Spanish Tomatoe Fight!

The Tomatoe Fight!

Some believe that this odd at best became the world's largest food fight! At the end of August each year the people of Bunol, Spain, 45,000 in general, partisapate in throwing tomatoes at each other. It is believed that it started by some initianting an attack on concill members many years ago. However, it is not a certainty it origininated in that way. After all the chaose is done, about 25,000 pounds of tomatoes are hurled at people. What an interesting pass time.

The Disney Dream Cruise Ship!

 
The finishing touches are being put on the Disney Dream. In case you don’t know what the Disney Dream is, it is a luxury cruise ship like its sister ships in the Disney fleet the Magic and the Wonder. The Magic takes you on long European cruises as well as Caribbean cruises, and boasts an itinerary that will take your breath away. One of the most amazing cruises the Magic embarked on in July was a tour of Northern Europe. The ports of call included such countries as England, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Estonia and last but certainly not least Russia!

The ships offer the most amazing cuisine from all over the world. Every stateroom has all the amenities no matter inside or out with a veranda. It all depends on how much you spend but on a Disney ship all the rooms are comfortable, clean, luxurious and serviced impeccably. You want for nothing. All you have to do is ask. The Disney Cruise Line is perfect for children. It is designed for children and families in mind. It offers kid friendly luxuries as well as adult luxuries. You can go to a children’ theater or a children club or you can enjoy dinning in the adults only restaurant or relax in the spa even go to the adults only cafe. A more serene space designed for older tastes. On the Disney ships there is something sure to please everyone. Young and old.

It just so happens that they are putting the finishing touches on the adults only restaurant on the Dream. It will be called Remy. This marvelous restaurant will feature French cuisine. Reservations are required if you wish to dine there. This ship also boasts other fine dinning experiences. Enchanted Garden, Animator’s Palate and Royal Palace,  The Disney Dream is taking its maiden voyage in January 26, 2011! It is nearly full so hurry and get your spot before it is too late! Tell Micky hi.  

News Source

Heavy Snow Hits New York!

BUFFALO, N.Y.

On Thursday in Buffalo New York, hundreds of motorists were stuck in heavy snow on the freeway. This happened because of an accident earlier, and the wait for it to be cleared resulted in the weather not cooperating and dumping lots of snow on top of everyone.

This monstrous storm started on Wednesday around Lake Erie and progressed toward Buffalo. Down town Buffalo was not too bad, however, the larger part was covered in two feet of snow.
What happened was a truck jackknifed on the interstate highway the night before. It caused the highway to be closed at 3 a.m. It also resulted in a traffic back up of bumper to bumper pile ups for 13 miles. All this in incredibly frigid weather.

Of course there is one way of looking at all this. If you were stranded in the white cloak of winter in a car, on a frozen stretch of highway for 14 hours like 60 year old Jack Geiselman was. This is what he had to say:
"I tend not to be a ranter-and-raver about things and the point is, it's nothing I have any control over," the 60-year-old semi-retired civil engineer said. "I guess the way I look at it is, it's over. I guess stuff happens. It's not the end of the world."

It is true. There is nothing you can do when situations as these strike. Instead of getting keyed up, take it in stride as this man does. Now if only everyone could do that. You can read more about this at the news source link on the bottom of this report.

Updated: Ronnie Chasen murder!

The murderer that killed publiscist Chasen killed himself. At the Harvey apartments in Hollywood California.  The man bragged to a woman's husband that he killed a publicicst in the Hollywood Hills. He lived in the Harvey Apartments in Hollywood.. The man killed himself at 6am. Shots that rang out at that time alerted people, and they called the poilce. That is when they found the man. It is unlikely he was a hit man, because they are not known for killing themselves when the police come calling.

The name iof the man in question was Harold, or at least that is what people called him. He shot himself in the head in the  lobby of the 1930's apartment building and sprayed the place with blood. It was not a pleasent scene, but at least part of the mystery is over.

Update: World Cup!

