in color when it was photographed from Earth. But after that, it did. The red levels increased by 20 percent, maybe up to 30 percent, and stabilized from about 2000 to 2002, Buie said. It's not as red as Mars, however, Buie said.

Buie said he can explain the redness, but not why it changed so dramatically and so recently. The planet has a lot of methane, which contains carbon and hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen gets stripped off by solar winds and other factors, leaving carbon-rich areas on the surface, which tend to be red and dark.

The Hubble photos were taken in 2002 and the analysis took a few years. But why Pluto changed so quickly was such a mystery that Buie held off for years on announcing what he had found, worried that he might be wrong. However, since Pluto's moon Charon hadn't changed color in the same telescope images, he decided the Pluto findings weren't an instrument mistake.

His analysis also found that nitrogen ice was shifting in size and density in surprising ways. It's horribly cold on Pluto with, paradoxically, the bright spots being the coldest at about -382 degrees Fahrenheit. Astronomers are still arguing about the temperatures of the warm dark spots, which Buie believes may be 30 degrees warmer than the darker areas.

Part of the difficulty in figuring out what is going on with Pluto is that it takes the dwarf planet 248 years to circle the sun, so astronomers don't know what conditions are like when it's is farthest from the sun. The last time Pluto was at its farthest point was in 1870, which was decades before Pluto was discovered. Unlike Earth, Pluto's four seasons aren't equal lengths of time.

Buie's explanation makes sense, said retired NASA astronomer Stephen Maran, co-author of a book on Pluto. "Pluto is interesting and poorly understood, whether it qualifies as a planet or not," he said.

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Secrets for Shiny

Best Kept Secrets for Shiny, Strong Hair

• by The chicks at TotalBeauty.com, on Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:02am PST

When you see a certain drugstore shampoo commercial where the woman (always, always) has amazingly shiny hair, do you find yourself yelling "fake!" at the TV? (Don't feel bad; I'm totally there, shouting at my TV with you.)

Turns out, it's time to stop the cynicism. You actually can have totally shiny and strong hair in real life (er, unless you live in one of these 13 worst-hair cities) -- you just need a little help. Check out the tips below or take this shampoo quiz, and don't be surprised when the shocked and awed looks start.

Shine Cocktail
Celebrity hairstylist Marc Townsend (he does Natalie Portman and January Jones' hair, among other goddesses) has the perfect recipe for shiny hair: The night before you need extra shine, mix a silicone-based shine serum with deep conditioner, apply to your hair (fine-haired chicks will want to skip their roots) and leave it on for 15 minutes (or all night if you don't have a deep love for your pillow cases). Rinse it out thoroughly and have your sunglasses on hand to shield your eyes from your hair glare.

Skip the Heat
It's tough, I know, but whenever possible avoid the blow dryer and flat irons. You'll minimize the damage and split ends, so your hair will be stronger and lay smoother (smoother hair reflects more light and looks shinier). Can't avoid it? Then use one of these 14 top-rated drugstore conditioners.

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Naruto Shippuden Episode 146 ( 137 - 146 )

Naruto Shippuden Episode 146

Naruto Shippuden Episode 145







Naruto Shippuden Episode 144








Naruto Shippuden Episode 143







NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 142










EPISODE 141



EPISODE 140




NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 139



Naruto Shippuden Episode 138 Just click the word read more to see the video ...




Naruto Shippuden Episode 138



Naruto Shippuden Episode 137

http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com <--- watch naruto shippuden episode 137 to 144

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Valentine's Day (2010)

A diverse group of Los Angelenos navigate their way through romance and heartbreak over the course of one Valentine's Day. Couples and singles experience the pinnacles and pitfalls of finding, keeping or ending relationships in a day in the life of love.

Cast & Crew

Starring:

Jessica Alba

Kathy Bates

Jessica Biel

Bradley Cooper

Eric Dane

Patrick Dempsey

Hector Elizondo

Jamie Foxx

Jennifer Garner

Topher Grace

Anne Hathaway

Ashton Kutcher

Queen Latifah

Taylor Lautner

George Lopez

Shirley MacLaine

Emma Roberts

Julia Roberts

Taylor Swift

Directed By:

Garry Marshall

Also Known As:	Untitled Katherine Fugate Romantic Comedy
Production Status:	In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres:	Comedy and Holiday
Running Time:	1 hr. 57 min.
Release Date:	February 12th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity.
Distributors:	Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:	Karz Entertainment
Studios:	New Line Cinema
Filming Locations:	Los Angeles, California, USA
Produced in:	United States

Cast Photos

• 

  Anne Hathaway

• 

  Ashton Kutcher

• 

  Bradley Cooper

• 

  Jamie Foxx

• 

  Jennifer Garner

• 

  Julia Roberts

• 

  Taylor Lautner

• 

  Taylor Swift

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How to get your anger under control

When counting to 10 before speaking doesn't work, these tips may help.

Tips for squelching your anger

One of my worst faults is my quick temper. I’ve been working hard to control my anger—by not expressing it, or even better, not feeling it.

The problem with that familiar advice about “counting to 10” is that I can never remember to do it. Here are some strategies that do work for me, when I manage to use them.

1. Don’t give in to my anger. Many people believe in the “catharsis hypothesis” and think that expressing anger is healthy-minded and relieves their feelings. Not so. Studies show that expressing anger only aggravates it. I’ve certainly found this to be true; once I get going, I can whip myself into a fury. It’s better to stay calm.

2. Let the sun go down on my anger. I tend to get irritated with the Big Man at night, probably because I’m tired. Now I force myself to wait until the next day to berate him about this or that. And the next morning, my anger is completely gone.

3. Accept blame. I hate being in the wrong, and often snap back when people find fault with something I’ve done. Now I really try to pause to ask myself, “Am I in the wrong?” and to respond with gentleness.

4. Ask: “Am I improving the situation?” This works especially well with the Big Girl. If I get angry with her, she has a complete melt-down. It’s unpleasant, but her reactions have sure helped me get better control of myself. Now, when I have the urge to snap, I think, “Is this going to help the situation?” And the answer is always NO.

5. Find “an area of refuge.” I lifted this phrase from a sign near an elevator at Yale Law School—it struck me as funny. Research shows that when people’s thoughts are unoccupied, brooding sets in. So I try to “find an area of refuge” in my mind; that is, to dwell on serene thoughts instead of brooding and fussing. Along the same lines…

6. Distract myself. Indulging in “overthinking”—dwelling on trifling slights, unpleasant encounters, and sadness—leads to bad feelings. I can enrage myself by obsessing on some petty annoyance. In what the Big Man calls the “downward spiral,” I begin to rail about every negative episode in recent memory. Now I deliberately distract my thoughts, usually by thinking about some writing question.

7. Ask: am I mad at myself? Martha Beck makes the interesting argument that we brood on other people’s faults when we subconsciously identify with them; what we condemn in other people is what we condemn in ourselves. So now when someone is making me angry, I ask myself, “Can I accuse myself of the same fault?” In a telling bit of psychology, I’ve noticed Beck’s observation to be very true for other people, but not so much for myself! Do I suspect a bit of self-denial might be going on…?

8. Laugh. Humor is the answer to everything (humor and exercise). Now when I absolutely can’t hold back my anger, I at least try to insert a joke, or make fun of myself, or assume a lighter tone as I rant on. So instead of sniping out a comment like “Can you PLEASE just answer my emails so I can deal with these horrible logistics issues?!” I might say something like, “I’m thinking of getting a homing pigeon that will fly to your office and rap on your window with its beak until you send me an answer.” The added advantage of this approach is that no matter how the other person responds, I feel less angry and more light-hearted when I adopt a lighter tone.

*
Dear Readers,
My resolution for this month is “Go the extra step.” As part of that, I’m trying to take extra steps to promote my blog – even when that means doing things that make me uncomfortable. (Like attaching this note to a few posts.)

One of the challenges of a blog is just letting people know that it’s there. And so I’m asking you for a big favor.

If you have the time and the inclination, it would be a huge help if you would email anyone you know who might enjoy this blog, to give them the link and tell them a bit about it. Word of mouth is very powerful.

My happiness research predicts that if you do this good deed, you’ll feel great! That’s the Samaritan effect: “do good, feel good.”

I really appreciate your help. Be happy, Gretchen

bloggerroots.blogspot.com

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Naruto Shippuden Episode 145 ( 137 - 145 )

Naruto Shippuden Episode 144








Naruto Shippuden Episode 143







NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 142










EPISODE 141



EPISODE 140




NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 139



Naruto Shippuden Episode 138 Just click the word read more to see the video ...




Naruto Shippuden Episode 138



Naruto Shippuden Episode 137

http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com <--- watch naruto shippuden episode 137 to 144

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Prc nursing board exam result November 2009

Online lists of passers for Nurse licensure examination

Prc nursing board exam result November 2009 <-- click to view

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You'll need less sleep as you age

You'll need less sleep as you age

Healthy older adults require less rest than their younger counterparts, a study finds.

Healthy adults need less sleep as they age: study

DDP/AFP/File – Passengers stranded by winter weather sleep at the airport in the central German city of Frankfurt am …

Mon Feb 1, 1:03 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Healthy older adults need less sleep than their younger counterparts and, even with less sleep under their nightcaps, are less likely to feel tired during the day, a study published Monday showed.

The time spent actually sleeping out of eight hours in bed declined progressively and significantly with age, the study published in SLEEP, the official journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, said.

Older adults, aged 66-83, slept about 20 minutes less than middle-aged adults (40-55 years), who slept 23 minutes less than young adults aged 20-30, the study said.

The older adults woke up significantly more often and spent more time awake after initial sleep onset than younger adults.

Deep, or slow-wave sleep, thought to be the most restorative phase of sleep, decreased with age, the study said.

But although older adults slept less deeply and less overall, and their sleep was less continuous than their younger counterparts', they also showed less need for a quick kip during the day.

The study was conducted at the Clinical Research Centre of the University of Surrey in England and involved 110 healthy adults without sleep disorders or complaints.

Forty-four of the participants were young, 35 middle-aged and 31 older adults.

They slept normally one night, the baseline night, then had two nigths where their sleep was interrupted, followed by one recovery night.

During the baseline night, younger adults spent an average of 433.5 minutes asleep compared to around 410 minutes for middle aged adults and 390 for older adults.

On the same night, the younger adults had 118.4 minutes of deep sleep, compared to 85.3 minutes for middle-aged adults and 84.2 minutes for older adults.

But when asked to lie in a comfortable position on a bed during the day and try to fall asleep, young adults nodded off in an average of 8.7 minutes, compared with nearly 12 minutes for middle-aged adults and just over 14 minutes for older adults.

( http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com )

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Giant squid 'invasion' sparks excitement

Giant squid 'invasion' sparks excitement

Hundreds of the creatures show up in California waters, causing a big spike in fishing trips

Giant squid

Invasion of the Giant Squids

by Mike Krumboltz

Giant squids! Sorry to startle you, but we're just so excited. You see, they're giant squids! And they're invading California beaches by the hundreds! And in a heavily attended press conference this morning, they announced plans to star in their own reality show!

OK, so maybe that last one hasn't happened (yet), but the rest of it is the honest-to-god truth. An article from the AP explains that the squids weigh up to 60 pounds each, but most tip the scales somewhere between 20 and 40 pounds. And, yes, they squirt ink when irritated.

Web searches on the giant squids (GIANT SQUIDS!) are already off the charts. One-day spikes on both "giant squids" and "giant squids in california" surged from near-zip into the thousands. Folks clearly want to see these gargantuan creatures for themselves.

Despite their intimidating heft and tendency to spew ink, the squids aren't scaring off local fishermen. As of today, around 400 of the giant squids have been nabbed by anglers. That number is likely to rise. An article from San Diego 6 explains that locals "started booking twilight fishing trips over the weekend to catch them."

The last time the giant (aka “jumbo” aka “Humboldt”) squid made waves in Search came last September, when a record-breaking 19 ½-foot-long, 103-lb beast was pulled from the Gulf of Mexico.

Now they're back with a vengeance. Wanna see the new ones for yourself? MyFoxLA hosts a collection of photos of nabbed squids.

http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com

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Northern lights mystery believed solved

An image of a parachute-like object near an aurora puzzled observers around the world.

Aurora Mystery Solved?

By Ian O'Neill | Tue Jan 26, 2010 01:58 PM ET

The mystery shape in the aurora over Andenes, Norway (photograph by Per-Arne Mikalsen)

On Jan. 20, 2010, Per-Arne Mikalsen was photographing a vast aurora erupting over the northern Norwegian town of Andenes.

Because solar activity is on the increase, aurora spotters have many opportunities to see the Northern Lights. On this particular night the aurora was intense, stretching toward the southern latitudes of Norway.

In one of the photographs taken by Mikalsen was an "object" that couldn't be identified. Although Mikalsen had taken several images at the same location, just one photo showed a mysterious green parachute-like object hanging with the main aurora. (This time, it appears that the Russian military was not involved in the making of this strange shape in the sky.)

At first it seemed easy to dismiss the object as a lens flare or a spot on the camera lens, but after further study it became clear that the answer wasn't that simple.

The mystery shape in the aurora over Andenes, Norway, wider angle (photograph by Per-Arne Mikalsen)

Also, Mikalsen is no stranger to aurorae, having worked on Andøya Rocket Range (on the island of Andøya) for many years. He's seen aurorae of all shapes and sizes, but he'd never before seen a structure like this hanging in the sky.

"I have been working the Andøya Rocket Range for 25 years (the 20 last years in the management) and I have become more and more fascinated by the aurora," Mikalsen told Discovery News. "Photography is a hobby for me."

According to Mikalsen, as soon as he posted his aurora photographs on the Spaceweather.com Northern Lights Gallery, he received dozens of emails from all over the world requesting more information about the mysterious shape.

So what could it be? In correspondence with Truls Lynne Hansen, lead scientist at the Tromsø Geophysical Observatory, he doubts that the mystery object can be explained by a technical fault.

"Usually such aberrations appear when there is a small and intense source of light in the field of view, or at least so close that the light from it hits the lens," Hansen explained to me via email. "That seems not to be the case here."

"Additionally the color of the 'phenomenon' is the same as the color in the aurora, the auroral green line from atomic oxygen," Hansen continued, "so the 'phenomenon' is either a genuine auroral feature or a reflection of auroral light somewhere in space."

Hold on. A reflection of auroral light... in space? That's impossible.

Or is it?

How an Iridium flare works with sunlight, but the same should be true for other light sources, such as aurorae (astrosat.net)

The structured shape of the phenomenon, plus its distance from any light sources, seems to indicate that this isn't an equipment problem. There is also no known aurora that could do this naturally. So that leaves the "reflection from space" argument. What do we have in space that could possibly reflect the green light being emitted by the aurora?

