Artists to Watch For 2009 - natasha slayton

Natasha Slayton is making quick speed into the music scene with her sultry looks and heavy soul. She brings a broad view to the R&B game that will make even white people saying sexy nothings into their partners’ ear. She’s the daughter of the comedian Bobby Slayton (the” Pitbull of Comedy”), and I have witnessed firsthand the humor mixed with hard work that this family brings to the table.

Getting her big break in the entertainment industry, as a main character in the Caméra d’Or wining (that’s a Cannes award mind you) indie film Me You and Everyone We Know, she didn’t need daddy’s money to get out there and bust her ass. Not only can homegirl sing, but she’s got the dancing skills parallel to most of today’s most energetic young stars on the dance floor.

I’m back with the long awaited continuation of the Artists to Watch For 2009 series with 3 powerful woman figureheads for you to gawk and admire. All of these ladies lead a musical revolution in different genres, and had me at hello. Let’s have a look.

She’s involved with her music every step of the production process, keeping it professional, while still making the boys’ heads turn. Recently, she’s been releasing a lot of her 12 track album on her MySpace page, to get listeners ready for the release coming (hopefully) this year.

Personally, my favorite song was Her, which I ask, where the hell did it go Natasha? But other funky hits are Put Your Lovin’ On Me, Tempted, and my new personal favorite, Splenda (an oldie but a goodie).

Michael Gleeson brings his talent to the table playing members of the guitar family, mainly the axe, while Ashley Heatherly plays the keys and jumps on the bass as well. Her backup vocal talents give me nostalgic feelings of what may be a female Dallas Green. Josh Hayes plays guitar, keeping it fun and flowing, with Chris Jones providing the much underrated drums to the mix. I think in the final cut of their debut LP, he will be one of my favorite members of the band.

From the slow, movie-intro-paced track Relic, to the fast, furious and beautifully written Ending of Control, I believe we may have something here. I look forward to their LP dropping sometime this summer to give you a “This Just In” report on it.

NASA LCROSS moon impact in T-minus 15, water discovery expected in T-minus 19

A second Shepherding spacecraft will pass through the debris plume 4 minutes later, collecting and relaying data back to Earth in real-time before meeting its end. With any luck, we'll know shortly if the moon contains the water-ice theorized by scientists... and cheese. While the obvious use of lunar-based water is to sate the thirst of astronauts, it could also be used be make fuel for off-Earth exploration. Hit the read link for live streaming of the mission from
NASA -- first impact occurs at 07:31:19 AM EDT.

NASA's LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite) mission is coming to a glorious end. The mission launched on June 18, 2009 is just minutes away from making dual-impact on the face of the moon. The first impact sees the Centaur craft hitting the surface at a speed of about 1 mile per second ejecting about 350 tons of debris from a crater about 20-30-meters in diameter and 2- to 4-meters deep.

Update: Impact occurred... are we still here? Data is now being analyzed and NASA is expected to know the facts in about an hour. Post-impact news conference scheduled for 10:00 AM EDT.

Update 2: Video added after the break showing the final minutes before impact. The highlight seems to be the denied high-5 at 5:00 minutes in.

LCROSS impact NASA LCROSS mission LCROSS video LCROSS live feed

LCROSS will also provide technologies and modular, reconfigurable subsystems that can be used to support future mission architectures.

Ames Research Center (ARC) is managing the mission, conducting mission operations, and has developed the payload instruments, while Northrop Grumman designed and built the spacecraft for this innovative mission. Ames mission scientists will spearhead the data analysis. This is a fast-paced, low-cost, mission that will leverage some existing NASA systems, Northrop-Grumman spacecraft expertise, and Ames’ Lunar Prospector experience.

The identification of water is very important to the future of human activities on the Moon. LCROSS will excavate the permanently dark floor of one of the Moon’s polar craters with two heavy impactors to test the theory that ancient ice lies buried there.

The impact will eject material from the crater’s surface to create a plume that specialized instruments will be able to analyze for the presence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials.


Why LCROSS?

LCROSS spacecraft above the Moon's surface

Just like on Earth, water is a crucial resource on the Moon. It will not be practical to transport to space the amount of water needed for human and exploration needs. It is critical to find natural resources, such as water, on the Moon. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission will begin the search for water, leveraging the information we learned from the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions.

Your request is being processed... Moon Bombing Video: Watch NASA's LCROSS Mission Bomb The Moon (UPDATED, PHOTOS) Read more at: http://

The smaller probe had five cameras and four other scientific instruments and NASA had touted live photos on its web site. But those images didn't occur. NASA officials say they are sure the two probes crashed and looking to see what happened to the pictures. Pictures were live until seconds before impact.

The intentional crashes had been expected to kick up miles of lunar dust. The space probe is called LCROSS, short for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.

NASA has successfully bulldozed two spacecraft into the moon's south pole in a search for hidden ice, but without the promised live photos.

First a 2.2-ton empty rocket hull smacked the moon's south pole at 7:31 a.m. EDT Friday. Then four minutes later the camera-and-instrument laden space probe made its death plunge.

NASA has successfully bulldozed two spacecraft into the moon's south pole in a search for hidden ice, but without the promised live photos.

First a 2.2-ton empty rocket hull smacked the moon's south pole at 7:31 a.m. EDT Friday. Then four minutes later the camera-and-instrument laden space probe made its death plunge.

The smaller probe had five cameras and four other scientific instruments and NASA had touted live photos on its web site. But those images didn't occur. NASA officials say they are sure the two probes crashed and looking to see what happened to the pictures. Pictures were live until seconds before impact.

The intentional crashes had been expected to kick up miles of lunar dust. The space probe is called LCROSS, short for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/nasa-moon-bombing-lcross-_n_314956.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/nasa-moon-bombing-lcross-_n_314956.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/nasa-moon-bombing-lcross-_n_314956.html

NASA moon bombing video Lacrosse video rocket crash into moon NASA LCROSS

If this is proved, and NASA claims that it was a final test to prove it following a recent NASA confirmation about water’s presence on moon, it will open up a whole new possibility of expansion of research and habitation on moon.

NASA had sent two probing mission on board an Indian moon mission to further probe if there was water on moon.

The result was positive and Indian scientists belonging to its prestigious Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also said that their probe too had established that indeed there was water on the surface of the moon.