UPDATE: This is an update to my previous report on the World Cup.
It is official --- the 2018 Fifa World Cup will be held in Russia! Hard to believe since Vladimir Putin was not in Zurich when the voting took place. England sadly lost the bid for the World cup this time, and it is reported that in 2022 it will be held in Qatar! Another first. These games should prove interesting in the next few years. Good luck to all involved.
Breaking News Source

World Cup vote: England's Hope For 2018!

Zurich holds the key to England's chances of hosting the Fifia World cup in 2018. The rivals that England fears the most would be Portugal/Spain and Belgium/Netherlands and Russia is also in the running.

David Beckham, Prim Minister David Cameron as well as prince William are part of the England strength to get the 2018 bid. Current England captain, Rio Ferdinand said to win would be so unbelievable. He remembers the last one there in 96 and he said it would live in him forever.

The serious moment for this entire drama comes when the five men representing England for the 2018 bid go in front of Fifa's executive committee on Thursday. Take a deep breath and hope for the best.

NEWS SOURCE

The Airbus engine has a serious fault!

It was reported that the engine used in the Airbus Qantas A380 started a global review over safety after an explosion. In the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine. There is a misalignment in the engine that caused the thinning of an oil-pipe that lead to an explosion.

The misalignment also caused a fatigue crack and that in turn caused leakage of fuel and a fire. Hence, an explosion followed.

Apparently, these faults in the engine occur during manufacturing and Rolls Royce have been asked to investigate what exactly causes it so this issue can be rectified before a major catastrophe bigger than the explosion before happens.

Qantas believes that there is no immediate danger, yet it will investigate this issue farther. It currently has two of these Airbuses in operation today, and does not plan to ground the fleet as it did on November 4^th. Hopefully, this will be corrected for future flights. 

NEWS SOURCE 

Colombia drugs money in football

President Santos says he is not going to put up with drug money coming into the sport and destroying the future of Colombian football. This statement was made because of one of Colombia's top football clubs Independent Santa fe of Bogota reportedly under investigation for money laundering for drugs cartels. When Mr. Santos attended a recent sports award ceremony, he mentioned they are going to destroy any relation between criminals and football.

Mr Santos is a huge football fan; one of his favourite teams happens to be Independent Santa Fe of Bogotá. He said recently that he feels football has to return to an earlier time when it worked in a healthier environment, and it had marvellous support. Indeed, one can hope that his dreams of the sport in Colombia is realised fully.

News Source

Poet from the US wins £30,000 Dylan Thomas prize!

Poetess Elyse Fenton's grand works of poetry were inspired by her husband serving in Iraq. It was her collection of 21^st century poetry that won the fantastic prize. The prize this lovely writer from America won was set up to honour the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The name of the award given by the University of Wales was the Dylan Thomas Prize. The point of the prize is to encourage young writers.

Ms. Fenton's poetry book Clamor is the first poetry book to ever win this award. Another lucky writer, Stefan Mohamed, he won the £5,000 Sony Reader Award category. This was for unpublished writers; the name of his novel that won was: Bitter Sixteen.

Apparently, the book of poetry Ms. Fenton wrote named Clamor was inspired from bits of instant messages between she and her husband while he was in Iraq working as a medic. The works comprising the book are inspiring, and beautifully written. The passion and longing out of love comes shining through loud and clear. It was a true winner among the competition. Great work indeed.

News Source

Bracelet once owned by Wallis Simpson breaks Sotheby's records!

It was reported that a bracelet once owned by Wallis Simpson, was sold recently at Sotheby's for £4.5m. For those of you wondering how much that is in US dollars. It equates to $7m. The beautiful bracelet was in the shape of a panther and all diamonds. Of course Cartier was the designer of this stunning, brilliant piece. It was reported top be the most expensive Cartier item to be sold at any auction anywhere in the world. This fabulous piece was recently owned by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and was also part of a 20 piece collection. It was reported that the entire collection brought ion £7,975,550 or $12, 417, 369m. There were many dazzling piece from this collection. Another piece was a clip in the shape of a flamingo. It was comprised of ruby, sapphire, emerald, citrine and diamond also made by Cartier.

Also, David Bennett, the chairman of Sotheby's in Europe and the Middle East had this to say: "The offering comprises not only incomparable examples of the genius of Cartier in collaboration with the Windsors, but also pieces whose inscriptions tell the story of perhaps the greatest love story of the 20th century, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain."