"I agree with Pål Brekke [Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Space Centre] that a reflection from a satellite is a candidate," said Hansen. "It reminds of the so-called 'Iridium flares' -- reflections of sunlight from the regularly shaped Iridium satellites."

Satellite flares are well known by astronomers. As a satellite passes overhead, the conditions may be right for the spacecraft's solar panels or antennae to reflect sunlight down to the ground. The result is a short-lived burst of light, known as a "flare."

The network of Iridium communication satellites are best known for their flares, since they have three huge door-sized antennae that act as orbital mirrors. Witnessing an Iridium flare is immensely rewarding; the event can be predicted beforehand because these satellites have orbits that can be tracked.

My personal concern about the satellite flare theory is the question about auroral light intensity. Is the light from a large aurora bright enough to bounce off a satellite and appear as an auroral satellite flare as a point? And in turn produce a parachute-shaped, lens flare-like projection in the photo? I couldn't imagine even an Iridium satellite amplifying auroral light that much (although a stonking-huge orbital solar power array of the future might do a better job).

"The intensity of an intense aurora is not far from the intensity of moonlight, which is 1/100,000 of sun's light, and the solar Iridium flares apparently are several orders of magnitude stronger than this 'auroral flare,' so the intensity does not immediately exclude the satellite reflection hypothesis," said Hansen.

BIG PIC: See the whole scene as captured by Per-Arne Mikalsen.

A weak auroral flare seems feasible, but as pointed out by astronomer Daniel Fischer via Twitter, the green flare might not have anything to do with reflected aurora light, it could just be the color of the lens coating. The lens flare was therefore the result of internal reflections inside the camera lens caused by the bright lights in the lower left-hand corner of the frame.

"It has the typical caustic shape and it is opposite several bright point lights," Fischer observed. "Green color could be caused by lens coatings."

Although more research will need to be done, it certainly seems plausible that Per-Arne Mikalsen serendipitously took a photograph of a satellite flare (possibly an Iridium satellite).

What makes this revelation even more exciting is that we've never seen an auroral reflection from a satellite before (if it's not a lens flare, that is).

"I have, by the way, never seen or heard of a similar phenomenon," Hansen said.

Special thanks to Avi Joseph for bringing my attention to the strange shape in the aurora and thanks to Margit Dyrland, research fellow at Kjell Henriksen Observatory (Svalbard) who helped me track down the experts.

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RP mango certified as world's biggest

The Guinness Book of World Records has certified a 3.5-kilo mango from southern Philippines to be the world's biggest.

Radio dzBB reported early Monday that the mango, which surpassed the 2.4-kilo mango from Canada, was a product of Sergio at Maria Socorro Bodiongan of Iligan City.

It was submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records last September.

It was also the highlight of the Sundayag activity led by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 10 in Cagayan de Oro last year.

The DA in Region 10 also rejoiced over the recognition of the mango. Suzie Roa of DA Region 10 said it was a feat for local agriculture.

Roa said they have given the Bodiongan family cash incentives for the feat.

Source: GMANews.TV

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Prisoners re-create 'This Is It' dance ( Filipino inmates )

Michael Jackson's choreographer visits the Filipino inmates featured in the "Thriller" tribute.

Michael Jackson's Choreographer Teaches Dancing Filipino Prisoners 'This Is It' Routine

Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:18pm PST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training

Michael Jackson was a fan of the more than 1,500 Filipino inmates who performed the choreography for his video "Thriller" in 2007 and created a viral hit.

Jackson watched the videos of Cebu Provincial Detention And Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) prisoners during breaks from his tour rehearsals for "This Is It," his choreographer Travis Payne said.

Payne recently contacted Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and arranged to make a surprise visit to meet the performers in the high security prison, the Philippines' Manila Bulletin reported.

Payne spent two hours on Sun., Jan. 17, and Mon., Jan. 18, teaching the dancers the routines from Jackson's posthumous "This Is It" film.

"The Drill" is the last scene Payne and Jackson worked on together before the pop icon died in June. The clip was released over the weekend, days before the Tues., Jan. 26 release of the "This Is It" DVD.

The CPDRC performance videos of Jackson's "Thriller," "Dangerous," and the Village People's "Y.M.C.A," among others, are all well done.

But Payne, who worked with Jackson for more than 10 years, was able to take their performance to new heights. Their rendition of Jackson's "They Don't Really Care About Us" is comparable to the scene in "This Is It."

The "This Is It" version is a highlight of the film. It features a group of dancers who were digitally replicated to appear as an army. Payne's work with the CPDRC men brought this virtual sequence to real life.

The inmates were not initially receptive to participating in the choreographed dances, said Bryon Garcia, a security consultant for the prison. He suggested the activity to keep the prisoners busy during their downtime, the Manila Bulletin reported.

According to the New York Times, Bryon decided to post videos of the prisoners dancing online to publicize some of the positive changes he implemented at Cebu since joining the staff in 2004.

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Top Tips for Flat Abs (Eating Required!)

Happier, Healthier You
by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief a Yahoo! Health Expert for Women's Health

Let's all say it together: Crunches are boring! We all hate crunches, but flatter abs would certainly be nice. We want them without doing so much to get them. This year, you can have both—the abs and the easy moves. The best part is that it will happen fast if you stick with the program. The truth is, there are so many ultra-effective tips and moves for a leaner stomach that you can swear off crunches forever, if you'd like, and still chisel your middle. One of my favorites? The plank! For more simple, enjoyable ways to shed inches from your waist, try my favorite ab moves and tips from the last year of SELF:

1) Go on an abs spree
Grouping all your ab exercises together can deliver better results than switching back and forth between various body parts, according to Nicole Stewart, a pilates instructor in Los Angeles. Working your abs to the "burning" point delivers a sizzling stomach.

2) Feast on a little fat!
A smidge of fat in your diet can actually help your midsection get svelte. Studies suggest that foods rich in monounsaturated fats—including olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado—can help prevent the accumulation of unwelcome tummy fat. See 8 superfoods that combat fat.

3) Try teamwork
Toning up and slimming down doesn't need to be a solitary pursuit. Grab a pal for this exercise: Lie on the floor with your legs straight up in the air, says Akin Williams, a group fitness instructor at Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City, who created this move. Ask a buddy to command you to bring your legs up and down randomly (saying, for example, "Right leg down, left leg up" and "Both legs up") every few seconds. Use your ab muscles to follow her directions, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor. Do this for three or four 20- to 60-second sets, resting 1 minute between each set. Then switch and you be the leader. These random commands trigger a rapid contraction of your muscles, tiring the more easily sculpted areas of your abs, so "you see better results in less time," says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist in San Diego for the American Council on Exercise. Hey, what are friends for?

4) Tone abs while you burn fat
Heart-pumping activity triggers your body to convert abdominal fat to fuel, research shows. Aim to do 30 minutes or more most days. Squeeze even more belly benefits from your stint on the treadmill by ramping up the incline, or relying on your core muscles to keep you upright on the elliptical (grip the handlebars, but don't use them to support you!) to engage your core, says Joanna Stahl, group fitness instructor at Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City.

5) Try the Dragonfly
Start on all fours, a weight in each hand. Extend left leg behind you in line with body; extend right arm out to side at shoulder level. Keeping left leg lifted, curl weight toward chest (see the move). Straighten arm for one rep. Do 12 reps. Switch sides; repeat.

6) Find your balance
A great way to tighten and tone your core? Give yourself a stay-steady challenge. "Strength moves requiring balance work the tough-to-reach transverse abdominis more effectively than traditional ab toners do," says Robert Sherman, a trainer in Rockville, Maryland. Use a folded bath towel, a BOSU or a pair of balance pods to make it hard to find your footing for this move, called the Lunge-Up: With left foot on pod or towel, lower into lunge, knee over ankle, thigh parallel to ground, right knee bent with heel raised, hands on hips (see the move). As you straighten left leg, push off ball of right foot, bringing right thigh in front and parallel to ground, balancing on pod. Slowly return to start. Do 12 reps. Switch legs; repeat.

5) Bend those knees
Add a tummy-toning balance challenge to traditional squats by doing them on one leg, as Roxy pro surfer Kassia Meador swears by. Do two sets of 12 reps on alternate days for abs that make waves.

6) Do the ab-up
A side plank sculpts flat abs fast by focusing on obliques, the muscles that wrap around your middle and hold you in. Lie on left side, resting on left forearm and left hip, knees and feet stacked, right arm at side. Lift left hip into a side plank (see the move). Lower and touch left hip to ground, then lift back up, holding abs in tight, for one rep. Do 20 reps. Switch sides; repeat.

7) Go bananas!
The fruit contains 422 milligrams of potassium, which helps limit belly-bloating sodium in your body. Talk about peel appeal! Another source: four stalks of celery deliver 416 mg of potassium.

8) Do bench presses
Extending your arms during the pec-perking exercise causes your ab muscles to contract, toning your abs as well as your arms. Add two sets of 12 reps to your usual routine.

9) Chill out
Increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, can lead to excess stomach fat, research shows. Try delegating work duties, pursue a hobby you find relaxing, whether it's knitting or jewelry making, and make laid-back lunch dates with buddies to lighten your mood—and slim your middle!

Want more secrets to your strongest, slimmest stomach yet? Try the step-by-step Jump Start plan at Self.com, packed with easy eat-better tips and a workout designed by The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels

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Most beautiful castles in the world

The World's Most Beautiful Castles

By Stephen Whitlock

Bamburgh Castle, England

Nick McCann

They may no longer be used for repelling enemy hordes or otherwise defending the kingdom, but these castles still have their rugged good looks.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh, England

Fortifications have stood on this rocky outcrop near the North Sea since the 5th century. In the 12th century, King Henry II acquired the structure, and later it was snapped up by William Armstrong, a wealthy Victorian industrialist. Still owned by Armstrong's descendents, the castle has served as the location for several movies, including Roman Polanski's 1971 version of Macbeth. After you tour the castle, which is open to the public from March to October, hop over to nearby Holy Island for a visit to Lindisfarne Castle. This stunner also overlooks the sea and is accessible only at low tide (the causeway connecting it to the mainland floods at high tide)

Château de Castelnaud, France

Robert Harding/Getty

Château de Castelnaud

Castelnaud — la-Chapelle, France

This impressive fortress, located on the limestone rocks above the Dordogne River, overlooks a former enemy, the Château de Beynac. During the Hundred Years' War, the English held Castelnaud and the French controlled Beynac, with both nations hoping to control this sensitive border region. These days Castelnaud is known for its Museum of Medieval Warfare, which includes reconstructions of giant crossbows and trebuchets, the huge slings used to hurl rocks at castle walls.

Leeds Castle, England

Leeds Castle Foundation

Leeds Castle

Maidstone, England

More than 900 years old, this moated castle regularly hosted that much-married Tudor, Henry VIII. Its current success as one of England's most popular tourist attractions is due to the work of the blue-blooded Olive Wilson Filmer, who outbid William Randolph Hearst to buy the castle for $873,000 in 1926 (that's over $10 million in today's dollars). Filmer used the rest of her fortune to restore and beautify the structure and its surroundings. On the grounds are several mazes, a display on falconry, and a dog-collar museum.

Château de Chillon, Switzerland

Jon

Arnold/JAI/Corbis

Château de Chillon

Lake Geneva, Switzerland

As with most real estate, it's often location, location, location that makes all the difference with castles. On an island near the edge of Lake Geneva, Château de Chillon is no exception. Excavations here have turned up evidence of a Bronze Age settlement, but the castle as it now stands was created between the 12th and 18th centuries. Its popularity got a huge boost in 1816. That year, following a visit, Lord Byron published his long poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"; the work refers to the "seven pillars of Gothic mold" that stand in "Chillon's dungeons deep and old."

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria

Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hohenschwangau, Bavaria

Ludwig II of Bavaria — a.k.a. Mad King Ludwig — commissioned a set designer to create Neuschwanstein. Engineers broke ground in 1869, but King Ludwig didn't get much chance to enjoy his over-the-top palace. In 1886, as the castle was nearing completion, he died under suspicious circumstances; his body was found floating in a lake, with the body of his physician nearby. Despite this unhappy ending, Neuschwanstein remains the quintessential fairy-tale castle: It was a major inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Kronborg Castle

Kronborg Castle

Helsingør, Denmark

Dating back to the 1420s, Kronborg is one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles, despite the various alterations it's undergone since then. Positioned next to a strait separating the Danish island of Sjælland from Sweden, it had great strategic power over the sea traffic—not enough, however, to prevent the persistent Swedes from conquering it in 1658. Kronborg gained more lasting fame as the castle in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Eilean Donan, Scotland

Radius Images/Corbis

Eilean Donan

Dornie, Scotland

Planted on an island in the middle of a loch, Scotland's most famous castle looks as if it's been there forever. It does date back to 1220, but the original structure was destroyed in 1719 and lay in ruins for two centuries. In 1919, Lieutenant Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought it and began restoration. He was helped by the stonemason Farquar Macrae, who claimed to have seen in a dream how the original castle looked in earlier times. The castle was rebuilt according to Macrae's specifications; later, plans found at Edinburgh Castle proved his vision correct. The "new" castle was finished in 1932.

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BLEACH EPISODE 253 - 255

Bleech_1255
by cyofrwg

BLEACH EPISODE 255

BLEACH 254 VOSTA HD

BLEACH EPISODE 254








BLEACH EPISODE 253

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SI_PeterKing: Rex sends Marty Schottenheimer a game ball for Sunday's win in San Diego. You wonder why Brian Schottenheimer loves coaching for Rex?

SI_PeterKing: Rex sends Marty Schottenheimer a game ball for Sunday's win in San Diego. You wonder why Brian Schottenheimer loves coaching for Rex?

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Naruto Shippuden Episode 144 ( 137 - 144 )

Naruto Shippuden Episode 144








Naruto Shippuden Episode 143







NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 142










EPISODE 141



EPISODE 140




NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 139



Naruto Shippuden Episode 138 Just click the word read more to see the video ...




Naruto Shippuden Episode 138



Naruto Shippuden Episode 137

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New player among the NBA's hot jerseys

A young star joins Kobe, LeBron, and Dwight Howard in the top four, demoting Dwyane Wade.

Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:25 pm EST

Kobe, LeBron, Dwight have NBA's hottest-selling jerseys

By J.E. Skeets

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

In related NBA cash news, the Lakers once again top the list of most popular NBA team merchandise. The Celtics hold on to the No. 2 spot for the second year in a row and the Cavaliers move up from No. 4 last season to No. 3.

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MEDI-JUANA

FILE - In this Thursday, June 24, 2004 picture, cancer patient Christopher Campbell holds roll of 'MEDI-JUANA' in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Visitors look at a Mercedes-Benz SL-600 covered by Swarovski's 300,000 gold shadow crystal pieces, designed by Japanese automotive accessories company D.A.D at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010.