Today Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) did a magnificent job by hitting the moon surface with a sped of around six thousand miles an hour.

The findings will be known only after the detailed data analysis work is completed by NASA scientists and other scientists who are also cooperating with NASA.

New Delhi, October 9: NASA moon bombing video Lacrosse video rocket crash into moon NASA LCROSS. It is an important occasion in the history of space exploration. NASA today undertook a mission that aims to prove beyond doubt the presence of water on the moon surface.

Moon has always fascinated the human beings. Since the Soviet Union first succeeded in implementing the concept in 1966, 18 spacecraft landed on the Moon up to 1976.

Nine of these missions returned to Earth bearing samples of Moon rocks. The former Soviet Union, the United States, Japan, Europe, India and China have all achieved hard Moon landings.

The Soviet Union later achieved sample returns via the unmanned Luna 16, Luna 20 and Luna 24 Moon landings.

Since this was during the time of the Cold War, the contest to be the first on the Moon was one of the most visible facts of the Space Race.

The United States space agency NASA achieved the first manned landing on Earth's Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission commanded by Neil Armstrong. On July 20, 1969, lunar module Eagle landed on the surface of the Moon, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Hamas says Obama does not deserve Nobel Peace Prize

Fawzi Barhoum, Gaza Hamas spokesman told Xinhua that "Obama does not deserve this prize," after the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

"We believe that there are lots of things needed from Obama to be presented to the Palestinian people in order to deserve this reward. Obama should change his manner and be fair," said Barhoum.

Islamic Hamas movement said Friday that U.S. President Barack Obama does not deserve a Noble Peace Prize since he failed to give the Palestinian people their legitimate rights.

Right after Obama took office, he promised that resolving the conflict in the Middle East is his priority.

"So far, nothing changed. He was giving statements, promises and hopes, while on the ground nothing practical has been done," said Barhoum.

"I think Obama has a lot more to do," he added.

Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) hopes Obama will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Obama's Nobel prize

Given this reality, awarding President Obama this prestigious prize now is not helpful. First, it further raises international expectations at a very delicate time in Obama's presidency - expectations that may not be fulfilled.

Second, it will be more grist to the mill for his critics back home. The Nobel Peace Prize speaks to the existence of a global community and international values.

If the polls are to be believed, increasing numbers in America want to know that President Obama's first priority at this difficult period in American history is to protect and further US interests. Receiving the prize right now will make his opponents even more cynical about his policies, and make many of his supporters more anxious.

I think it is great to recognise the remarkable policy of international engagement that Barack Obama has undertaken in the last nine months. He has opened numerous diplomatic avenues simultaneously, many of which show promise.

But there are problems with the decision to award him the Nobel Peace Prize now.

There was widespread surprise at the Nobel Committee's decision

Engagement doesn't necessarily mean success, and I think the Obama administration knows this. America may still be the most powerful nation in the world, but its power is increasingly challenged and, in any case, does not always translate into influence. There are no guarantees that his good diplomatic policies will pay off.

Finally, I would not agree that giving him the award is going to support his diplomacy. To believe so smacks of hubris. The nations with which Obama is engaging will act on the basis of their self-interest, adapting their policies in response to a mixture of US engagement and pressure.

In fact, President Obama may need to set aside engagement and get tough in the future with some of the same nations with which the US is now engaging.

It might have been better, therefore, to consider awarding Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize at a time when it could underscore the vital importance of major powers pursuing policies of engagement, however difficult the process and however unpredictable the outcomes.

We had the outcomes from talks in Geneva with Iran last week, unprecedented dialogue with Burma has opened and there are some flickers of positive movement coming out of North Korea.

Probably the most important thing President Obama has done in regards to trying to establish global security is on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

He has come out more forcibly than any other US president in office in his calls for a world free from nuclear weapons.

Presidents in the past have talked about it, but rarely stated it as succinctly and powerfully as this president has - it's quite unprecedented.

The unanimous new UN Security Council resolution on nuclear disarmament last week, and US negotiations with the Russians on the reduction of nuclear weapons are very important steps forward.

The potential for the US to assume greater responsibility and moral leadership is higher than it has been for some years.

I think the Nobel Committee recognised this change and its potential - and that's what the prize was awarded for.

Three Win Nobel for Ribosome Research

The trio are Venkatraman Ramakrishnan of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England; Thomas A. Steitz of Yale University; and Ada E. Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Each scientist will get a third of the prize, worth 10 million Swedish kronors in total, or $1.4 million, in a ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10.

If the sequence of lettered nucleic acids in the DNA forms the blueprint for life, ribosomes are the factory floor. In a press release, the Swedish academy said the three, who worked independently, were being honored “for having showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level.”

Three researchers whose work delves into how information encoded on strands of DNA is translated by the chemical complexes known as ribosomes into the thousands of proteins that make up living matter will share the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Swedish Academy of Sciences said Wednesday.

Some antibiotics work by gumming up the ribosomes of bacteria, allowing those bacteria to be stopped at no danger to their host. The ribosome research, the academy said, is being used to develop new antibiotics.

Dr. Ramakrishnan was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India, in 1952 and obtained his Ph.D. at Ohio University, and holds American citizenship. Dr. Steitz was born in Milwaukee in 1940 and received his Ph.D. from

One of the first people who called to congratulate her was the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, who shared a Nobel Prize for Peace with the late leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat in 1994.

She is the fourth woman to win the chemistry prize and the first one since 1964, noted Thomas Lane, president of the American Chemical Society, who said it reflected “a tremendous change in the demographics of the field.” More than 50 percent of chemistry degrees are now earned by women, he reported.

Dr. Yonath was born in Jerusalem in 1939 and received her Ph.D. at the Weizmann Institute in 1968. She said on Wednesday that she was both surprised and not surprised at being awarded a Nobel Prize. Speaking by telephone, she said people had long been telling her that her project was a potential winner. But at the same time, she said, there were “many, many people with fantastic work standing in line.”

She said she was working and watching over her 13-year-old granddaughter when she received the news.

How Kindle Could Win (or Not) in the UK

Because U.K. Kindle buyers will have to order the e-book reader from Amazon's U.S. site, customers will have to pay extra tax for the device, due to the country's regulations. Also, because books will be sold from the U.S. site as well, customers would be technically avoiding the Value Added Tax (VAT) system in Britain, which if applied, would make the books more expensive.