News Source

NYC Tree Lighting Ceremony!

   

Once again New York’s Rockefeller Centre will sparkle and shine with its famous Christmas tree. This years tree is a Norway Spruce decked out in 30,000 LED lights. And if that isn’t amazing enough, it takes about five miles of wire to affix those sparkling points of light to the tree and to top everything off, a Swarovski crystal star tops it all.

The tree lighting ceremony is a tradition and draws millions of New Yorkers and tourist each year.

England Suffocated by heavy Snow!

Heavy snow warnings have been issued for London, Yorkshire and other areas of England. There is also a warning issued about ice on the highways across the entire country.  Severe weather warnings are in place for the greater part of the country of England.

This widespread snow and ice have delayed flights in and out of England. Temperatures are dipping into the below freezing range into Wednesday, with the majority of the heaviest snow in Northern England.  Across the North East, Yorkshire, Kent, Essex and Cornwall, 800 schools have closed and more are expected with the forthcoming wave of frigid weather.

This snow has possibly been responsible for one fatality. Hopefully, that number will not increase. Well, winter has really breathed itself into England this year. A precursor. 

News Source

US State Department Severs Cables Temporarily!

The US has taken these temporary precautions on the cables that are from the military database. The reason for this radical decision is to stop the leaks of confidential material. It was reported that a UK Foreign official said he had deep concern over the safety issues surrounding Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. This took place back in September 2009. Another cable seven months prior Anne Patterson, an ambassador to Islamabad, made it clear and told Washington: their main concern was someone working in the government in Pakistan smuggling enough materials out to make a nuclear weapon. 

Not only that, but back in 2008 a cable from an intelligence briefing told of Pakistan producing nuclear weapons more rapidly than any country in the world.

 More leaks and hopefully they won’t compromise global stability. More can be found at this link this is also my news source for this paraphrased article

Overwhelming Flood kills Many In Venezuela!

For days on end Venezuela has been hammered with torrential rains. The result is thousands of homes destroyed and so far at least 20 people killed in the aftermath.  The flooding is so horrendous that the Capital, Caracas, even declared a state of emergency.  More than 5,500 people e are homeless and that number is expected to rise. Even the roadway to the capital has been overtaken by mudslides.  

One can hope that the weather phenomenon known as La Nina will not cause Venezuela another humongous tragedy like the one that hit in December of 1999. Those floods killed approximately 30,000 people.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides!

  

 Oh yes. If you are Pirates of the Caribbean fan this will add a little fuel to your Jack Sparrow fire! Or should I say, Jonny Depp?  The title of this new flick?  Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Remember the end of the third movie? Jack was looking at a map to find the fountain of youth. Well, the new movie features Barbossa and Jack on a mad search for the elusive fountain. It will be another Disney extravaganza, and a much anticipated release.  The film will also include: Black Beard the pirate among a cast of other badies and goodies. It is slated to be out possibly in May of 2011. Here is a list of the credited cast.

Cast

Credited cast:
	Johnny Depp	...	Jack Sparrow
	Ian McShane	...	Blackbeard
	Richard Griffiths	...	King George II
	Penélope Cruz	...	Angelica
	Geoffrey Rush	...	Barbossa
	Stephen Graham	...	Scrum
	Gemma Ward	...	Tamara
	Judi Dench
	Sam Claflin	...	Philip
	Keith Richards	...	Captain Teague
	Kevin McNally	...	Gibbs
	Óscar Jaenada	...	Spaniard
	Greg Ellis	...	Lieutenant Theodore Groves
	Astrid Berges-Frisbey	...	Syrena
	Yuki Matsuzaki	...	Garheng

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

Oh yes indeed. If you have read all the Harry Potter books, and watched all the Harry Potter movies to date, you will totally enjoy to the maximum the ride that will take you inside the world of Harry Potter. You will feel like you are in one of the movies. You will start when you walk through the gates of Hogwarts castle. You will then be in the dungeons where you will see items from the movies and the books. As every loyal fan knows, Severus Snape is fond of this part of the ancient castle.