(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)



The moon passes between the sun and the earth during an annular solar eclipse in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province January 15, 2010. The longest, ring-like solar eclipse of the millennium started on Friday, with astronomers saying the Maldives was the best place to view the phenomenon that will not happen again for over 1,000 years. REUTERS/China Daily (CHINA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY) CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA

An annular solar eclipse is seen formed over the sky of Male, Maldives, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Thousands of people viewed the spectacle of the eclipse of the sun looking skywards through special filter eyeglasses as the moon crosses its path blocking everything but a narrow, blazing rim of light.

(AP Photo/Sinan Hussain)

A bird is silhouetted against the sun during the formation of an annular solar eclipse in New Delhi, India, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Thousands of people in India viewed the spectacle of the eclipse of the sun looking skywards through special filter eyeglasses as the moon crosses its path blocking everything but a narrow, blazing rim of light.

(AP Photo)



The moon casts a shadow on the upper right quadrant of the sun during an almost two-hour partial solar eclipse as viewed at sunset in Manila, Philippines, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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WORLD's SMALLEST TIGER Sculpture and othersA sculpture made from nearly 1,000 pounds of butter that pays tribute to dairy farm families is displayed a

A tiger, carved by Taiwan's miniature scultor Chen Forng-shean, is placed on a needle during a display at his home in Hsintien, Taipei county. The artist said he has completed the world's smallest tiger sculpture, tiny enough to pass through the eye of a needle.


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A sculpture made from nearly 1,000 pounds of butter that pays tribute to dairy farm families is displayed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2009. The sculpture depicts a dairy cow, as well as a dairy farmer pouring a glass of milk at the breakfast table with his family. The sculpture, by sculptor Jim Victor, of Conshohocken, Pa., was crafted from butter donated by Land O' Lakes in Carlisle, Pa. The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs Jan. 9-16.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)





Out for a ride : People ride on a boat near the Waikiki beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. (AFP/Jewel Samad)

Kailua rainbow : A rainbow appears in the sky over the neighborhood where US President Barack Obama and his family resided for their vacation in Kailua, Hawaii.

(AFP/Jewel Samad)

In this undated image released from the National Taiwan Ocean University, a new species of crab (Neoliomera Pubescens) is displayed. A marine biologist said he has discovered a new crab species off the coast of southern Taiwan that looks like a strawberry with small white bumps on its red shell.

(AP Photo/National Taiwan Ocean University)

FILE - In this Thursday, June 24, 2004 picture, cancer patient Christopher Campbell holds roll of 'MEDI-JUANA' in Portland, Ore.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Surprise about 'world's least known bird'

Scientists didn't even know where the large-billed reed warbler bred — until now.

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

AP – This undated photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society shows a large-billed reed warbler. The …

Sun Jan 17, 8:44 pm ET

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)

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CLASH OF TITANS MOVIE 2010

Clash of the Titans

The ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Starring:	Sam Worthington, Pete Postlethwaite, Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos
Directed by:	Louis Leterrier
Produced by:	Jon Jashni, Thomas Tull, Adam Schroeder

Production Status:	In Production/Awaiting Release
Logline:	Zeus' son, Perseus journeys to save Princess Andromeda during which he must complete various tasks set out by Zeus, including capturing Pegasus and slaying Medusa.
Genres:	Action/Adventure and Remake
Release Date:	March 26th, 2010 (wide)
Distributors:	Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:	Thunder Road Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Inc.
Studios:	Warner Bros. Pictures
Produced in:	United States

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Director: Desmond Davis

Writer:Beverley Cross Release Date: 12 June 1981 (USA)

Tagline: An Epic Entertainment Spectacular!

Awards: 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast (in credits order) verified as complete

	Laurence Olivier	...	Zeus
	Claire Bloom	...	Hera
	Maggie Smith	...	Thetis
	Ursula Andress	...	Aphrodite
	Jack Gwillim	...	Poseidon
	Susan Fleetwood	...	Athena
	Pat Roach	...	Hephaestus
	Harry Hamlin	...	Perseus
	Judi Bowker	...	Andromeda
	Burgess Meredith	...	Ammon
	Siân Phillips	...	Cassiopeia
	Flora Robson	...	Stygian Witch
	Anna Manahan	...	Stygian Witch
	Freda Jackson	...	Stygian Witch
	Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Thallo
	Neil McCarthy	...	Calibos
	Donald Houston	...	Acrisius
	Vida Taylor	...	Danae
	Harry Jones	...	Huntsman

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Cameron plans 'Avatar' sequel

Director James Cameron reveals details about the sequel to his billion-dollar blockbuster.

James Cameron Planning 'Avatar' Trilogy

by Lindsay Robertson · January 14, 2010

By now everyone knows that not only is "Avatar" a huge hit, but also director James Cameron never expected it to be anything less than a blockbuster. So it's not a huge surprise that the director confirms this week that he has always planned to do an "Avatar" sequel, and hopefully even turn the franchise into a trilogy (you hear that, George Lucas?).

"I've had a storyline in mind from the start - there are even scenes in 'Avatar' that I kept in because they lead to the sequel," Cameron tells Entertainment Weekly in this week's issue. "It just makes sense to think of it as a two or three film arc, in terms of the business plan. 'The CG [computer graphic] plants and trees and creatures and the musculo-skeletal rigging of the main characters - that all takes an enormous amount of time to create. It'd be a waste not to use it again."

In other words: Cameron is taking a kind of "green" approach to the blue-skinned characters: Recycle, reuse, and reduce what might otherwise be underused filmmaking.

Directors often hint about sequels that never come about, but the fact that "Avatar" star Sam Worthington has already signed on to reprise his role as Jake Sully suggests the plans look pretty solid. And Cameron has had good luck with sequels in the past: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" made more than seven times as much money as the original "Terminator"; and "Aliens," Cameron's sequel to Ridley Scott's "Alien" may not have outpaced the original at the box office, but it was by all other metrics a solid hit.

As for other cast members returning for an "Avatar" sequel, actor Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Miles Quaritch, the baddest guy in the movie, thinks he could make a return: "You think those two arrows in my chest are going to stop me from coming back?" Lang told EW, "Nothing's over so long as they've got my DNA."

Whatever Cameron imagines for the planet Pandora in the sequel, he'll probably stick with an environmentalist theme.

When asked this week at a private industry screening of the film in Los Angeles about the film having a "political agenda," Cameron said, "I don't know if there is a political agenda exactly, but as an artist I felt a need to say something about what I saw around me. I think we all need to take stewardship of our planet," adding: "I think everyone should be a tree hugger."

If the "Avatar" sequel does happen, it'll be a few years before audiences can lay their 3D-glasses-enhanced eyes on it. Cameron is currently in pre-production on his next movie, "Battle Angel" in which he'll use some of the same CG technology he created for "Avatar." That film is slated to hit theaters in 2011.


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Obesity rates level off in adults

The right combination of diet and exercise can help reduce dangerous abdominal fat.

Obesity Rates May Be Leveling Off--But How to Shed That Fat?

89% of users found this article helpful.

By Deborah Kotz

Americans are fatter than we've ever been, but at least the prevalence of obesity appears to be leveling off. That's the finding of a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that if obesity rates had continued to rise as rapidly as they've been going up since the late 1980s, an increase of 6 to 7 percentage points would have been expected for men and women between 1999 and 2009. Instead, rates increased by less than 5 percent in men and didn't appear to increase much at all in women. "The data presented in our current study...suggest that the prevalence may have entered another period of relative stability," write the study authors, from the National Center for Health Statistics.

That's good news, but the rates are still shocking. About one third of Americans are obese, and another one third are overweight, which means two thirds of us have a weight problem. Black women fare the worst: Nearly three quarters are overweight, and half are obese. "Obesity is associated with more chronic disorders and poorer health-related quality of life than smoking or problem drinking," writes J. Michael Gaziano, of the Massachusetts Veterans Research and Information Center in an editorial that accompanied the study.

What to do? While the health risks of being, say, 50 pounds or more above a healthy weight remain undisputed, carrying around a few extra pounds isn't necessarily harmful. A growing body of evidence suggests it's where you carry your weight that determines your health risks. "Having extra fat in your legs, arms, or buttocks doesn't appear to hurt and may even be protective," says obesity researcher Gary Hunter, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "It's the fat that accumulates around the waistline that we worry about." This fat tends to collect near and around abdominal organs and releases chemicals that lead to inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The good news is that scientists are pinpointing a combination of diet and exercise techniques to flatten your stomach--even if you can't quite shed those few extra pounds:

1. Don't overdo it on exercise. Those who hit the treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical trainer for an hour or more may find themselves gaining weight from exercise. And not because they're putting on extra muscle. "You get really hungry from burning all those calories, and then you feel justified eating that muffin or doughnut after your workout," says plastic surgeon James Lyons, author of The Brown Fat Revolution. He often encourages prospective patients to revamp their diet and exercise program instead of getting liposuction. "I tell them to get a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes of aerobic activity, and focus on doing resistance training exercises that work the abdominal core like yoga or pilates and weight-lifting to build arm and leg muscles." This will help you retain muscle, normally shed with aging, and since muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat, will keep your metabolism boosted throughout the day. Thus, you'll burn off belly fat without increasing your appetite.

2. But definitely do some moderate activity at least twice a week--especially if you've recently lost weight. It's well known that regular exercise is essential for maintaining weight loss, but University of Alabama researchers discovered last October that all it takes is 40 minutes a day, twice a week to keep the belly fat from creeping back on. Interestingly, it didn't matter whether the study participants--white and black women who had lost an average of 27 pounds on a low-calorie diet--did aerobic activity or resistance training as long as they kept it up twice a week for a year. "While they did regain some weight, they gained it in their legs and arms, not their midsection," says Hunter, who led the study. Those participants who didn't exercise, on the other hand, regained most of their lost weight, the bulk of it around their belly. Hunter theorizes that exercise triggers beneficial hormonal changes that makes it easier for the body to store excess fat in the arms, hips, and thighs rather than near vital organs.

3. Eat a snack before and after a workout. This will give you energy for your activity and will keep your blood sugar levels from plummeting afterward, which can leave you feeling famished and likely to overeat, says Lyons. On his fat-shedding plan, he suggests having a light breakfast an hour before you exercise: 2 poached eggs on a whole-wheat English muffin; or a serving of oatmeal mixed with soy milk; or 1 cup of whole-grain cereal mixed with 1 cup of Greek-style yogurt. As a post-workout snack, he suggests having a piece of fruit and serving of starch. A slice of multi-grain toast with 1 cup of strawberries, perhaps, or a 1-cup serving of cooked oat bran with one cup of blueberries.

4. Think 6 mini-meals a day. You can do 1,000 crunches a day and still have that dreaded abdominal "pooch" if you don't find an effective way to stop overeating. "Diet is 85 percent of the deal when it comes to shedding belly fat," says Lyons. He recommends eating six small meals a day every two hours to keep hunger at bay and reduce the mid-afternoon or before-bed binges. Following the pre- and post-workout meals comes lunch, which should consist of a lean serving of protein (4 ounces of grilled chicken breast or tuna, 6 ounces of baked tilapia, or 1 cup of beans) and two cups of chopped vegetables. A mid-afternoon snack on his plan consists of a serving of fruit: one apple, cup of fresh berries, 1/4 melon, 1/2 grapefruit. Dinner is similar to lunch, with a protein such as grilled steak and steamed vegetables. And a night-time snack can be a handful of nuts with some dried apricots; a smoothie made with skim milk and 1 cup of strawberries; 1/2 cup serving of cottage cheese with 1 fresh sliced peach.

5. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Too little sleep (less than six hours) or too much (more than eight hours) results in an excess production of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone promotes the storage of fat in the belly. A possible reason: Your body, knowing it's in a state of stress, shuttles fat off to a storage place where it can be easily burned off for fuel in an emergency. Fat on the hips and thighs isn't released from cells as quickly, which is why we often refer to it as "stubborn fat."

6. Find ways to de-stress. Live in the present moment, recommends psychologist Jon Kabat-Zinn, founding director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. This practice, called mindfulness, will help relax you and lower your cortisol levels. Don't think about that candy bar you ate yesterday--likely to increase your levels of stress hormones--or make promises to run three miles tomorrow. Instead, Kabat-Zinn says, think of every moment as the "ability to learn, grow, and change." That will allow you to be truly present when you indulge in, say, that rich Godiva truffle or a 10-minute shoulder massage at an airport kiosk. And you'll also appreciate those small bright moments in your day: a joke from a co-worker, conversing with the lady in front of you at the supermarket, a good-night hug from your child--all of which lower cortisol levels and thus help to keep stubborn belly fat at bay.

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Skimboard SAFETY TIPS and Board Care

Skimboarding is best done in beaches with very smooth sand and no protruding rocks or sharp objects. In some places, a little cleaning and clearing may be required to make the area you plan to skim on safer. Sand bars or beaches with long flat slopes are good for beginners, while sloping shore lines are usually preferred by more skilled boarders.

1. Before beginning, make sure that the shoreline to be skimmed in is clear of any protruding pebbles, rocks, sticks, or any pointed objects that may harm you or your board. Also, make sure that no other person, especially a skimmer, is on the way. It is best to take turns when several skimmers are using the same area.

2. To begin, hold the skim-board with one hand on each side. If you are regular footed, hold your right-hand slightly to the back of the board and your left more toward the front. Practice running while holding the board parallel to the ground.

3. Wait for the water from a wave to begin washing back into the ocean. Use this time to also recheck for any possible hazards. Once you're going it's hard to stop.

4. Begin running at an angle towards the ocean as the water is receding.

5. Drop the skim-board on the sand as you are running. You want to drop it in less than an inch of water, but not on dry sand. Drop the board while you are coming off your outside foot.

6. Step onto the tail of the board with your inside foot, and then step onto the front with your other foot. These steps should be the very next ones after dropping the board and should be in sync with your running pace.

7. Crouch low to keep your balance.

More Safety Tips and Board Care

1. Make sure not push the board as you drop it down, or else you'll have to run to catch up with it. Skim boards move very fast.

2. Always step onto the board while you and your skim board are traveling the same pace; leaping onto the board that is way ahead of you always results in poor balance and a sore behind.

3. Be careful when you fall. Try to roll out of the fall on your shoulder to avoid breaking your wrist in 3 places because of one bad fall.

4. Skimboarding must be done on a beach with few rocks, shells and especially, people. Always keep this in mind to avoid any mishaps.

5. Use surf wax on your board to add traction and grip, thus making it safer to use by avoiding unnecessary slip-ups.

6. Rinse your board with tap water after every use to prevent deterioration of the paint job by salt residue.

7. Do not leave your board under direct sunlight for a prolonged period especially when not in use as it may warp or the paint job might be damaged.