Amazon also had difficulties making Kindle's Whispernet wireless download system (hosted by AT&T in the U.S.) work in the U.K, so the company had to resort to downloads via the country's 3G network. Outside 3G coverage, users will have to transfer content to their Kindle over USB.

Tax headaches and connectivity problems could stifle U.K. Kindle sales, as Amazon introduced on Wednesday its e-book reader to the British public.

To the delight of my fellow UK e-book fans, Amazon announced that the Kindle 2 would be available from October 19. The Kindle was long overdue in the U.K., where it is expected to finally kick-start the e-book market, but it might not be the case yet, as the U.K. version of the Amazon Kindle is only half-baked.

So if you buy a Kindle in the U.K, you will be able to download books wireless as long as you are in a 3G coverage area. While most of the country is in such an area, indoors 3G coverage in the U.K. is patchy, so for example, I would have to download books for my Kindle from my back garden, as there is no 3G coverage in my living room.

However, Amazon's Kindle will the have the advantage of being the only e-book reader with a wireless connection in the U.K., where Sony has yet to introduce the Daily Edition of its e-reader, which has such capabilities. The U.S. Sony Reader Daily Edition will be the second e-book reader after the Kindle to have wireless capabilities.

Notehall, The Solution To All Class Needs Makes An Appearance On TV

Notehall has come up with an innovative platform where the students can both sell and buy notes easily. So no more looking here and there to collect the notes you have missed, all you have to do now is log on to the Notehall website and get all that you want. Moreover, this is not all that you can get from Notehall, you can even get class lectures, study guides and all kinds of material for your classroom requirements.

From its very inception, earlier this year, to its recent television appearance in ABC’s show “Shark Tank,” Notehall has paved a way to immense popularity amongst the students from different streams. Notehall’s appearance on ABC’s show on the 6th of October, 2009 at 8 p.m. is proof enough of its increasing business. Notehall was co-founded by four students DJ Stephan, Shaun Conway, Sadi Chalfoun and Justin Miller, and all of them come from University of Arizona. Of the four DJ Stephan and Shaun Conway came for the television show to display and promote their products.

Well there is great news for all the students who feel that they are missing out on classroom knowledge because of some reason or the other! And even greater news is is that you will no longer need to hanker for notes from your classmates or batch-mates.


The best part about Notehall is that you can get the study material or class lectures at very reasonable rates. Added to this is the advantage of earning money for selling notes and lectures, so while doing good for other you will also be able to earn some bucks. Notehall allows you to get your payment in your preferred mode, you can either take the cash amount or earn credits which will help you to get different kinds of advantages from the site. True to its word, Notehall is truly the “eBay for lecture notes.”

Nobel Prize for chemistry of life; venkatraman ramakrishnan

The 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize has been awarded to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath.

The announcement was made during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, during which the three winners were described as "warriors in the struggle of the rising tide of incurable bacterial infections".

Professor Ramakrishnan is based at the Medical Research Council's Molecular Biology Laboratories in Cambridge, UK.

Thomas Steitz is based at Yale University in the US, and Ada Yonath is from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel.

The prize is to be shared equally between the three scientists, who all contributed to revealing the ribosome's huge and complex molecular structure in remarkable detail.

Professor David Garner, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, described the three as "great scientists" and said their work was of "enormous significance".

The prize is awarded for the study of the structure and function of the ribosome - the cell's protein factory.

The ribosome translates genetic code into proteins - which are the building blocks of all living organisms.

It is also the main target of new antibiotics, which combat bacterial strains that have developed resistance to traditional antibiotic drugs.

These new drugs work by blocking the function of ribosomes in bacterial cells, preventing them from making the proteins they need to survive.

This is the 101st chemistry Nobel to be awarded since 1901, and Professor Yonath is only the fourth woman to win. She joins an illustrious list of female chemists that includes Marie Curie, who also won the physics award.

During the press conference, Professor Yonath said: "It's above and beyond my dreams and I am very thankful."

President of the American Chemical Society Thomas Lane told the BBC that the award was "a wonderful example of leaders in their disciplines - people from around the world - working towards a common goal and being able to achieve it.

"It shows that as scientists we don't just sit in our dark labs, we come together and share our research."

He added: "With advances in analytical chemistry, computer science and imaging, we now have a valid window into these cellular structures.

"This gives other scientists the knowledge to create new drugs, and new materials to combat disease."

Working together

These scientists and their colleagues have helped build a 3D structure of the ribosome.

In doing so, they solved an important part of the the problem posed by Francis Crick and James Watson when they discovered the twisted double helix DNA structure - how does this code become a living thing?

The work laid foundations for the design of new antibiotics

DNA is made available to the ribosome by "transcription" of genes into chunks of messenger RNA.

In the ribosome, these are read and translated into the various amino acid sequences that make up an organism's proteins.

By looking closely at its structure, scientists are able to study how this translation process works.

The work is based on a technique called x-ray crystallography - where protein molecules are removed from cells, purified and made into crystals that can be examined using x-rays.

Addressing the Nobel press conference by telephone, Professor Yonath said that modern techniques were allowing scientists to look at the structures on the atomic scale - individual bond after individual bond.

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Dalai Lama expenses furor brews

Last month, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan County, Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties and Tainan and Kaohsiung cities jointly issued an invitation to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, asking him to visit Taiwan to hold religious services for those who lost their lives and to comfort the victims of Typhoon Morakot.

Upon receiving the request from the Control Yuan, the MOI sent inquiries to the local governments on Tuesday, a move that riled DPP lawmakers — such as Tainan City’s William Lai (賴清德) and Kaohsiung City’s Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) — who questioned whether it was a retaliatory measure because China had voiced opposition to the visit.

Huang denied the allegation and said both the Control Yuan’s request and the ministry’s inquiries to local governments were part of standard procedure when handling a public petition. Huang said there was no political motive behind it.

So far, Kaohsiung and Tainan counties have replied and said the expenses were covered by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the de facto representative office of the Tibetan government in exile in Taiwan.