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Rare map captures pivotal moment

The 400-year-old "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography" holds a crucial key to East-West relations

On this rare map, China is the center of the world

On this rare map, China is the center of the worldBy BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press Writer Brett Zongker, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jan 12, 12:17 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A rarely seen 400-year-old map that identified Florida as "the Land of Flowers" and put China at the center of the world went on display Tuesday at the Library of Congress.

The map created by Matteo Ricci was the first in Chinese to show the Americas. Ricci, a Jesuit missionary from Italy, was among the first Westerners to live in what is now Beijing in the early 1600s. Known for introducing Western science to China, Ricci created the map in 1602 at the request of Emperor Wanli.

Ricci's map includes pictures and annotations describing different regions of the world. Africa was noted to have the world's highest mountain and longest river. The brief description of North America mentions "humped oxen" or bison, wild horses and a region named "Ka-na-ta."

Several Central and South American places are named, including "Wa-ti-ma-la" (Guatemala), "Yu-ho-t'ang" (Yucatan) and "Chih-Li" (Chile).

Ricci gave a brief description of the discovery of the Americas.

"In olden days, nobody had ever known that there were such places as North and South America or Magellanica," he wrote, using a label that early mapmakers gave to Australia and Antarctica. "But a hundred years ago, Europeans came sailing in their ships to parts of the sea coast, and so discovered them."

The Ricci map gained the nickname the "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography" because it was so hard to find.

This map — one of only two in good condition — was purchased by the James Ford Bell Trust in October for $1 million, making it the second most expensive rare map ever sold. The library bought another of the world's rarest maps, the Waldseemuller world map, which was the first to name "America," for $10 million in 2003.

The Ricci map going on display had been held for years by a private collector in Japan and will eventually be housed at the Bell Library at the University of Minnesota. The map symbolizes the first connection between Eastern and Western thinking and commerce, said Ford W. Bell, co-trustee of the fund started by his grandfather, General Mills founder James Ford Bell.

Custodians at the Bell Library focus "on the development of trade and how that drove civilization — how that constant desire to find new markets to sell new products led to exchanges of knowledge, science, technology and really drove civilization," said Bell, who is also president of the American Association of Museums. "So (the map) fits in beautifully."

The map was being shown publicly for the first time in North America. It measures 12 feet by 5 feet, printed on six rolls of rice paper.

The Library of Congress rarely exhibits artifacts it does not own because its holdings are so vast, but curators made an exception for the Ricci map. It will be on view through April alongside the Waldseemuller map and later will be shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The library also will create a digital image of the map to be posted online for researchers and students.

Ti Bin Zhang, first secretary for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy, said the map represents "the momentous first meeting of East and West" and was the "catalyst for commerce."

No examples of the map are known to exist in China, where Ricci was revered and buried. Only a few original copies are known to exist, held by the Vatican's libraries and collectors in France and Japan.

A detail of Matteo Ricci's 1602 map nicknamed the 'Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography' showing Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, is seen on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, on Monday Jan. 11, 2010. The map is the first map in Chinese to show the Americas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)









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The Vatican's big 'Avatar' complaint

While praising "Avatar's" extraordinary visuals, the Vatican press blasts the film's eco-message.

Vatican says 'Avatar' is no masterpiece (AP)

Source: AP Tue Jan 12, 2010, 3:49 pm EST

VATICAN CITY - "Avatar" is wooing audiences worldwide with visually dazzling landscapes and nature-loving blue creatures. But the Vatican is no easy crowd to please.

The Vatican newspaper and radio station are criticizing James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster for flirting with the idea that worship of nature can replace religion — a notion the pope has warned against. They call the movie a simplistic and sappy tale, despite its awe-inspiring special effects.

"Not much behind the images" was how the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, summed it up in a headline.

As the second highest-grossing movie ever, "Avatar" is challenging the record set by Cameron's previous movie "Titanic."

Generally it has been critically acclaimed and is touted as a leading Oscar contender.

Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, has praised "Avatar" for what he calls its message of saving the environment from exploitation. But the movie also has drawn a number of critical voices. Some American conservative bloggers have decried its anti-militaristic message; a small group of people have said the movie contains racist themes.

To Vatican critics, the alien extravaganza is just "bland."

Cameron "tells the story without going deep into it, and ends up falling into sappiness," said L'Osservatore Romano. Vatican Radio called it "rather harmless" but said it was no heir to sci-fi masterpieces of the past.

Most significantly, much of the Vatican criticism was directed at the movie's central theme of man vs. nature.

L'Osservatore said the film "gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature." Similarly, Vatican Radio said it "cleverly winks at all those pseudo-doctrines that turn ecology into the religion of the millennium."

"Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship," the radio said.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that while the movie reviews are just that — film criticism, not theological pronouncements — they do reflect Pope Benedict XVI's views on the dangers of turning nature into a "new divinity."

Benedict has often spoken about the need to protect the environment, earning the nickname of "green pope." But he also has balanced that call with a warning against turning environmentalism into neo-paganism.

In a recent World Day of Peace message, the pontiff warned against any notions that equate human beings with other living things in the name of a "supposedly egalitarian vision." He said such notions "open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the source of man's salvation in nature alone, understood in purely naturalistic terms."

The pope explained in the message that while many experience tranquillity and peace when coming into contact with nature, a correct relationship between man and the environment should not lead to "absolutizing nature" or "considering it more important than the human person."

The Vatican newspaper occasionally likes to comment in its cultural pages on movies or pop culture icons, as it did recently about "The Simpsons" or U2. In one famous instance, several Vatican officials spoke out against "The Da Vinci Code."

In this case, the reviews came out after a red-carpet "Avatar" preview held in Rome just a stone's throw from St. Peter's Square. The movie — which has made more than $1.3 billion at box offices worldwide, partly boosted by higher 3-D ticket prices — will be released Friday in Italy.

"So much stupefying, enchanting technology, but few genuine emotions," said L'Osservatore in one of three articles devoted to "Avatar" in its Sunday editions. The plotline of aliens who live on a distant unspoiled planet and the humans who want to pillage their resources is a universal theme that can be reminiscent of past colonizations and wars, the paper said. As such, it is easy to relate to it, but also unoriginal.

"Everything is reduced to an overly simple anti-imperialistic and anti-militaristic parable," it said.

In America, the big numbers and media hype have been accompanied by some controversy.

Blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have criticized the film, with some calling it "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it reinforces "the white Messiah fable." Cameron says the real theme is about respecting others' differences.

An LA Times blog noted that the movie "has inflamed the passions of right-wing bloggers and pundits."

"Cameron incensed many voices on the right by acknowledging of-the-moment messages about imperialism, greed, ecological disregard and corporate irresponsibility," it said. Anti-smoking lobbies have denounced the cigarette-puffing character played by Sigourney Weaver.

Back at the Vatican, the reviews did praise the groundbreaking visuals of the movie.

Vatican Radio said that "really never before have such surprising images been seen," while L'Osservatore said the movie's worth lies in its "extraordinary visual impact."

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'Spider-Man 4' scrapped; reboot planned'

Source: The Hollywood Reporter Mon Jan 11, 2010, 1:00 pm EST

Columbia has scrapped "Spider-Man 4" and is rebooting its Spider-Man film franchise.

The studio is parting ways with director Sam Raimi and "Spider-Man" stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and is taking the webslinger's alter ego, Peter Parker, back to high school.

The new movie, which will still be produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios, is eyeing a release in summer 2012.

The news of the reboot follows weeks of script problems in which the studio was at loggerheads with Raimi over which villains to use in the movie. The clashes were kept mostly under radar but last week erupted into the public when it became clear that the studio was not going to meet its start date and subsequently its May 6, 2011, release date.

Columbia and Raimi put on a unified front Monday when making the announcement they were parting.

"A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the boxoffice, and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise.

"Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We're very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning," Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal said in a statement.

Said Raimi: "Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job."

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Some critics claim racist theme in 'Avatar'

Despite the epic's cutting-edge effects, a few reviewers say it relies on a troubling old Hollywood formula.

Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar' (AP)

Source: AP Mon Jan 11, 2010, 9:40 am EST

- Near the end of the hit film "Avatar," the villain snarls at the hero, "How does it feel to betray your own race?" Both men are white — although the hero is inhabiting a blue-skinned, 9-foot-tall, long-tailed alien.

Strange as it may seem for a film that pits greedy, immoral humans against noble denizens of a faraway moon, "Avatar" is being criticized by a small but vocal group of people who allege it contains racist themes — the white hero once again saving the primitive natives.

Since the film opened to widespread critical acclaim three weeks ago, hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have said things such as the film is "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it reinforces "the white Messiah fable."

The film's writer and director, James Cameron, says the real theme is about respecting others' differences.

In the film (read no further if you don't want the plot spoiled for you) a white, paralyzed Marine, Jake Sully, is mentally linked to an alien's body and set loose on the planet Pandora. His mission: persuade the mystic, nature-loving Na'vi to make way for humans to mine their land for unobtanium, worth $20 million per kilo back home.

Like Kevin Costner in "Dances with Wolves" and Tom Cruise in "The Last Samurai" or as far back as Jimmy Stewart in the 1950 Western "Broken Arrow," Sully soon switches sides. He falls in love with the Na'vi princess and leads the bird-riding, bow-and-arrow-shooting aliens to victory over the white men's spaceships and mega-robots.

Adding to the racial dynamic is that the main Na'vi characters are played by actors of color, led by a Dominican, Zoe Saldana, as the princess. The film also is an obvious metaphor for how European settlers in America wiped out the Indians.

Robinne Lee, an actress in such recent films as "Seven Pounds" and "Hotel for Dogs," said that "Avatar" was "beautiful" and that she understood the economic logic of casting a white lead if most of the audience is white.

But she said the film, which so far has the second-highest worldwide box-office gross ever, still reminded her of Hollywood's "Pocahontas" story — "the Indian woman leads the white man into the wilderness, and he learns the way of the people and becomes the savior."

"It's really upsetting in many ways," said Lee, who is black with Jamaican and Chinese ancestry. "It would be nice if we could save ourselves."

Annalee Newitz, editor-in-chief of the sci-fi Web site io9.com , likened "Avatar" to the recent film "District 9," in which a white man accidentally becomes an alien and then helps save them, and 1984's "Dune," in which a white man becomes an alien Messiah.

"Main white characters realize that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, AKA people of color ... (then) go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed," she wrote.

"When will whites stop making these movies and start thinking about race in a new way?" wrote Newitz, who is white.

Black film professor and author Donald Bogle said he can understand why people would be troubled by "Avatar," although he praised it as a "stunning" work.

"A segment of the audience is carrying in the back of its head some sense of movie history," said Bogle, author of "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films."

Bogle stopped short, however, of calling the movie racist.

"It's a film with still a certain kind of distortion," he said. "It's a movie that hasn't yet freed itself of old Hollywood traditions, old formulas."

Writer/director Cameron, who is white, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that his film "asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message."

There are many ways to interpret the art that is "Avatar."

What does it mean that in the final, sequel-begging scene, Sully abandons his human body and transforms into one of the Na'vi for good? Is Saldana's Na'vi character the real heroine because she, not Sully, kills the arch-villain? Does it matter that many conservatives are riled by what they call liberal environmental and anti-military messages?

Is Cameron actually exposing the historical evils of white colonizers? Does the existence of an alien species expose the reality that all humans are actually one race?

"Can't people just enjoy movies any more?" a person named Michelle posted on the Web site for Essence, the magazine for black women, which had 371 comments on a story debating the issue.

Although the "Avatar" debate springs from Hollywood's historical difficulties with race, Will Smith recently saved the planet in "I Am Legend," and Denzel Washington appears ready to do the same in the forthcoming "Book of Eli."

Bogle, the film historian, said that he was glad Cameron made the film and that it made people think about race.

"Maybe there is something he does want to say and put across" about race, Bogle said. "Maybe if he had a black hero in there, that point would have been even stronger."

___

Jesse Washington covers race and ethnicity for The Associated Press.

http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com

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'Avatar' extends reign at the top

'Avatar' leads box office for fourth weekend (Reuters)

Source: Reuters Sun Jan 10, 2010, 11:31 am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Avatar" ruled the North American box office for a fourth weekend on Sunday, days after it soared up the worldwide rankings to become the second-biggest movie of all time.

James Cameron's 3-D sci-fi epic earned $48.5 million across the United States and Canada during the three-day period beginning Friday, distributor 20th Century Fox said.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Avatar" ruled the North American box office for a fourth weekend on Sunday, days after it soared up the worldwide rankings to become the second-biggest movie of all time.

James Cameron's 3-D sci-fi epic earned $48.5 million across the United States and Canada during the three-day period beginning Friday, distributor 20th Century Fox said.

Its total rose to $429.0 million, making it the seventh-biggest movie of all time in North America, before accounting for inflation. The last movie to enjoy four consecutive weekends at No. 1 was the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," in 2008.

Fox, a unit of News Corp, has said it expects "Avatar" to challenge "The Dark Knight" ($533 million) for the No. 2 slot in the North American record books. Cameron's "Titanic" holds the title with $601 million.

International moviegoers have driven the new film's success. As of Wednesday, they had chipped in $761 million, taking the film's worldwide total to $1.14 billion. "Avatar" passed the $1.12 billion tally of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" to become the second-highest worldwide release ever, trailing only "Titanic" with worldwide sales of $1.84 billion in 1997-1998. Fox will release updated international weekend sales data later on Sunday.

"Avatar" is the tale of a disabled ex-Marine sent from Earth to infiltrate a race of 10-foot (3-meter) blue aliens and persuade them to let his employer mine their homeland for natural resources. It was reportedly the most expensive film ever made, with a budget of at least $300 million.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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World's Most Amazing Views

From the snow-topped Matterhorn to the Paris skyline, the best views from around the globe

By Adam H. Graham

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Meghan Lamb

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From the Grand Canyon to the Matterhorn, the world’s most iconic vistas are part of the travel canon for good reason. They induce wanderlust. They get us thinking about the four corners of the earth as well as humankind’s minor place in the scheme of things. And when we see them in person, we are startled and humbled by their physical magnificence.

Cliffs of Moher

Why It’s Amazing: Stand on the blustery edge of Ireland’s steep, rocky Atlantic-battered cliffs and you’ll feel as though you’ve arrived at the true end of the world, with nothing but 2,000 miles of briny Atlantic swells between you and Newfoundland.

Secret Viewing Spot: The view of the ocean from atop Moher is breathtaking, but experiencing it on the water is sublime. Hop on a surfboard at the nearby Lahinch Surf School and try to conquer Aill na Searrach, also known as the giant wave of Moher.

When to Go: Crowds dissipate in October, when you’ll also find the best swells.

The Great Wall of China

China Highlights

Great Wall of China

Why It’s Amazing: Millions of people over the course of 21 centuries helped construct, rebuild, and maintain the Great Wall of China, which dips, rises, and bends across the country for some 6,000 miles. The theory that it’s visible from space is now debated, but its immense engineering achievement and man-made beauty are unquestionable.