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) yesterday denied allegations by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the media that its request for details of any government money spent on the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan by local governments was politically motivated. “As the government authority in charge of religious affairs, we received a request from the Control Yuan to see if government money was spent by the seven local governments that invited the Dalai Lama to cover his expenses,” Civil Affairs Department Director Huang Li-hsin (黃麗馨) told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday. “The Control Yuan made the request because they received a public petition asking if government money was spent to cover the expenses of the Dalai Lama’s visit and whether this was in violation of the separation of religion and state clause in the Constitution.”

“The Dalai Lama wouldn’t even let me pay for his lunch when we stopped for a lunch break in Jiasian Township (甲仙)” after visiting the disaster-torn Siaolin Village (小林), Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) said.

“Not a cent of the expenses for the Dalai Lama’s visit came out of the Kaohsiung City treasury,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said.

Sonam Dorjee, secretary-general of the Tibetan representative office, confirmed that the office had covered the monk’s expenses.

Huang said she did not think it would have been a problem if the local governments had covered the expenses.

“Separation of religion and state as stipulated in the Constitution means that the government is responsible of protecting everyone’s freedom of religion and should refrain from interfering in religion,” Huang said. “Government agencies sponsor religious events on a regular basis, so I don’t see a problem with it.”

That explanation, however, did not convince Taiwan Friends of Tibet chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里), who believes the probe should not have started in the first place.

“As the government authority in charge of religious affairs, the MOI should have told the Control Yuan there was no problem, instead of sending inquiries to the local governments,” Chow said.

Chow said she would file similar petitions to question the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission’s sponsoring of a Tibetan Buddhist service to commemorate the typhoon victims at the end of last month and whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had violated the separation of religion and state by taking part in several religious services for typhoon victims.
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The Bai Ling Experience

Falling from the Moon

It’s hard not to instantly like Bai Ling, with her languid, deep voice and striking fashion sense which she wears with a nonchalant attitude. She also loves to talk — so much so that I have trouble keeping up, especially when she switches subjects mid-sentence. “Kozuki!” she suddenly exclaims, catching the name of a restaurant over my left shoulder. “Sounds Japanese.” It’s easy to classify her as eccentric with her otherworldly ideas of nature and spirits, however, it’s obvious that she’s not affecting a persona; she believes every word she says.

“I’m totally not in this world,” she admits, “and I feel like I’m not really existing as a human being, but part of me is. I have eight little spirits living inside of me. They’re all different personalities.” According to Bai, most people only know the crazy party girl spirit, with her short skirt and exposed nipples, but that same spirit is fearless and doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks. “She’s fire. She’s a burning fire. That passion, for me, is so magical.”

René S. Garcia Jr.

Contributing Editor

It’s 10:00 p.m. on a slow Sunday evening, and I’m standing outside the Red Corner restaurant in Thai Town, waiting for my interview with Bai Ling to start. I’ve read her blog, looked at her pictures and listened to stories about frequent nipple-slips. I’m prepared for every Hollywood cliché I can think of, but when I see her appear across the parking lot walking unassumingly toward me, she smiles warmly, and every preconception melts away. Suddenly, I just want to know everything about her.

When it comes to reconciling her natural views with the artificial world of Hollywood, Bai dismisses the premise outright. She doesn’t see obstacles; she sees opportunities. Where others may see problems, she sees puzzles that are fun to solve. “I’m taking all the negative words away from life,” she says. “When you take a situation as a difficulty, you become bitter.”

Beyond simply thinking good thoughts, she also tries to view situations fairly from all angles. Recently, she was caught running late for the Toronto premier of her new film, A Beautiful Life, and didn’t have time to find a proper room to slip into her gown. So she used an airport restroom to change, which quickly turned into a bad idea. Women started pouring in, accosting her and wanting to find out if she was Bai Ling. The women pressed her, even after Bai asked them to leave her alone and not look at her while she dressed. Finally, Bai ran flustered to her awaiting limo where she finished getting ready. Then, in a moment rare for most people, she laughed off the situation. “That lady probably thought I was the crazy one since I was naked in the ladies room.”

More than just PR for her film, Bai went to Toronto for a humanitarian cause as well. She participated in the Rally for Kids with Cancer, coming in a respectable 9^th place out of 21. “I was so busy and tired, but I promised I’d go. I just hope all this money will go to the hospital and to the children. No matter what part I supported, if I’m not there, it’s going to be less. So I’m there.”

When it comes to good causes, Bai Ling tries to separate herself from other celebrities by truly being part of the event or situation and taking a very active role. When Taiwan was hit by the Morakot typhoon recently, Bai secured her own passage to the most heavily damaged area, even after she was warned that there would be no press there. For Bai Ling, this was not a PR stunt and she didn’t just want to donate money. She asked for the most difficult job, whether it was cooking food or scrubbing floors. Bai also offered comfort to the survivors by listening to their heartbreaking stories of losing everything. “I held their hands,” she says, “and I felt like their family.”

Adorable ‘teacup pigs’ are latest hit with Brits

‘Fantastic pets’
Their name comes from their size: At birth, the piglets weigh about 9 oz. and are the size of a teacup. At full growth at the age of two, they top out at 12 to 16 inches — about knee-high — and weigh a modest 65 pounds.

“It’s about the size of a small spaniel,” Croft said. “They make fantastic pets. They’re really clean. They’re highly intelligent and just love to be loved. They give so much back to you.”

Pigs are known to be highly intelligent; they beat dogs in animal IQ tests. They’ve also enjoyed surges in popularity as pets before. In the United States, potbellied pigs were something of a fad a generation ago — but their popularity faded when their owners realized that they got rather large and hard to care for.

“People love pigs so much, but it’s almost impossible to keep a full-grown pig in the house,” Croft explained. “Now that we’ve gotten them down to this size, they’ve become extremely popular.”

Teacup pigs, which are also called micropigs, are a mixture of those potbellied pigs with the Tamworth, Kune Kune and Gloucester breeds. When Croft first saw them, she was so smitten she gave up her day job and started breeding them at her Little Pig Farm in England.

Most people go into business to earn a living. Jane Croft did it to literally bring home the bacon.

The 42-year-old breeder has become something of a sensation in her native England, thanks to her unique product line: cute-as-a-button miniature pigs that never grow up.

Croft sat cross-legged Wednesday in a stall filled with straw, cradling a squirming litter of tiny little piggies that will all be going to market. They’re called teacup pigs, she told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry — and they’re the hottest pet sensation to hit Great Britain in years.

Porking over cash
Mind you, this bacon doesn’t come cheap. The piglets cost up to $1,100 each, and Croft sells them only in pairs and only to people she feels are qualified to keep them. In Great Britain, owners must be licensed to keep livestock, as the pigs are considered to be farm animals.

Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter” films, is the proud owner of two teacup pigs.

“They have to reach very, very strict criteria,” Croft explained. “I won’t sell to anybody who’s going to keep one alone in a house; they have to be home all the time. They have to have a garden. They have to have company. I don’t like them going on their own. They’re only sold in pairs.”

Since the pigs are highly intelligent, she said, they get bored easily, which is why she will not sell to people who can’t be home to entertain them.

The pigs are also clean. “You can litter-train them like a cat. You can take them for walks,” Croft said. The mini-porkers also are said to be good for people who are allergic to dogs or cats, because they have hair instead of fur.

Popular piggies
So far, the pigs are not officially available in the United States, but it seem just a matter of time before someone starts breeding them. They have the sort of cute quotient that proves irresistible to pet lovers.

chicago air and water show 2009

The 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show is going to be one continuous show, so they aren't breaking it down at this time as to which part of the show will be featured first. As that is the case, families planning to attend may want to try and arrive early in order to enjoy the best parts of the show. There are going to be quite a few participants in the 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show as well, so it won't lack in entertainment value. With free admission being given out to the public, this will be a great chance for families to go out and enjoy the weather along with some amazing stunts on the lake as well as in the air.


Air and Water Show will hold all of its main events. The 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show will take place on August 15th and 16th, and run from about 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. each day. Often called the largest spectator event in the United States, and marked as the longest ongoing show of this kind in North America, the best part about the 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show is that admission will be free.

Chicago Air and Water Show 2009 arrives in Illinois. The 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show is this weekend, aiming at providing attendants with the best Chicago Air and Water Show yet.

Some of the participants that are on the schedule for the 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, the Lima Lima Flight Team, the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Teams, and Sean D. Tucker with Team Oracle. Some of the participants are very familiar, like the Thunderbirds which will be flying their F16 Fighting Falcons in some impressive formations, but others like Sean D. Tucker & Team Oracle will be doing some things that many people have never seen in an airplane before. He will fly backwards in his plane at speeds up to 100 MPH, and perform tricks that should flat out amaze audience members.

Thundercrack Movie!

First, what is Thundercrack?

The cast was as follows:
Marion Eaton … Mrs. Gert Hammond
Melinda McDowell … Sash
George Kuchar … Bing
Mookie Blodgett … Chandler
Ken Scudder … Bond
Bernie Boyle … Señor Tostada
Mark Ellinger … Charlie Hammond
Laurie Hendricks … Simon Cassidy’s Mother

Thundercrack! was a 1975 black comedy film that has scenes unsuitable for children. The scenes were all out there (use your imagination - it covers it all).

Second, there is a stage production in San Francisco called “Perverts Put Out” self described as a “long-running pansexual performance series” where theatre patrons should “join your fellow pervs for some explicit, twisted fun.” Say what?!

What do the two have in common? They are taking stimulus package money through NEA to “entertain” patrons! Awful.

NEA money from the Stimulus package is being used to screen Thundercrack the movie and a production of Perverts Put Out. Thundercrack is getting critics reviews today. But Thundercrack (aka Thunder crack) is not getting released. Thundercrack’s screenings are getting your stimulus money.

Why?

What do the two have in common? They are taking stimulus package money through NEA to “entertain” patrons! Awful.

Fox says of it the following:

The National Endowment for the Arts may be spending some of the money it received from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund nude simulated-sex dances, Saturday night “pervert” revues and the airing of pornographic horror films at art houses in San Francisco.

How much did NEA get? $80 million! Crazy. Frameline film house got $50,000 and is screening Thundercrack, the perv group got in excess of $20,000

NEA says the money helps “jobs”. Sure it is, NEA.

“Our review process is very comprehensive — we take great care with applicants and with grantees. It’s a thorough, rigorous process that they all go through, and we’re proud of the projects that we’ve been able to support.”

Anderson Cooper Bachelorette YouTube!

Finally, Cooper (CNN) clearly wanted to ask what really goes on during those Disney ABC Shows - “How many guys did you sleep with on the show”.

Bachelorette: “I kissed 10 guys, but only 4 with tongue”.
Cooper: “I think I just threw up in my mouth.”


First, Anderson Cooper forgot this is the candy-apple daytime show, Regis and Kelly, where soft questions are asked, not the zinger “So hows your sex life!”

Second, Cooper’s question about the Bachelorette’s life in the bedroom proves Anderson is exactly in tune with what America would have asked also. Bravo for asking!

10 Best (and Real) Work-at-Home Jobs

Self-motivation, discipline, job skills and independence are key characteristics for at-home workers, says Stephanie Foster of Poway, Calif., a former medical transcriptionist who runs the Web site Homewiththekids.com.

A growing number of employers appear to believe telecommuting is a good deal for them as well. It reduces overhead expenses, allows access to talented workers who may not be available locally, provides off-hours support and helps retain employees, says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs.com, a Web site that aggregates hand-screened telecommuting/work-at-home jobs. "We've seen a real broadening of the audience of both employers and job seekers."

Consider these 10 jobs -- some rather traditional and others unexpected -- for interesting at-home work and good (if competitive) prospects.

Searching for jobs you can do from home used to be a matter of scanning the Sunday classifieds for offers to get rich quick by stuffing envelopes.

Now, exposure to at-home employment opportunities has exploded, and a wide range of job ads are just a mouse click away. But so are the scams.

Two years ago, when The Rat Race Rebellion began tracking at-home jobs, there were 30 scams for every legitimate opportunity. Now, with 4,500 to 5,000 work-at-home job ads screened weekly, the Web site finds 57 phonies for every one that's for real, says Christine Durst, CEO of The Rat Race Rebellion.

Nevertheless, there's no shortage of people who dream of beating the odds and earning a living from home.

Durst, who is also CEO of Connecticut-based Staffcentrix, which develops home-based and virtual career training programs, says people interested in work-at-home jobs primarily are:

* Parents who say they want to spend more time with their children.
* Trailing military spouses who, according to Durst, by virtue of their spouse's career need to pick up and move every few years.
* Retirees needing supplemental income.
* People with disabilities.