Secret Viewing Spot: You’ll find the otherworldly ruins of unrestored wall segments in Gubeikou, a less-visited part of the Yanshan Mountain range in the northeast of Miyun County.

When to Go: October’s brisk temperatures and lighter foot traffic make for ideal wall hiking.

Paris skyline

Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy

Paris Skyline

Why It’s Amazing: Napoleon is credited for transforming the City of Light during the Second Empire, but it was engineer Gustave Eiffel who helped define the cityscape with a colossal iron lattice tower, which has become a symbol of romance that can be seen sparkling from even the remotest corners of Paris’s 20th Arrondissement.

Secret Viewing Spot: The glimmering, glass-walled Nomiya is a temporary, 12-seat restaurant and art installation on top of the Palais de Tokyo museum; it’s open until July 2010.

When to Go: Winter. Yes, it’s chilly, but the twinkling lights and cold Seine breeze create a tableau that is pure Paris

The Matterhorn, Switzerland

iStock

The Matterhorn

Why It’s Amazing: Five hundred mountain climbers have died attempting to reach the rocky 14,692-foot summit of Switzerland’s majestic Matterhorn. The snow-covered, sawtoothed peak has a pyramidal summit that has become the textbook illustration of alpinism’s golden age and all its triumphs.

Secret Viewing Spot: Ascend Gornergrat by railway and exit at quiet Rotenboden station. Walk down the 3-kilometer path to Lake Riffelsee, which on clear days offers majestic reflections of the mountain.

When to Go: The trail to Lake Riffelsee is open from July to October; the later you go, the less crowded it will be./p>

The Grand Canyon

iStock

Grand Canyon

Why It’s Amazing: It’s big. Real big. We’re talking 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and one mile deep. While it’s not the world’s deepest or widest canyon, it’s undoubtedly the most colorful. The Grand Canyon also exposes ancient Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata—two billion years of earth’s rust-hued history—a visual experience that is not easily captured on film and can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Secret Viewing Spot: Head toward tranquil Shoshone Point, an unmarked trail on a dirt road off East Rim Drive between mileposts 244 and 245.

When to Go: March to May, before the RVs arrive.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Jessica Antola

Machu Picchu

Why It’s Amazing: Though many theories exist about Machu Picchu’s purpose (a prison, a resort, an agricultural test site, an aristocratic estate), there’s no denying the cosmic beauty of these methodically carved, fog-covered peaks, engineered by the Incas in the 15th century. To witness dawn spilling over the lush Peruvian Urubamba Valley is an unforgettable experience.

Secret Viewing Spot: Only the first 400 visitors to the site are given access to Huayna Picchu, the peak that overlooks Machu Picchu’s ruins and offers spectacular vistas of the surrounding cloud forest.

When to Go: June is a quiet month; on Sundays many tourists head to the nearby Pisac Market instead.

The Tiger’s Nest (Paro Taktsang Monastery), Bhutan

JenFu Cheng/Alamy

Tiger’s Nest

Why It’s Amazing: The Tiger’s Nest (or Paro Taktsang Monastery) clings like lichen to rocky cliffs in Bhutan’s Paro Valley and creates an awed silence among visitors, broken only by the sound of rustling prayer flags and chanting monks.

Secret Viewing Spot: The best vistas are from the gardens of Sangtopelri and hermitages atop the mountain above Tiger’s Nest, accessed by the winding trail used by monks.

When to Go: April and May, for the spring flowers and Paro Festival.

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Carl Chapman/iStock

Great Barrier Reef

Why It’s Amazing: The world’s largest reef system, off the coast of Australia, casts a cerulean underwater glow that is unlike any color you’ll find above the surface. Thousands of species live on the reef, including endemic sea-dragons, giant cuttlefish, saltwater crocodiles, and 125 species of sharks.

Secret Viewing Spot: Try off-beach diving and snorkeling from tranquil Lady Elliot Island, home to a population of manta rays and renowned for its crystal-clear waters.

When to Go: September and October, when visibility is at its best and whales are breeding.

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The best automobiles for 2010

by the editors of Automobile Magazine

Each year, the editors of Automobile Magazine convene to test, evaluate, and debate the performance, significance, and pure enthusiast appeal of the cars that make the biggest impact.

Despite the auto industry coming off its worst year in recent history, "the level of excellence found during our annual All-Stars competition was at an all-time high and the competition was strong" said Jean Jennings, president and editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine. "We whittled down a list of thirty-nine finalists to the ten All-Stars. The end results produced a list of true standouts, spanning a wide range of the automotive spectrum."

The Best of 2010

Jaguar XF/XFR

Base price range: $52,000-$80,000

When the XF received significant improvements for 2010, including three new V-8 engines, Jaguar was rewarded for making a good thing even better.

The XF/XFR is both a sports car and a luxury touring sedan, and its uncompromising practicality and refreshed performance establish the Jaguar XF as an All-Star.

Audi S4

Base Price: $46,725

Cheaper than the car it replaces, the sure-footed, all-wheel-drive Audi S4 takes everything from the Audi A4 on which it's based — comfort, safety, and solid build quality — and cranks it up.

Compared with the previous model, the S4 sheds half a second in the 0 to 60 mph run (5.2 seconds with a six speed manual) while managing to increase fuel economy.

Chevrolet Camaro

Base Price Tange: $23,530-$34,595

2009 wasn't a good year for General Motors, but amid all the turmoil there have been glimmers of hope.

One need look no further than the brash, beautiful Chevrolet Camaro — if one can be found on dealer lots, that is — for proof that GM can build great cars. With its old-school charm, the Camaro is a smashing sales success.

BMW 335d

Base price: $44,725

The BMW 335d is the most important car this year to get lost in the crowd. Going from 0 to 60 mph in six seconds, the 335d is game for hard driving, but its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel six-cylinder also returns subcompact-like fuel economy. There is no other car that combines performance and fuel economy at this level.

Dodge Ram 1500

Base Price Range: $21,510-$43,550

Dodge engineers created a vehicle that works smarter, drives quieter, uses less fuel, and secures cargo storage better. The Ram sets the standard by living up to the radical idea that the cabin of a $40,000 truck should be as nice as that of a $40,000 car.

Ford Flex

Base Price Range: $29,325-$43,635

For 2010, Ford has equipped the Flex with its much anticipated EcoBoost engine, thereby addressing the Flex's only weakness — power — and effectively transforming it from a well rounded family hauler into a large sport wagon. The Flex is unique in a market brimming with compromised, look alike utility vehicles and is one of the best-handling full-size crossovers on the market.

BMW Z4

Base Price Range: $46,575-$52,475

The previous Z4 was a little rough and tough, a little unsophisticated, and undeniably masculine. BMW took a good look at its customers' needs and traded racetrack readiness for everyday elegance.

The interior is a marvel of simplicity and elegance, the sheetmetal is at once sexy, sultry, and supremely muscular, and 60 mph can be yours in five to six seconds, depending on the powertrain combination you choose.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Base price: $28,350

Quietly, Ford has put a car on the road that essentially enlists Toyota hybrid technology but uses it more cleverly than the originating company did. It is not a performance machine, but neither does it feel hobbled or inadequate for daily driving. Perhaps the best thing about it is that, apart from the LCD color screens, you might never know you're driving a hybrid.

Mazda 3

Base Price Range: $15,795-$23,945

With three engines and five trim levels, the 3 accounts for nearly half of Mazda's U.S. sales. The 2010 version brings a stiffer unibody, firmer suspension, tauter steering, revised seats, and a larger engine.

Porsche Boxster/Cayman

Base price range: $48,550-$62,450

According to Automobile Magazine, the Porsche Boxster roadster and its hardtop sibling, the Cayman, are as close as a car company can get to the perfect everyday sports car. With fully optioned models climbing to $70K and beyond, the Boxster/Cayman isn't cheap, but buying one will allow you to achieve sports car nirvana.


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Naruto Shippuden Episode 142

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 142










EPISODE 141



EPISODE 140




NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 139



Naruto Shippuden Episode 138 Just click the word read more to see the video ...




Naruto Shippuden Episode 138



Naruto Shippuden Episode 137

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Students 'eating more fast foods'

Students' lifestyles tend to lead to them eating more fast foods, a university has said.

The survey of eating habits among first year self-catering students also found men were more likely to eat fast food than women.

They often see cooking as "women's work" while their female counterparts are more worried about weight gain and appearance.

The survey was carried out by University of Leicester student Hannah Cooper, 22, under the supervision of Dr Ellen Annandale, from the university's Department of Sociology.

It found students' fast food consumption increased when they left home and began to cater for themselves, despite knowing of the links between fast food consumption and obesity.

The main reasons given were convenience, peer pressure and budget, as well as simply liking it. It found pizza proved to be favourite, followed by pasta, curry and French fries.

Miss Cooper, who carried out the research as part of her sociology degree, said: "Students might be tired and not feel like cooking. Fast food marketing makes it very accessible, and if several students combine to order fast food together then it becomes an even cheaper option.

"At home their parents probably provided their meals. They come to university and have to start managing and budgeting for themselves.

"They didn't seem to have the knowledge of how to manage money in relation to food, and fast food was sometimes seen as cheaper than cooking.

"They knew that fast food was less healthy than home cooked food, but that knowledge wasn't strong enough to override their lifestyle."

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Scientists crack migraine mystery

Scientists have solved the mystery of why migraine sufferers shun the light.

Related photos / videos

Light intensifies migraine headaches because of a particular group of retina cells at the back of the eye, research has shown.

The photoreceptors send signals to the brain via the optic nerve which stimulate migraine pain neurons.

Even small amounts of light are enough to affect the nerve pathway, sending victims running for the shadows.

People who are totally blind due to eye diseases such as retinal cancer and glaucoma are not affected by light during migraine attacks, the study found.

But this was not true of "legally blind" individuals with severely impaired eyesight, who cannot make out images but detect the presence of light.

Migraine is a one-sided, throbbing headache associated with symptoms that can include nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

The pain is believed to develop when the meninges - the system of membranes that surround the brain - becomes irritated.

Nearly 85% of migraine sufferers are highly sensitive to light, a condition known as photophobia, but until now no-one understood why.

Professor Rami Burstein, from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, US, who conducted tests on totally and "legally" blind migraine sufferers, said: "While the patients in the first group did not experience any worsening of their headaches from light exposure, the patients in the second group clearly described intensified pain when they were exposed to light, in particular blue or grey wavelengths."

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TALLEST WATER FALLS NEW NAME

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez wants to change what Angel Falls is called.

Angel Falls bedevils Chavez, who wants name changed

AFP/File – The Angel Falls near the village of Canaima, southeastern Venezuela. The Angel falls were discovered …

Sun Dec 20, 10:57 pm ET

CARACAS (AFP) – The world's tallest waterfall -- Angel Falls in southern Venezuela -- should be stripped of the name by which it is widely known in favor of its indigenous one, President Hugo Chavez said.

The falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were spotted by US pilot Jimmy Angel in 1937, bringing international attention to what has become one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, though it is in remote Bolivar state.

"How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane. If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here," Chavez mused on his weekly radio and television show, "Hello Mr President."

"Nobody should speak of Angel Falls any more," Chavez said. "That is ours, and was a long time before Angel ever got there."

In indigenous Pemon, the falls are called Kerepakupai meru, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place."

Chavez is a fan of name changes.

After he came to power in 1999, the firebrand leftist leader changed his own country's name, from just plain Venezuela to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. That move was to pay homage to independence fighter Simon Bolivar.

He then renamed a mountain in Caracas -- previously known as Cerro Avila -- with its indigenous name, Guaraira Repano.

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Work begins on world's longest sea bridge

The structure will be 31 miles long and cut what's now a four-hour trip to one hour

China stretches the imagination with world's longest sea bridge

Barely 18-months after completing current record-holder, work begins on link between mainland, Macau and Hong Kong

• Tania Branigan in Beijing and Robert Booth
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 December 2009 18.39 GMT
• Article history

Much of the bridge will be fabricated offsite and will be designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 201kmph (125mph)

China today announced it had begun construction of the world's longest sea bridge – barely 18 months after opening the current record-holder.

The Y-shaped link between Hong Kong, Macau and China will be around 50km (31 miles) long in total, 35km of which will span the sea, said the state news agency Xinhua. Due to be completed by 2015, the 73bn yuan (£6.75bn) cost of the bridge will be shared by the authorities in the three territories.

The structure also includes a 5.5km underwater tunnel with artificial islands to join it to bridges on each side. According to the engineering group Arup – which has helped with the design – it is the first major marine bridge-and-tunnel project in China. But the engineering firm described the structure as 38km in length; the reason for the disparity was unclear.

Work is expected to begin with land reclamation to create an artificial island of around 216 hectares (540 acres) off Zhuhai. This will become the customs point for those making the crossing.

But much of the structure will be prefabricated offsite, so, for example, the concrete deck sections can be produced at the same time as the foundations are laid. The tunnel will be made of precast sections – each 100 metres long.

"It is designed with a service life of 120 years. It can withstand the impact of a strong wind with a speed of 51 meters a second, or equal to a maximum Beaufort scale 16 (184 to 201kmph)," said Zhu Yongling, an official in charge of the project construction. "It can also resist the impact of a magnitude-8 earthquake and a 300,000-tonne vessel."

A computer-generated image of the £6.75bn bridge, much of which will be fabricated offsite

Six lanes of traffic will pass across the bridge at a maximum speed of 100kmph, cutting driving time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai from four hours to one.

The bridge was first proposed in 1983 as a way of fostering economic ties between China, Hong Kong and Macau. But it will be particularly welcome as the Pearl River Delta – for many years the hub of China's manufacturing – is buffeted by economic problems. The area's attempt to move up the value chain, combined with the rise of the yuan and the global economic crisis, has seen exports plummeting.

The bridge is one component in a plan issued in January by China's top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, which aims to fuse the area and the two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau, into one of the world's most vibrant economic centres by 2020. In particular, the government hopes it will help to develop the western side of Guangdong province.

"It is a move for Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta region to cope with global economic downturn, boost investment and inspire people," said the vice-premier, Li Keqiang, at the inauguration ceremony in Guangdong. "Meanwhile, it can also further increase [their] links and promote economic co-operation."

Hong Kong has said the bridge should generate $HK45bn (£3.6bn) of economic benefits within the first two decades of use, Reuters reported.

According to an article in New Civil Engineer magazine earlier this year, the bridges cross three navigation channels while the tunnel goes under a fourth.

"There is an airport nearby, so we could not build a bridge [in that area] which was the reason for the tunnel. The immersed tube is the longest in the world at 5.5km long," Naeem Hussain, global bridge leader at Arup, told the publication.