Teacher

From postsecondary education to elementary schools, there are opportunities for students to learn virtually. Along with that, come opportunities to teach (and tutor) virtually. While distance learning is not new, advanced technology, collaborative multimedia software designed for schools and high-speed Internet connections have created more opportunities for teachers and students to work together from afar, says Fell. Durst has also noticed more teacher jobs being posted, and she knows of one professor who works mainly online and makes six figures -- although income "depends on how many hours you're applying to it and the type of classes you're teaching." A resource center for online teaching jobs is available at GetEducated.com.
Writer/editor

Yes, the print publishing industry has been suffering, but Durst is seeing frequent listings these days for writing, editing and proofreading, particularly for the Web. Even those without writing experience can join the blogosphere. Not only can blogging be lots of fun, Foster says, but also there's money to be earned blogging for someone else's site, getting paid to post on your own blog or through revenue-sharing arrangements. A list of blogging opportunities, for which the pay range is less than $5 per post to more than $20 per post, can be found at Homewiththekids.com.
Franchise owner

It's a no-brainer: Owning a business can be the road to at-home work. For an initial investment, franchises may offer a ready-made business with brand awareness, a system and a territory, says Leslie Truex, founder of the Web site Work-At-Home Success. She advises considering businesses that target the over-50 crowd or the self-employed, involve health and wellness, relate to the "green" movement, or involve electronic or online devices (i.e., accessories, applications).

Virtual assistant

This is a field with much potential, in part because the title description covers many things. "You can fit your offerings to what you know how to do," says Foster. One can own a virtual assistant business or work from home for a company that makes you available to other employees or clients. Homewiththekids.com, for example, currently features a dozen such companies. Small businesses hire virtual assistants to help when they can't justify a permanent employee. The International Virtual Assistants Association, which Durst co-founded in the 1990s, began with 28 members and has grown to more than 600, who charge from $15 per hour to more than $100 per hour.
Medical transcriptionist

As Foster knows, being a medical receptionist is a demanding job, and nearly every company listed on her site seeks applicants with experience and/or training from certain schools. The work involves listening to and typing up dictation from doctors -- some of whom have difficult accents, slur words together, and even "eat, drink, chew gum (and) talk to other people in the room" while dictating, she says. But hearing about medical matters can be interesting, and good transcriptionists are in very high demand. Expect initial earnings of less than $10 per hour, but some transcriptionists earn $20 or more per hour.
Translator

Those with fluency in more than one language translate audio files or documents, not just word for word but often with cultural differences in mind. "Companies can access home-based translators with hard-to-find language skills without being held back by geographic location," says Fell.

Foster's site lists 15 companies that seek home-based translators. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09, which groups translators and interpreters, notes a projected employment increase of 24 percent over the 2006-to-2016 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The national mean hourly wage for translators and interpreters was $20.74, with a mean annual wage of $43,130 as of May 2008, according to estimates by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some industries pay significantly higher, with the highest paying jobs generally in the management, scientific and technical consulting services areas, in which the mean hourly wage was $56.50 and the annual mean wage was $117,530.
Web developer/designer

Information technology is the sector, Durst says, where most of the home-based hiring is being done. Terri Orlowski, a virtual assistant and Web developer based in Ledyard, Conn., offers services such as custom Web site design, template modification and redesigns, code updates, hosting, and usability reviews. She previously held administrative positions in a variety of industries, and makes a higher per-hour rate now. The job is in high demand. Of the more than 15,000 new monthly work-from-home job postings on Odesk.com, Web developers are in the greatest demand, says spokeswoman Elizabeth Gordon. A list of companies that post at-home tech jobs is available at ratracerebellion.com.

Call center representative

When you phone to order something from a catalog or infomercial, a big office with rows of cubicles may come to mind. But the person on the other end of the line is likely to be sitting in a home office. "It's a huge and growing industry," says Durst of companies that hire independent contractors to take calls from home. She says the "home-shore movement" started in response to complaints about the many companies that looked offshore for workers. While some Web sites, such as Alpineaccess.com, actually hire representatives, most use subcontractors. Just be aware that the pay may be by the minute rather than by the hour, so you may not be paid for time you spend waiting by the phone. A list of companies that hire call center reps can be found at Homewiththekids.com.
Tech support specialist

Call centers also hire technical support specialists to work remotely. Kate Lister, co-author of "Undress for Success: The Naked Truth About Making Money at Home," names it as one of her top three "best-bet work-at-home jobs." And according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, jobs for computer support specialists (on-site and remote combined) were expected to increase by 13 percent from 2006 to 2016 -- much faster than the average for all occupations -- with 71,000 new jobs.
Travel agent

Scams abound in the travel industry -- particularly organizations that charge for information on how to break into the field. But operating a home-based travel agency can be an excellent business, says Tom Ogg of the Home Based Travel Agent Information Center. "Real home-based travel agents have experienced robust growth over the last decade, and there are probably around 35,000 of them and growing." A growing (although small) number of people earn $100,000 or more a year, he says. "A solid business concept and plan focused on profitability will take you a long way to achieving your monetary goals." There's also the joy of helping others enjoy their leisure time.

TMZ says it has audio of Erin Andrews' 911 call

She later adds that, "I'm the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel."

And her voice is clearly frustrated as she says, "I did nothing wrong and I'm being treated like f---ing Britney Spears and it sucks."

Deadspin.com has the full transcript.

TMZ.com says police found two members of the news media, and they were allowed to leave without incident.

TMZ.com has posted what it says is a 911 call from ESPN's Erin Andrews, to complain about paparazzi lurking outside her Georgia home. (We haven't confirmed the authenticity, but it sounds legit.)

It begins with Andrews referencing the peephole video of her, as she says, "I've been in the news recently about being in a hotel naked."

Joe Jackson: "Omer Bhatti is Michael's Secret Son"

"Yes, I knew he had another son, yes I did," Jackson said in the video.

He also discussed Bhatti's dancing abilities and his resemblence to the Jackson clan. "He looks like a Jackson, acts like a Jackson, can dance like a Jackson," he said.

As a child, Bhatti often traveled with Jackson and even lived at the singer's Neverland ranch.

Court records show Bhatti was living at Neverland when authorities raided the estate in 2003 looking for evidence of child molestation.

Bhatti was briefly interviewed by investigators and was initially on the defense's list of prospective witnesses.

Joe Jackson has confirmed that a 25-year-old aspiring rapper from Norway, is actually Michael Jackson's fourth child.

In an interview posted on NewsOne.com, Joe Jackson talks about Omer Bhatti and told the reporter that he knew Michael had another child.

But he was never asked to testify.

At Jackson's memorial at Staples, Bhatti was prominently seated in the front row next to the pop star's children and siblings.

Bhatti is also said to be seeking a DNA test to determine whether Jackson is in fact his father.

Jackson's brother Jermaine has said Bhatti would be welcomed into the family, if he's proven a Jackson.

"If Omer's his son, he's his son," Jermaine told Britain's the Daily Mail. 'We won't deny it. We are going to give him the same love and care that we give Prince and Paris and Blanket. I can't clearly say if he is Michael's but I saw this kid around him."

In 2004, Us Weekly reported that Jackson did, indeed, acknowledge that he was the father.

A source told the magazine: "Jackson has told his closest associates Omer's mom's was a Norwegian with whom he had a one-night stand."

Hi, I'm a PC. Hi, I'm an iPhone Virus

A customer walked into a GeekSquad store in Texas receiving a prompt on his screen which wouldnt allow Safari to be closed.

Apple thinks the issue was caused by jailbreaking the iPhone.

The Bible has instructions for iPhones with viruses.

Those annoying (not if you are a MAC user) ads - I'm a Mac, I'm a PC ads are about to take a turn.

An iPhone's SMS system seems to be vulnerable and now may have been exploited. There is word on the street that about a possible virus which could be infecting the device.

Stimulus Bill Funds Go to Art Houses Showing 'Pervert' Revues, Underground Pornography

Williams said such support for the arts is a luxury at a time when the president and Congress have been telling the public to make sacrifices to manage the recession.

"When taxpayers see this, they realize that's just a bunch of hot air," he told FOXNews.com.

Some members of Congress raised alarms as the stimulus bill was being drafted and approved, but President Obama, while admitting there were problems with the $787 billion legislation, stressed the need for immediate action to resuscitate the economy.

"We can't afford to make perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary," Obama said at the time.

But he presumably didn't intend to have stimulus money help fund the weekly production of "Perverts Put Out" at San Francisco's CounterPULSE, whose "long-running pansexual performance series" invites guests to "join your fellow pervs for some explicit, twisted fun."

CounterPULSE received a $25,000 grant in the "Dance" category; a staffer there said they were pleased to receive the grant, "which over the next year will be used to preserve jobs at our small non-profit."

Similarly, the director of Frameline, the gay and lesbian film house, told FOXNews.com in an e-mail that their $50,000 grant was not to support any program in particular.

"The grant is not intended for a specific program; it's to be used for the preservation of jobs at our media arts nonprofit organization over the next year during the economic downturn," wrote K.C. Price, who listed four other NEA grants his organization has received.

The National Endowment for the Arts may be spending some of the money it received from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund nude simulated-sex dances, Saturday night "pervert" revues and the airing of pornographic horror films at art houses in San Francisco.

The NEA was given $80 million of the government's $787 billion economic stimulus bill to spread around to needy artists nationwide, and most of the money is being spent to help preserve jobs in museums, orchestras, theaters and dance troupes that have been hit hard by the recession.

But some of the NEA's grants are spicing up more than the economy. A few of their more risque choices have some taxpayer advocates hot under the collar, including a $50,000 infusion for the Frameline film house, which recently screened Thundercrack, "the world's only underground kinky art porno horror film, complete with four men, three women and a gorilla."

"When you spend so much money in a short amount of time ... you're going to have nonsense like this, and that's why the stimulus should never have been done in the first place," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste.

An NEA spokeswoman defended the agency's choices and said its grants would help "preserve jobs in danger of going away or that had gone away because of the economic downturn."

"Our review process is very comprehensive — we take great care with applicants and with grantees," said NEA spokeswoman Victoria Hutter. "It's a thorough, rigorous process that they all go through, and we're proud of the projects that we've been able to support."

Though the process was sped up, the NEA's 109 panelist reviewers handled the compressed schedule by giving their $50 million in direct grants only to individuals and groups that have received funding in the past and have already passed muster. An additional $30 million was given to state agencies to parcel out to local artists during this year.

One project that has received past NEA funding and stands to get an additional boost from a $25,000 stimulus grant is "The Symmetry Project," a dance piece by choreographer Jess Curtis.

The show depicts "the sharing of a central axis, [as] spine, mouth, genitals, face, and anus reveal their interconnectedness and centrality in embodied experience," according to a description offered on Curtis' Web site.

In the flesh — and there's a lot of it — it amounts to two people writhing naked on the floor, a government-funded tango in the altogether.

Curtis said that diminished support from regular funders like San Francisco Grants for the Arts "would mean lots less work and less ability to organize ... to get the work out in front of people." He said the NEA funding will help keep his art afloat.

"I think art is an incredibly important part of our culture and our life and ... that it's very much appropriate that our government should be supporting it," he told FOXNews.com.

San Francisco's economy is driven by the arts, which provided nearly 30,000 jobs in the city last year, according to Luis R. Cancel, director of cultural affairs for the San Francisco Arts Council.

"The city's non-profit arts and cultural sector generates $1.03 billion in local economic activity annually and, therefore, it will play a critical role in our recovery," Cancel said in a statement.

"With these stimulus funds San Francisco arts organizations will be able to weather the storm and continue to provide jobs and to generate revenue while enriching people's lives through innovative, high quality programming."

Williams, the taxpayer advocate, allowed that the $100,000 granted to the three groups "isn't going to make or break the country financially," but he said arts institutions should try to raise money by raising ticket prices — not by taxing individuals.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, he said. "These sorts of programs really do need to be funded by the patrons that go to the performances — not by the federal government."

Jon Gosselin Has Scavenger Hunt With the Kids

Following a weekend of fun in the Hamptons, Jon returned to Wernersville Tuesday. Smoking a cigarette, he went to a car wash, a UPS store and the bank.