He said the bridge's piers would each be 170 metres high and that the design team had minimised the structures impact on estuary flows by limiting the size and number of columns in the water.

But the WWF and other environmental campaigners have warned that construction could devastate marine ecosystems and endanger the rare Chinese white dolphin, which is found in the estuarine waters of the Pearl river. Officials say they have already considered environmental issues in planning the project.

"We will control the construction noises and turbidity of seawater, and prevent oil pollution," Zhu told Xinhua.

It is only a year and a half since China opened a 36km span across Hangzhou Bay – in the eastern province of Zhejiang – which is currently the longest sea-bridge.

Wang Yong, the head of that project, said the design had led to more than 250 technological innovations and engineering breakthroughs, many of which will no doubt prove useful in building the new construction. He added that the Hangzhou bridge survived 19 severe challenges, including typhoons, tides, and geological problems during the three and a half years of construction.

The longest water-spanning bridge in the world is the Lake Pontchartrain causeway bridge in New Orleans, at 38.4km. But officials said that Hangzhou was a particularly difficult site to build because of its complex climate.

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Xbox 360 vs. Playstation 3 (Who Would Win?) S1E7

Versus: Xbox 360 vs. Playstation 3 (Who Would Win?) S1E7

This week we have another brand new battle here on the show...Quite possibly the biggest, most epic one to date... It's guaranteed to start a flame war in the comments... It's the battle of the consoles people!!! Xbox 360 vs. The Playstation 3. Vote for your favorite and watch next week when the winner is unveiled.

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Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway

Anyone for some Arctic roll? Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 12:53 AM on 10th December 2009

What's blue and white, squiggly and suddenly appears in the sky?

If you know the answer, pop it on a postcard and send it to the people of Norway, where this mysterious light display baffled residents yesterday.

Curiously, it appears to be unconnected with the aurora borealis, or northern lights, the natural magnetic phenomena that can often be viewed in that part of the world.

Strange spiral: Residents in northern Norway were left stunned after the lightshow, which almost looked computer-generated, appeared in the skies above them

Curious: A blue-green beam of light was reported to have come shooting out the centre of the spiral

The mystery began when a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain in the north of the country. It stopped mid-air, then began to move in circles. Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to 12 minutes before disappearing completely.

Onlookers describing it as 'like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it' and 'a shooting star that spun around and around'.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute was flooded with telephone calls after the light storm.

Confusion: The Norwegian Meteorological Institute was flooded with calls after the light storm

Totto Eriksen, from Tromsø, told VG Nett: 'It spun and exploded in the sky,'

He spotted the lights as he walked his daughter Amalie to school.

He said: 'We saw it from the Inner Harbor in Tromsø. It was absolutely fantastic.

'It almost looked like a rocket that spun around and around and then went diagonally down the heavens.

'It looked like the moon was coming over the mountain, but then came something completely different.'

Celebrity astronomer Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard said he had never seen anything like the lights.

He said: 'My first thought was that it was a fireball meteor, but it has lasted far too long.

'It may have been a missile in Russia, but I can not guarantee that it is the answer.'

What could it be? Astronomers say the spectacle did not appear to be connected to the Northern Lights

Air traffic control in Tromsō claimed the light show lasted 'far too long to be an astronomical phenomenon'.

Norwegian defence spokesman Jon Espen Lien also said the lights were probably from a Russian missile test claiming it was normal for Russia to use the White Sea and the Barents Sea as a testing ground.

Tromsō Geophysical Observatory researcher Truls Lynne Hansen agreed, saying the missile had likely veered out of control and exploded, and the spiral was light reflecting on the leaking fuel.

But the mystery deepened last night as Russia denied it had been conducting missile tests in the area.

A Moscow news outlet quoted the Russian Navy as denying any rocket launches from the White Sea area.

Norway should be informed of such launches under international agreements, it was stressed.

The Russian Defence Ministry was unavailable for comment.

See video showing part of the light here, and below

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Trullo Stone Houses

Trullo Stone Houses: "The Trullo houses are extraordinary landmark, which sits in Alberobello, Apulia,Italy . The whole range is a dry-wall construction made from local stone called chiancarelle. A trullo is erected on a square or round base with thick stone walls to keep the rooms warm in winter and cool in summer. The roofs are raised in concentric circles of hand-cut limestone covered by weathered slabs.

The rooftops are differently decorate from combination of geometric forms, triangles columns to star-personalize limestone. The history of the trulli of Alberobello began when local landed gentry, the counts of Conversano, came up with the scheme for evading the taxes associated with obtaining royal approval for building a new settlement. Local farmers were thrown off their lands and were forced to relocate to the Selva, an oak forest and live in temporary shelters that could be rapidly reconstructed elsewhere.

In 1797, after near by four centuries of subsistence, the community successfully appealed toFerdinand IV, king of Naples , to legitimize their way of life. Today the local people are proud of their heritage and happily rent out trulli to tourists for a unique accommodation – vacation experience.

"

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Google’s Real Time Search Goes LIVE

Google’s Real Time Search Goes LIVE: "Google goes LIVE with Real-Time Search Results pushed to your search page. The results you will see are coming in live from news articles, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.

Check out the video and learn how to discover breaking news on the web with real-time updates from news, blogs and social networks. ...

"

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'Twilight' stars' hot new roles

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner will work with Hollywood heavyweights.

What's Next for the 'Twilight' Cast

by Mike Krumboltz · December 8, 2009

Ninety-nine point nine percent of the actors in Hollywood would have stepped over their own mother to land a role in the "Twilight" saga. But the stars of "New Moon" (aka "Twilight 2") don't want to be known for just one role. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner all have non-vampire-related flicks coming soon to a theater near you -- here's a rundown of what to expect.

Kristen Stewart
The lovely and talented Ms. Stewart has an extremely busy year ahead of her. She'll appear in "The Yellow Handkerchief," an indie drama that features plenty of emoting, alongside William Hurt and Maria Bello. Also on the horizon for the pale beauty: "Welcome to the Rileys," in which she'll work with James Gandolfini. And let us not forget the much-discussed rock pic "The Runaways." In it, Stewart plays rocker Joan Jett and bravely sports a non-ironic mullet. Look for "Handkerchief" to hit theaters in February, and "Rileys" and "Runaways" sometime in 2010. And, of course, there will also be another "Twilight" flick, "Eclipse," next summer.

Watch Kristen Stewart in 'The Yellow Handkerchief' >>

Robert Pattinson
The sparkly star of "Twilight" had a smaller role in "New Moon," but that hasn't dimmed his Hollywood prospects. His next big turn will be as a romantic and moody young man in "Remember Me." In the film, the rebellious Pattinson pursues the daughter of a police officer who doesn't like him very much. Throw into the mix a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan), and audiences can expect a lot of family drama mixed with forbidden romance. Will Pattinson's sizable female fan club buy him in a non-bloodsucking role? His turn as the mustachioed Salvador Dali went over like a lead balloon -- hopefully "Remember Me" will hit the mark.

Watch Robert Pattinson in 'Remember Me' >>

Taylor Lautner
Lautner's performance as Jacob Black earned him and his abs a legion of female fans. Up next for the up-and-comer: a turn in "Valentine's Day," an ensemble romantic comedy costarring Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, and the grand dame of the genre, Julia Roberts. With so many A-listers, Lautner's fans shouldn't count on their favorite boy-hunk to get too much screen time. Fortunately, they'll get a chance to ogle when Max Steel, a movie based on a popular line of toys, hits theaters in 2011. And, of course, there will be "Eclipse" in 2010. In other words, don't panic, ladies. The ab-fab actor will be back soon enough.

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'Case 39' 39號特案

'Case 39' 39號特案: "(ChinaPost.com.tw) - Renandeacute;e Zellweger stars in this horror tragedy as the dedicated government social worker, Emily Jenkins, who takes particular interest in one of her cases: a 10-year-old girl, Lillith Sullivan, is reportedly suffering abuse at the hands of her parents."

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'I Come with the Rain' 幻雨追緝

'I Come with the Rain' 幻雨追緝: "(ChinaPost.com.tw) - Centering on an American private investigator sent on the trail of a customer's son gone absent without leave in the Far East, “I Come with the Rain” quickly turns incoherent and repulsively violent."

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LinkShare Blog | News, views, and musings from the leader in online Performance Marketing Solutions

LinkShare Blog | News, views, and musings from the leader in online Performance Marketing Solutions

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Instant cures for bad breath

Mints and gum only cover up odor but these easy tips can give you fresh breath fast.



Kill bad breath instantly

Do You Have Bad Breath? 3 Instant Cures!

by StyleCaster, on Thu Nov 26, 2009 8:39am PST

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.

John Frieda Shares His Two Most Important Ways to Get Perfect Hair!

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.

Want Kelly Ripa's Bod? Secrets From Her Trainers!

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!

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'Blind Side' eclipses 'New Moon' with $20M weekend (AP)

Sun Dec 06, 2009, 1:25 pm EST
Buzz up!

After two weeks at the top, the "Twilight" sequel is beaten at the box office.


LOS ANGELES - The football-inspired drama "The Blind Side" has become the underdog hit of the season with a $20.4 million weekend and a box-office victory over "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

The Warner Bros. sports tale had been runner-up for the previous two weekends to Summit Entertainment's vampire romance "New Moon," which fell to second place with $15.7 million.

Great word-of-mouth from fans has sustained "The Blind Side," which stars Sandra Bullock as a woman whose family adopts homeless teen Michael Oher, now a rookie tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.

"How outstanding is it to have a movie at No. 1 in its third weekend?" said Jeff Goldstein, executive vice president for distribution at Warner, who added that the movie so far has done more than double the business he expected. "I don't know of anybody who ever saw anything this big."

"New Moon" still is far ahead in total gross with $255.6 million domestically, compared to $129.3 million for "The Blind Side." Overseas, "New Moon" added $40.7 million to raise its international total to $314.5 million and its worldwide gross to $570.1 million.

"The Blind Side" and "New Moon" fended off a rush of new wide releases that had so-so to abysmal openings.

The nationwide debuts were overshadowed by a huge premiere in limited release for George Clooney's comedy "Up in the Air," which took in nearly $1.2 million at just 15 theaters for a whopping average of $79,000 a cinema.

Directed by Jason Reitman ("Juno"), Paramount's "Up in the Air" has earned great reviews and buzz as a potential Academy Awards front-runner, positioning it for a long run in theaters as it expands nationwide over the next few weeks. Clooney plays a corporate hit man addicted to the frequent-flyer life as he travels the country firing people for downsizing companies.

Lionsgate's war-on-terror-themed drama "Brothers" debuted at No. 3 with $9.7 million, averaging $4,646 in 2,088 theaters. A remake of a 2004 Danish film, "Brothers" stars Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal in the story of a prisoner of war who returns from Afghanistan to find his sibling has become the man of the house for his family.

Sony's heist thriller "Armored," with Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne, premiered with $6.6 million and tied for No. 6, averaging $3,446 in 1,915 theaters.

Another foreign-language remake — Miramax's "Everybody's Fine," with Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Kate Beckinsale in an update of a 1990 Italian film — opened a weak No. 10 with $4 million for an average of $1,888 in 2,133 cinemas. De Niro plays a retiree on a journey to reconnect with his grown children.

The vampire mania over "New Moon" did not extend to Full Circle Releasing's bloodsucker comedy "Transylmania," which took in just $274,000 in 1,007 theaters for a dismal average of $272. The movie is a campus-horror spoof about students studying at a Transylvania college overrun by vampires.

Overall revenues came in at $101 million, up 22.6 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Four Christmases" was No. 1 with $16.8 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com, estimates domestic receipts will finish at $10.6 billion for the year, easily surpassing the industry's all-time high of $9.68 billion in 2007.

Revenues stand at $9.66 billion after this weekend, so Hollywood should break that 2007 record in the next couple of days, Dergarabedian said.

With big movies such as James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" opening Dec. 18 and Robert Downey Jr.'s crime saga "Sherlock Holmes" and the family comedy "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" arriving Christmas week, that $10.6 billion estimate for the year might prove conservative, Dergarabedian said.

"It will probably go higher if we consistently outperform the way we have been," Dergarabedian said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Blind Side," $20.4 million.

2. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," $15.7 million.

3. "Brothers," $9.7 million.

4. "Disney's a Christmas Carol," $7.5 million.

5. "Old Dogs," $6.9 million.

6. "Armored" (tie), $6.6 million.

6. "2012" (tie), $6.6 million.

8. "Ninja Assassin," $5 million.

9. "Planet 51," $4.3 million.

10. "Everybody's Fine," $4 million.

___

On the Net:

Box Office, http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

___

Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.

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'Twilight' film finale concerns

'Twilight' film finale concerns

Problems with plot details in Stephenie Meyer's final "Twilight" book raise questions

Also Watch the Stars Talk About 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

Big Questions Surround the Final 'Twilight' Film

by Chrissy Le Nguyen · December 3, 2009

Independent film studio Summit Entertainment has got quite a gem on their hands, and its name is the "Twilight" series.

The first movie quickly became a blockbuster box-office hit in 2008 despite early concerns that the book series' rabid fan following wouldn't translate to ticket sales. The second, "New Moon," has grossed over $481 million worldwide since its premiere on November 20. The third installment of the franchise, "Eclipse," wrapped up shooting back in October and is slated to release June 2010.

With the enormous success of the franchise so far, Summit is already working to adapt Stephenie Meyer's fourth and final book in the series, "Breaking Dawn," into a movie. Currently, the studio is deciding whether or not it's best to split the 754-page book into two pictures, along the same lines as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

According to Variety, a two-parter is the path Summit is pursuing for "Breaking Dawn," with hopes that "New Moon" director Chris Weitz will return to helm both pictures. If the two-film route does come to fruition, Summit would have to negotiate new deals with the main cast -- Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner -- since they are only under contract for four features.

But there's a bigger issue to worry about here: How will they transfer the complex and graphic storylines in "Breaking Dawn" to the big screen? With even the biggest "Twilight" fans split on whether they love or hate the book, there's no question that its content will pose a handful of problems for a movie adaptation.

"Breaking Dawn" contains -- SPOILER ALERT! -- huge sections addressing the complications of vampire/human sex, an unconventional pregnancy, and the gory birth of a half-vampire, half-human baby. On top of that, there's a chunk in the middle of the book where Jacob takes over narration duty from Bella, leading up to him "imprinting" on the newborn child (translation: The teenaged werewolf falls in love with an infant).

Nowadays, nothing is impossible with a bit of movie-making magic. From a sparkly vampire to a boy who transforms into a wolf the size of a horse, computer-generated effects can work wonders. But just because it can be done doesn't mean it will live up to expectations. Stephenie Meyer has even expressed her worries on her official site: "The one thing that I've never seen is a CGI human being who truly looks real. An actress can't play Renesmee [the half-vampire baby], at least not when she's a few days old... She would have to be a construct, and CGI isn't quite there yet."

Special effects aside, the mature and explicit nature of "Breaking Dawn" will be a challenge for the studio to keep at a PG-13 rating. They'd have to leave out a lot of the material or figure out a way to tone it down. But in doing so, they run the risk of upsetting fans. On the flip side, if the film version requires an R rating, parents may be wary of sending their teen girls to the movies. Tough call.

What do you think? Can "Breaking Dawn" be successfully transferred to the silver screen? Will it be able to stay true to the text? Is Summit up for the challenge?

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Acer Aspire 5738DG 3-D Notebook | Wired.com Product Reviews

Acer Aspire 5738DG 3-D Notebook | Wired.com Product Reviews

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Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity

Archaeologists unearth a culture older than the first cities of Mesopotamia

A Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: November 30, 2009

Before the glory that was Greece and Rome, even before the first cities of Mesopotamia or temples along the Nile, there lived in the Lower Danube Valley and the Balkan foothills people who were ahead of their time in art, technology and long-distance trade.

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Rumyana Kostadinova Ivanova and Marius Amarie

LIVING SPACE Artifacts from the Lower Danube Valley and the Balkan foothills are presented in an exhibition, “The Lost World of Old Europe,” at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. More Photos »

Multimedia

Flirting With Civilization

Artifacts From Old Europe

Science Times

Marius Amarie

WOMEN IN SOCIETY A fired clay Cucuteni figurine, from 4050-3900 B.C. More Photos >

For 1,500 years, starting earlier than 5000 B.C., they farmed and built sizable towns, a few with as many as 2,000 dwellings. They mastered large-scale copper smelting, the new technology of the age. Their graves held an impressive array of exquisite headdresses and necklaces and, in one cemetery, the earliest major assemblage of gold artifacts to be found anywhere in the world.

The striking designs of their pottery speak of the refinement of the culture’s visual language. Until recent discoveries, the most intriguing artifacts were the ubiquitous terracotta “goddess” figurines, originally interpreted as evidence of the spiritual and political power of women in society.

New research, archaeologists and historians say, has broadened understanding of this long overlooked culture, which seemed to have approached the threshold of “civilization” status. Writing had yet to be invented, and so no one knows what the people called themselves. To some scholars, the people and the region are simply Old Europe.

The little-known culture is being rescued from obscurity in an exhibition, “The Lost World of Old Europe: the Danube Valley, 5000-3500 B.C.,” which opened last month at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University. More than 250 artifacts from museums in Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are on display for the first time in the United States. The show will run through April 25.

At its peak, around 4500 B.C., said David W. Anthony, the exhibition’s guest curator, “Old Europe was among the most sophisticated and technologically advanced places in the world” and was developing “many of the political, technological and ideological signs of civilization.”

Dr. Anthony is a professor of anthropology at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., and author of “The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World.” Historians suggest that the arrival in southeastern Europe of people from the steppes may have contributed to the collapse of the Old Europe culture by 3500 B.C.

At the exhibition preview, Roger S. Bagnall, director of the institute, confessed that until now “a great many archaeologists had not heard of these Old Europe cultures.” Admiring the colorful ceramics, Dr. Bagnall, a specialist in Egyptian archaeology, remarked that at the time “Egyptians were certainly not making pottery like this.”

A show catalog, published by Princeton University Press, is the first compendium in English of research on Old Europe discoveries. The book, edited by Dr. Anthony, with Jennifer Y. Chi, the institute’s associate director for exhibitions, includes essays by experts from Britain, France, Germany, the United States and the countries where the culture existed.

Dr. Chi said the exhibition reflected the institute’s interest in studying the relationships of well-known cultures and the “underappreciated ones.”

Although excavations over the last century uncovered traces of ancient settlements and the goddess figurines, it was not until local archaeologists in 1972 discovered a large fifth-millennium B.C. cemetery at Varna, Bulgaria, that they began to suspect these were not poor people living in unstructured egalitarian societies. Even then, confined in cold war isolation behind the Iron Curtain, Bulgarians and Romanians were unable to spread their knowledge to the West.

The story now emerging is of pioneer farmers after about 6200 B.C. moving north into Old Europe from Greece and Macedonia, bringing wheat and barley seeds and domesticated cattle and sheep. They established colonies along the Black Sea and in the river plains and hills, and these evolved into related but somewhat distinct cultures, archaeologists have learned. The settlements maintained close contact through networks of trade in copper and gold and also shared patterns of ceramics.

The Spondylus shell from the Aegean Sea was a special item of trade. Perhaps the shells, used in pendants and bracelets, were symbols of their Aegean ancestors. Other scholars view such long-distance acquisitions as being motivated in part by ideology in which goods are not commodities in the modern sense but rather “valuables,” symbols of status and recognition.

Noting the diffusion of these shells at this time, Michel Louis Seferiades, an anthropologist at the National Center for Scientific Research in France, suspects “the objects were part of a halo of mysteries, an ensemble of beliefs and myths.”

n any event, Dr. Seferiades wrote in the exhibition catalog that the prevalence of the shells suggested the culture had links to “a network of access routes and a social framework of elaborate exchange systems — including bartering, gift exchange and reciprocity.”

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Flirting With Civilization

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Artifacts From Old Europe

Over a wide area of what is now Bulgaria and Romania, the people settled into villages of single- and multiroom houses crowded inside palisades. The houses, some with two stories, were framed in wood with clay-plaster walls and beaten-earth floors. For some reason, the people liked making fired clay models of multilevel dwellings, examples of which are exhibited.

A few towns of the Cucuteni people, a later and apparently robust culture in the north of Old Europe, grew to more than 800 acres, which archaeologists consider larger than any other known human settlements at the time. But excavations have yet to turn up definitive evidence of palaces, temples or large civic buildings. Archaeologists concluded that rituals of belief seemed to be practiced in the homes, where cultic artifacts have been found.

The household pottery decorated in diverse, complex styles suggested the practice of elaborate at-home dining rituals. Huge serving bowls on stands were typical of the culture’s “socializing of food presentation,” Dr. Chi said.

At first, the absence of elite architecture led scholars to assume that Old Europe had little or no hierarchical power structure. This was dispelled by the graves in the Varna cemetery. For two decades after 1972, archaeologists found 310 graves dated to about 4500 B.C. Dr. Anthony said this was “the best evidence for the existence of a clearly distinct upper social and political rank.”

Vladimir Slavchev, a curator at the Varna Regional Museum of History, said the “richness and variety of the Varna grave gifts was a surprise,” even to the Bulgarian archaeologist Ivan Ivanov, who directed the discoveries. “Varna is the oldest cemetery yet found where humans were buried with golden ornaments,” Dr. Slavchev said.

More than 3,000 pieces of gold were found in 62 of the graves, along with copper weapons and tools, and ornaments, necklaces and bracelets of the prized Aegean shells. “The concentration of imported prestige objects in a distinct minority of graves suggest that institutionalized higher ranks did exist,” exhibition curators noted in a text panel accompanying the Varna gold.

Yet it is puzzling that the elite seemed not to indulge in private lives of excess. “The people who donned gold costumes for public events while they were alive,” Dr. Anthony wrote, “went home to fairly ordinary houses.”

Copper, not gold, may have been the main source of Old Europe’s economic success, Dr. Anthony said. As copper smelting developed about 5400 B.C., the Old Europe cultures tapped abundant ores in Bulgaria and what is now Serbia and learned the high-heat technique of extracting pure metallic copper.

Smelted copper, cast as axes, hammered into knife blades and coiled in bracelets, became valuable exports. Old Europe copper pieces have been found in graves along the Volga River, 1,200 miles east of Bulgaria. Archaeologists have recovered more than five tons of pieces from Old Europe sites.

An entire gallery is devoted to the figurines, the more familiar and provocative of the culture’s treasures. They have been found in virtually every Old Europe culture and in several contexts: in graves, house shrines and other possibly “religious spaces.”

One of the best known is the fired clay figure of a seated man, his shoulders bent and hands to his face in apparent contemplation. Called the “Thinker,” the piece and a comparable female figurine were found in a cemetery of the Hamangia culture, in Romania. Were they thinking, or mourning?

Many of the figurines represent women in stylized abstraction, with truncated or elongated bodies and heaping breasts and expansive hips. The explicit sexuality of these figurines invites interpretations relating to earthly and human fertility.

An arresting set of 21 small female figurines, seated in a circle, was found at a pre-Cucuteni village site in northeastern Romania. “It is not difficult to imagine,” said Douglass W. Bailey of San Francisco State University, the Old Europe people “arranging sets of seated figurines into one or several groups of miniature activities, perhaps with the smaller figurines at the feet or even on the laps of the larger, seated ones.”

Others imagined the figurines as the “Council of Goddesses.” In her influential books three decades ago, Marija Gimbutas, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, offered these and other so-called Venus figurines as representatives of divinities in cults to a Mother Goddess that reigned in prehistoric Europe.

Although the late Dr. Gimbutas still has an ardent following, many scholars hew to more conservative, nondivine explanations. The power of the objects, Dr. Bailey said, was not in any specific reference to the divine, but in “a shared understanding of group identity.”

As Dr. Bailey wrote in the exhibition catalog, the figurines should perhaps be defined only in terms of their actual appearance: miniature, representational depictions of the human form. He thus “assumed (as is justified by our knowledge of human evolution) that the ability to make, use and understand symbolic objects such as figurines is an ability that is shared by all modern humans and thus is a capability that connects you, me, Neolithic men, women and children, and the Paleolithic painters in caves.”

Or else the “Thinker,” for instance, is the image of you, me, the archaeologists and historians confronted and perplexed by a “lost” culture in southeastern Europe that had quite a go with life back before a single word was written or a wheel turned.

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Susan Boyle leads the pack as I Dreamed A Dream debuts at #1

Week Ending Nov. 29, 2009: Women Take Charge

Posted Wed Dec 2, 2009 11:00am PST by Paul Grein in Chart Watch

Way back when, in the dim and distant past, women were referred to as "the weaker sex." It's a new day, baby. Female solo artists account for eight of the top 10 albums on The Billboard 200. Susan Boyle leads the pack as I Dreamed A Dream debuts at #1 with sales of 701,000. That's the biggest one-week sales total of 2009. It beats Eminem's Relapse, which sold 608,000 copies in its first week in May. It's also the biggest first-week sales tally in Nielsen/SoundScan history for a debut album by a female artist. It tops Ashanti, which opened with sales of 503,000 in April 2002.

Two male solo artists (Andrea Bocelli and Adam Lambert) round out the top 10. This means that groups and duos are completely shut out of this week's top 10. (The highest-ranking group or duo is the contemporary Christian group Casting Crowns, which dips to #17 with its Christmas album, Peace On Earth.)

Only one debut album in Nielsen/SoundScan history has sold more copies in its first week. That's Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle, which opened with sales of 803,000 in December 1993. I Dreamed A Dream posted the biggest one-week sales tally for an album by a female artist since Alicia Keys' As I Am debuted with sales of 742,000 in November 2007. It's the biggest tally for an album by a British artist since Coldplay's Viva La Viva Or Death And All His Friends started with sales of 721,000 in June 2008.

I Dreamed A Dream sold more copies in its first week than several hit albums have sold in their entire runs so far, including Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas, Carrie Underwood's Play On, Keith Urban's Defying Gravity and The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack.

Boyle's album also debuts at #1 in the U.K. The album features a wide range of material, from the Monkees' "Daydream Believer" to the traditional hymn "Amazing Grace"; from the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" to "I Dreamed A Dream," which is from the musical Les Miserables. This rich diversity of source material is also central to the appeal of Glee. The first Glee album includes everything from rap hits by Kanye West and Young M.C. to Broadway songs from Cabaret and Wicked.

This trend to a dizzying range of material owes a lot to the success of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film, Moulin Rouge! The movie's centerpiece "Elephant Love Medley" featured everything from the Four Aces' lush, ‘50s ballad "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" to U2's ‘80s rock classic "Pride (In The Name Of Love)." All of these albums, and others like them, reflect the iPod culture that we're living in. This is a terrific music trend. Fans are being exposed to music outside of their comfort zones.

This week's top two albums, I Dreamed A Dream and Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas, are squarely in the adult contemporary mold. Both artists are right around 50. Boyle is 48. Bocelli is 51.

Boyle, who was runner-up to Diversity on Britain's Got Talent, proves that it's not the end of the world to come in second. So does Adam Lambert, who finished behind Kris Allen on American Idol. The two singers were icons before those talent competitions concluded. Boyle was the plain Jane with the heaven-sent voice; Lambert, the singer who brought glam rock and a hint of danger to prime-time.

Lambert's For Your Entertainment debuts at #3 with first-week sales of 198,000. This surpasses Kris Allen's Kris Allen, which opened at #11 last week with first-week sales of 80,000. This marks the first time that the debut album by the Idol first runner-up has gotten off to a faster start than the debut album by the winner since 2003, when Clay Aiken's Measure Of A Man started with sales of 613,000, compared to a 417,000 start for Ruben Studdard's Soulful.

While Lambert's total is impressive, it falls short of the 280,000 start that greeted David Cook's David Cook in November 2008. Cook received only a fraction of the media hype that Lambert has gotten, but he has quietly sold a lot of albums. David Cook is up to 1,257,000. I expect Cook to be in the running for a Grammy for Best New Artist when the nominations for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards are announced tonight. (If you missed my column previewing the nominations, here's a link.)

Another Idol alum makes big news this week. Carrie Underwood this week surpasses Kelly Clarkson as the Idol alum who has sold the most total albums. Underwood has sold 10,539,000 albums, to 10,428,000 for Clarkson. The rest of the all-time top five Idol alums are Daughtry, which has sold 5,356,000 albums; Clay Aiken (4,910,000); and Ruben Studdard (2,532,000).

Rihanna's Rated R debuts at #4 with first-week sales of 181,000. It's her third album in a row to debut in the top five. Rihanna has had, or been featured on, 11 Hot 100 hits since the release of Good Girl Gone Bad in July 2007. But Rated R sold only 19,000 more copies in its first week than Good Girl Gone Bad did (162,000). Of course, any increase over a previous album's opening tally is good news these days.

Lady Gaga has two entries in this week's top 10. The Fame Monster eight-song album debuts at #5. And the full-length The Fame Monster album (which combines sales of the standard and two-disk deluxe versions of the album) vaults from #34 to #6. This is the album's first appearance in the top 10 since Aug. 2. If Nielsen/SoundScan had combined sales of the full-length album and the eight-song album, Lady Gaga would be #2 this week, with sales of 325,000. Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is #1 on Hot Digital Songs for the second straight week. It sold 218,000 copies this week, bringing its five-week total to 807,000.