Jon - who has been linked to two different women in two weeks, Hailey Glassman and Kate Major - recently vowed to Usmagazine.com that he wants to stay out of the headlines.

the kids in their backyard on July 29, 2009 in Reading, PA.
INFphoto.com
CelebNews@Usmagazine.com! - Jon Gosselin Has Scavenger Hunt With the Kids
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With the TLC reality cameras rolling, Jon Gosselin had a scavenger hunt with his daughters at their $1.1 million Pennsylvania home Wednesday. He and the kids paired up in teams of two. Jon was threw around a Frisbee for the dogs. Ex Kate wasn't spotted.

"It's crazy," he told Us. "I don't want [8-year-old twins] Mady and Cara Googling me, and I have to explain [a photo] and lose that trust between my children. No, it's dumb. Or explain it to my ex, Kate. Or explain to anybody what's going on."

Health Buzz: Tanning Beds Blamed for Cancer and Other Health News

Women Sell Their Eggs, so Why Not a Kidney?

A few weeks ago, New York became the first state in the nation to allow federally funded researchers to pay women for their eggs for embryonic stem cell research. While men typically donate their sperm free of charge, women expect to get paid for their eggs because of the hassle and risk that comes with injecting themselves with hormones to ripen multiple eggs at once and then have those eggs surgically extracted. Few donors would go through that if there were no financial incentives, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz writes. While it's not illegal for women in the United States to get payments for egg donations (it is in Europe), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has established ethical guidelines for egg donor compensation—a cap of $10,000 per cycle—which most fertility clinics follow.

Kotz tackles the question: If it is OK to sell eggs, why can't willing donors charge reasonable rates for their organs? Donating a kidney is a riskier procedure than egg donation because it involves more-invasive surgery and the long-term risk of having a malfunction in the remaining kidney. One expert says if there were a nonexploitative way of selling organs, he'd like to see it tried within the framework of a research study. Read more.

Read about a procedure that lets you donate a kidney without getting a scar. And find out where to go if you're searching for an egg donor.

Experts Say Tanning Beds Cause Cancer

Tanning beds increase your odds of getting cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in the new issue of the Lancet Oncology. Until now, the committee of experts who advise the World Health Organization had not confirmed a link between tanning beds, sunlamps, and cancer. The group made the decision after reviewing studies that showed teens and young adults who used tanning beds increased their risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent.

Obesity Takes Huge Toll on Kids

Findings published online earlier this month by Health Affairs revealed that costs associated with obesity-related hospitalizations in children rose from $125.9 million in 2001 to $237.6 million in 2005 (in 2005 dollars), U.S. News's Sarah Baldauf reports. Obese kids face greater odds of severe health problems in the future—type 2 diabetes and heart disease, in particular, Baldauf writes. But they are also dealing with a host of pretty serious issues in the present. Young bodies exposed to the hormones and metabolic burden of excess weight can suffer from conditions that take a significant toll on youngsters' quality of life.

The biggies that can land an obese kid in the hospital are orthopedic conditions because of compromised bones; asthma, which is associated with and can be intensified by obesity; and diabetes-related problems like infections, according to one expert. Baldauf explains five additional ways obesity can affect a child's health.

Robin Quivers bathing suit

I do not know why but one of buddy asked me to find robin quivers bathing suit pic and the result ?
so far, I can not find the real robin quivers bathing suit so, I just guess it is a hoax?
the thing here, I have no idea why he kept searching for robin quivers bathing suit? so, after I see her pic, I understand why.

Photos of Madonna's Biceps Freaking Peeps Out

The star was eating out with her reported model boyfriend, Jesus Luz, and as she was leaving, some photos of her were taken that have been widely critiqued.

Madonna follows a strict exercise regimen of two-hour workouts six days a week while drinking coconut water to keep energy levels high. Possibly too high.

Music icon Madonna is renowned for her fitness and figure despite passing the half-century mark. But she may just be taking her workouts a bit too seriously.

Photos taken showing her bulging veins have made people a little freaked out by Madonna's biceps, instead of impressed by them. They appear a bit alien-like.

The “freakish” Madonna pictures were taken Sunday in London.

The pop star is monitored by personal trainer Tracy Anderson, to whom she was introduced by Gwyneth Paltrow. Anderson told the UK's Daily Mail the following:

"I have completely changed Madonna’s body. I told her to forget everything she had been taught before and give up yoga, which can make you look very veiny."

The trainer further distanced herself from the freaky biceps: "Madonna’s very healthy and looks fantastic but those veins have nothing to do with me."

Heidi Montag Pratt, Playboy, and the Naked Truth of Her Reality

Holly Montag told Usmagazine.com Monday, "She's not nude. Her Maxim cover was so gorgeous and tasteful, and I know Playboy is going to be the same. It's really cool that she can be part of the Playboy family. I love it. I go up there all the time and play poker. I love the girls there, and it's very cool to be a part of that legacy."

Now, if the magazine does not sell as well for the better half of the couple everyone loves to hate, she can blame it on her sister's heads-up that she didn't pose naked in Playboy. Which means that Al Roker has been let off the hook.

Which elicits the question: Is there anything about Heidi Montag Pratt that is real?

Heidi Montag Pratt's sister, Holly Montag, fresh out of the Costa Rican jungle that her sister and brother-in-law, Spencer Pratt, could not handle (remember the train wreck, "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!"?), told Us magazine this week that Heidi Pratt would not be
Heidi Montag Pratt, Playboy, and the Naked Truth of Her Reality
Date: July 28, 2009
Los Angeles, CA
United States of America
naked in her upcoming Playboy pictorial.

It is a known fact that the reality show "The Hills" is scripted (for the most part), which means that the situations are contrived, staged, whatever. And Dr. Drew Pinsky (star of his own reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew") stated in his book, The Mirror Effect, that he did not believe that Heidi and Spencer Pratt were actually the way they portray themselves, but that they were exceptionally good at playing the controversy angle, acting the way they think people might expect them to act, stopping at nothing to make the audience despise them. Dr. Drew Pinsky also observes that Heidi and Spencer Pratt may be true narcissists.

And then there are Heidi Montag Pratt's own set of "hills," which apparently aren't real, either. Lauren Conrad, who once starred on "The Hills" with Heidi Montag - now - Pratt, told Harper's Bazaar that Heidi Pratt's "hills" weren't "going to pay for themselves," a reference to the Heidi's upcoming spread in Playboy. Lauren Conrad also insinuated that she didn't call around to make certain that people knew where she was going to be.