Taylor Swift's Fearless has set a lot of records, but this may be the most impressive one of all. As of this week, it has sold more copies than Swift's smash 2006 debut album. Fearless has sold 4,510,000 copies. Taylor Swift has sold 4,454,000. Also this week, Fearless logs its 27th week at #1 on the country chart, which ties Carrie Underwood's 2005 blockbuster Some Hearts for the longest run at #1 in this decade by a female artist.

Each of the top 12 albums on this week's chart sold more than 100,000 copies. It's the first time that's been true since last December 21.

Shameless Plug: Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas, which holds at #2 for the third straight week, is virtually certain to become this year's #1 holiday album. On Friday, I'll have a Chart Watch Extra in which I recap the top-selling new holiday albums of each year of the Nielsen/SoundScan era. All the acts you expect (Kenny G, Celine Dion) are in there, along with a few that may surprise you (Hanson, Clay Aiken). Check it out on Friday.

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums.

1. Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream, 701,000. This new entry posts the biggest one-week sales tally since AC/DC's Black Ice sold 784,000 in its first week in October 2008. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "I Dreamed A Dream," which bows at #33.

2. Andrea Bocelli, My Christmas, 218,000. The album holds at #2 for the third straight week. This is its fourth week in the top five.

3. Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment, 198,000. This new entry's sales tally is in between the first-week tally of David Cook (280,000) and David Archuleta (183,000). Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "For Your Entertainment," which leaps from #75 to #35.

4. Rihanna, Rated R, 181,000. This new entry is Rihanna's fourth consecutive top 10 album; her third in a row to make the top five. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Hard," which debuts at #12.

5. Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster, 174,000. This new entry gives Lady Gaga two listings in the top 10. The eight-song album is also #1 on Top Digital Albums, with sales of 65,000 digital copies. Seven of the eight songs are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Bad Romance," which holds at #1.

6. Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster, 151,000. The full-length album rebounds from #34 to #6 in its 57th week. This is the album's 23rd week in the top 10. Eleven songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Bad Romance," which holds at #1.

7. Miley Cyrus, The Time Of Our Lives, 150,000. The EP, a Wal-Mart exclusive, rebounds from #29 to #7 in its 14th week, thanks to a $5 sale tag last week. This is its ninth week in the top 10. "Party In The U.S.A." holds at #10 on Hot Digital Songs.

8. Taylor Swift, Fearless, 125,000. The former #1 album rebounds from #10 to #8 in its 55th week. This is its 46th week in the top 10. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "You Belong With Me," which dips to #29.

9. Carrie Underwood, Play On, 124,000. The former #1 album holds at #9 in its fourth week. "Cowboy Casanova" dips from #21 to #24 on Hot Digital Songs.

10. Norah Jones, The Fall, 110,000. The album slips from #3 to #10 in its second week. No songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. Jones is very much an album artist.

John Mayer's Battle Studies fell from #1 to #13 in its second week. This is the second week in a row that an album has taken a big tumble from the top spot. Last week, Bon Jovi's The Circle dove from #1 to #19. It's the first time that albums have fallen from #1 to out of the top 10 in back-to-back weeks since December 2006, when it happened three weeks in a row with albums by Incubus, Ciara and Young Jeezy. It gets very competitive at this time of year.

Five other albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Casting Crowns' Until The Whole World Hears dives from #4 to #24, 50 Cent's Before I Self-Destruct drops from #5 to #20, Justin Bieber's My World drops from #6 to #14, Michael Jackson's This Is It slips from #7 to #11 (but is the #1 soundtrack for the fifth straight week) and The Twilight Saga: New Moon slips from #8 to #12. The movie of the same name finished #1 at the box-office for the second weekend in a row.

Does it ever seem like Lil Wayne is featured on every other song you hear? It will after you read this item. Shakira's She Wolf bows at #15, becoming the Colombian singer's fourth top 20 album. "Give It Up To Me" (featuring Lil Wayne) jumps to #19 on Hot Digital Songs...Birdman's Pricele$$ opens at #33. "Money To Blow" (featuring Lil Wayne and Drake) inches up to #40 on Hot Digital Songs...Jay Sean's All Or Nothing debuts at #37. "Down" (featuring Lil Wayne) rebounds to #11 on Hot Digital Songs. Memo to Lil Wayne: At some point, you're going to have to say "no." Many artists have suffered from overexposure.

Two rock veterans who have been around since the ‘70s debut this week with live albums. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, which first charted in 1977, open at #51 with Live Anthology. Tom Waits, who first charted in 1975, bows at #56 with Glitter And Doom Live. This is Petty's second live album to make the chart. It's Waits' third.

"Party In The U.S.A." this week pulls ahead of "The Climb" to become Miley Cyrus' biggest hit to date. The frisky pop smash has sold 2,525,000 digital copies, to 2,477,000 for the earnest, inspirational ballad. Both songs rank among the year's 10 best-selling digital hits. "Party" is #7. "The Climb" is #8. "Party" logged six weeks as the #1 digital sales hit. No song has ever logged that many weeks as the top digital seller without also hitting #1 on the Hot 100. (I hope that pointing this out doesn't make me a "Party" pooper.)

Song Scorecard: Justin Bieber's "One Time" tops the 1 million mark in paid downloads. It's his first song to reach this level. Britney Spears' "3" and Boys Like Girls' "Love Drunk" also top the 1 million mark.

Heads Up: R. Kelly will take aim at a possible sixth #1 album next week with Untitled. Also due: Allison Iraheta's Just Like You, Juvenile's Cocky & Confident, Enya's The Very Best Of Enya, Alvin & the Chipmunks' The Squeakquel soundtrack, The Bravery's Stir The Blood and the Just Dance 2 compilation.

Useless Information: Rihanna's Rated R isn't the first album to have a title that borrows from the Motion Picture Assn. of America's iconic ratings system. The rap duo Top Authority and the rap trio Fifth Ward Boyz both charted in 1995 with albums titled Rated G. The R&B trio Perfect Gentlemen charted in 1990 with Rated PG. R&B veteran Johnnie Taylor charted in 1977 with Rated Extraordinaire, which was a play on Rated X. (Rihanna and Perfect Gentlemen were doing a play on their initials.)

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The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009

Eye-popping angel wings and funky fashions make their way down the catwalk







Model Candice Swanepoel walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.






Model Izabel Goulart walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.




Model Candice Swanepoel walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.





Model Heidi Klum walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.




Model Marisa Miller walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model Selita Ebanks walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.




Model Selita Ebanks walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.




Model walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model Miranda Kerr walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model Izabel Goulart walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Singer Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas performs during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model Chanel Iman walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Model Alessandra Ambrosio walks the runway during the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.



Apl.de.ap, Fergie and Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas perform at the 2009 Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Armory on November 19, 2009, in New York City.

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Meet the world's top World of Warcraft player

Gamer bests 11 million other players

One World of Warcraft fanatic spends more than a year achieving an "insane" goal

Meet the world's top World of Warcraft player

by Ben Silverman

December 1 3:19 P.M.

He's the best in the world... of Warcraft.

That's an unofficial title, though I think it's pretty safe to say that "Little Gray" has played more Warcraft than you. A lot more.

Courtesy of Gamepro comes word of the Taiwanese player's absolutely insane Warcraft accomplishments. In addition to having nabbed every single one of the game's achievements (minus a brand new one that cropped up in the game's latest patch), he's the first player to complete all 986 tasks listed in the game's Armory. Considering that over 11.5 million people play the game worldwide, that's one heck of an honor.

And that's just the tip of this online gaming iceberg. Playing as a Tauren Druid, Little Gray has racked up some staggering numbers: he's completed nearly 6,000 quests at the rate of about 14.5 per day and killed nearly 500,000 enemies while dying only 8,543 times himself.

How? By doling out an awe-inspiring 7,255,538,878 points of damage...but before you label him some sort of mindless brute, know that he at least had the heart to heal 1,377,435,762 points of that back. Unsurprisingly, he's also a bit of a loner, having "waved" at other players only once.

If it's tough to put these massive numbers into a real-world context, consider this: a member of our Yahoo! Games team (who will remain unnamed) once logged an average of six hours a day playing the game over the course of a year -- and never came close to achieving so much with his character.

We could hazard a few guesses, though. At 14.5 quests per day, it would take about 414 days to reach Little Gray's 6,000 quest mark. Speaking conservatively, a veteran Warcarft player can pretty handily knock out three quests in an hour, which would mean about five hours a day for Little Gray.

But that's just for quests. You do a LOT more than that in Warcraft, such as going on raids, engaging in player vs. player combat, and tinkering with your abilities and gear. It wouldn't be even remotely surprising to find out that Little Gray has spent in upwards of ten hours a day playing the game.

Unimpressed with that kind of dedication? Then "WoW" us with tales of your greatest gaming sprees in the comments.

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Rare diamond sells for staggering sum " "Vivid pink" diamond sells for record $10.8 million "

Rare diamond sells for staggering sum

A five-carat "vivid pink" diamond sets off a bidding war and smashes the previous sale record.

"Vivid pink" diamond sells for record $10.8 million

By James Pomfret James Pomfret – Tue Dec 1, 8:54 am ET

HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) – A rare, 5-carat pink diamond was auctioned off for a record $10.8 million in Hong Kong on Tuesday, putting some shine back into the world's rare and large stones market which was badly hit by the financial crisis.

The stone, of a "vivid pink" hue and considered near perfect, but not quite flawless, triggered brisk bidding in Christie's autumn sales of Asian and Chinese art in Hong Kong.

The price smashed the previous record, set 15 years ago in Geneva for a 19.66-carat stone that sold for $7.4 million. The pink gem's per-carat price of $2.2 million was also the highest ever paid for any diamond at auction, Christie's said.

"No stone has ever been sold for $2 million a carat, we were used to ... a million dollars a carat for colored diamonds but never 2 million," said Francois Curiel, Christie's Europe chairman. "This is an absolute record that is not going to be broken for a while I believe."

The stone, set in a so-called "cushion-cut" ring by famed jewelers Graff Diamonds, was just a quarter the size of the Geneva stone and not quite flawless but the stone's "vivid pink" is considered near perfect. Curiel described it as a "fabulous pink diamond, probably one of the rarest stones I've ever seen."

While the South African-mined diamond isn't quite rated flawless given minor blemishes, Christie's said that these could be removed by minor repolishing.

Christie's has a track-record of putting rare polished stones up for sale in Asia, given its confidence in the depth of the Asian market for the world's top gemstones and artwork.

Last May, before the financial crisis began to hurt the global auction market, Christie's sold a squash-ball-sized, 101.27-carat diamond in Hong Kong for $6.2 million.

Despite this, some major gems have disappointed in Asia, including a 72.22-carat "D" flawless white diamond that failed to hit its reserve price in a Sotheby's Hong Kong sale last April, falling short of its $10-12 million pre-sale estimate.

While the world's most expensive jewel ever sold at auction is the "Wittelsbach" blue diamond, a 17th-century deep grayish-blue stone that fetched $24 million last year, top red and pink gemstones are also known for stratospheric valuations.

(Additional reporting by Stefanie McIntyre; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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Surprised kitty is unexpected Web star

Surprised kitty is unexpected Web star

This adorable kitten has charmed millions of viewers without ever getting off its back

Surprised Kitty @ Yahoo! Video

Want to share this too ^_^

http://bloggerroots.blogspot.com

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IRON MAN 2 TEASER

Synopsis

More adventures from billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who leads a double life as an iron-plated crime fighter. Mickey Rourke will play Whiplash, a character that includes elements from that comic book villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian baddie. Sam Rockwell will play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Stark.

Theatrical Release: Friday, May 7, 2010 (Wide)

Starring: Don Cheadle Gwyneth Paltrow Robert Downey Mickey Rourke Sam Rockwell Tim Robbins David Maisel Scarlett Johansson Kate Mara Clark Gregg
Directed by: Jon Favreau

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The Black Widow

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Why Men Don't Talk

By David Zinczenko

As the editor of the biggest men's magazine in the world, I am privy to something many women rarely hear - straightforward, uninhibited guy talk.

Don't be so shocked - guys do actually talk, and not just about Tom Brady's quarterback rating. Most women think their man is the strong, silent type (or maybe the oblivious, silent type), and they wonder why he doesn't share his feelings.

But here's the truth: Men do want to open up, about their hopes, their fears, and their passions. Yet put him alone in a room with you, and he often turns into a Sphinx. Why can't he take his eyes off the TV and talk about the state of the relationship, or the finances, or, heck, the backyard landscaping? Why in the world can't he just summarize his day for 10 minutes?

In fact, one in five women say that they typically fight about a man's lack of verbal interaction, and 30 percent of men say their failure to communicate is the source of major conflict in the relationship. Why is it this way?

Here's one answer: Because even men who have feelings to share don't always feel comfortable sharing them with their partner. These are some of the reasons why some men often prefer to zip it, rather than delivering the goods:

Guys Are A Little Intimidated
No question, women are expert communicators. They throw questions like Oprah after her third cup of coffee; they're connecting on all cylinders. And like the divine Ms. W, women bring a lot of skill to their game: A special awareness of the people-scape around them, a keen set of emotions keyed to that awareness, and a rich vocabulary they use to talk about anything at anytime.

And they're always practicing their Q&A skills on their many friends, so they're in top talk mode all the time. Men know this. And they also know that more than one-third of women say that men simply can't relate and don't understand women. The result: Men are afraid of saying too much, because saying the wrong thing may get them into more trouble than Lindsay Lohan as a designated driver.

Guys Need To Decompress
Woman's view: When a man walks in the door, he ought to cough up some of the details about his day. After all, it's been 10 hours since they've communicated, not counting the two IMs, three voice mails, and one actual mid-day conversation.

Man's view: Can I please make a beeline to the bathroom? When men reach home, it's like those ultra-marathoners staggering across the finish line in Death Valley. The last thing they want to do is discuss how bright the sunlight was, and how scarce the water stops were.

Further up on his want-to-do list after arriving home: 14 percent of men want to check email, 12 percent are looking for a little private time in the bathroom, and 10 percent simply want to eat dinner. The common theme here: After they've spent a day serving the needs of others, they want to take care of themselves a little.

So when a man is hit with a demand for conversation so closely after returning from the stressful environment of work, he has only one gear left to shift into, and sometimes it's reverse. He's retreat, retreat, retreat.

Guys Are More Comfortable With Actions Than Feelings
Rather than talking about how he "feels," often a man would rather express his love by changing her oil, or bringing home a flower, or relinquishing control of the remote.

And when men do talk, they'd prefer to talk about actions rather than emotions. For instance, a lot of guys would choose to express their long-range faith in a relationship by talking about next summer's vacation plans, not by launching into a soliloquy about undying love.

Both conversations can mean the same thing (that he plans on sticking around); he just prefers to say it with plane tickets, rather than poetry. It's one of the reasons men are more co