Contrary to what some people said, or mostly speculated, the ride is not a rollercoaster. It is a ride that takes place mostly in the dark, where you are taken on an adventure by Harry, Ron and Hermione. This is a ride that uses robocoster ability, and that means the seats pivot while held above the track on a robotic arm in front of a screen that immerses you into the film. The robocoster technology allows the feeling of flight to be more natural. That is very important in the experience, for you are going to follow Harry and company on his broom across the sky over Hogwarts. Just like you watch him and read about his exploits in the books. There will be many adventures during your virtual reality experience. These include: coming in contact with the Whomping Willow, flying and being chased by Dementors, being caught in a Quidditch match among other exciting things. You will feel the sensation of dropping, spinning, twisting and turning.

One of the biggest concerns for passengers on this amazing adventure ride is staying in the seat. Not to worry, there are bars that snap into place and fit over your shoulders for a secure ride that you don’t have to worry about getting thrown out of. The ride culminates in Filtch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods. You will never believe this ride until you are part of the much deserved hype.

Seeing is believing, so see ya there. Now go and catch the Hogwarts Express, and don’t be late or Snape will give you a detention!

World's Oldest Champagne!

Wow, if you are a fan of Champagne, and enjoy the effervescent luxury of its character, the aroma of its bouquet, and the delicate flavors of each note of elegance you will appreciate this news. A shipwreck occurred in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Sweden and Finland approximately 200 years ago. In the remarkable wreak (recently discovered) there were over 160 bottles of Champagne. After retrieving each treasure from the sea several were sampled and found to be exquisite! The experts that tasted these amazing bottles said they even maintained their sparkle after several centuries under water. Perhaps they were preserved because of the cold temperatures of the Baltic; however, most of the bottles were in excellent condition. The vintage of the bottles are thought to be when a comet crossed the sky, and some believe that occurrence contributed to the extraordinary quality of the Champagne in that year.

After close analysis of the cork from several of the recovered bottles, experts were able to ascertain them being from the Veuve Clicquot brand. The Champagne house that was founded in 1772 dated these bottles of Veuve from 1811.
Several bottles of this champagne are slated to sell at an auction. It is presumed they will bring a price of at least $70,000 each.

SOURCE: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/17/world/main7063121.shtml

Prince William and Kate to marry next year!

It was reported that Prince William asked Kate MiddletonKate Middleton’s father formally for her hand in marriage. They have become engaged to marry and announced it to the world today. Kate revealed William proposed to her last month on a holiday in Kenya. That is quite a romantic thing to do. It was also reported that they would wed next year.
A true romantic, William, said he'd been trying to be brave enough to ask her before their trip to Kenya. He'd been planning it, yet, the moment never felt so perfect as when they ventured to Africa. Now the world knows their proud news.
Apparently, he had been carrying his mother's engagement ring round in his rucksack for about three weeks before he mustered the nerve to ask Kate for her hand. Of course, his mother was Diana Princess of Wales, and her engagement ring was £28,000! Extraordinary!
William gave his future wife his mother's engagement ring. A legacy to carry over into a new chapter in the lives of the royal family. Kate Middleton is a poised and by appearances well-mannered middle class woman. She and William have been dating for 8 years. Though they did break up for a brief time in 2007, they came together once again. Prince William claims they grew up and matured while apart and it was an ingredient much needed to sustain a grounded relationship that leads to marriage.
Good perspective and all the hope that they sustain a well respected and loving marriage. Three cheers for the newly engaged couple!
News Source: The Sun

Israel Destroys Mosque In Rahat!

Many police officers along with the Israeli Administration authorities, in addition to tractors and ambulances invaded the city of Rahat and demolished a mosque. They cited Israeli police the structure was built illegally.

Hundreds of residences protested, and the Israeli police used teargas to disperse the crowd.
Ynet News reported this: Southern District Police Chief Commander Yochanan Danino, who supervised the operation, said, "We acted with resolve to enforce the rule of law and relayed a message that Israel Police will not ignore illegal activity while remaining sensitive to the Muslims' feelings."
Rahat Mayor Faiz Abu Sahiban said,
"We could have reached a compromise and the razing could have been delayed, but this is a wicked government."

In addition, the Jerusalem Post reported that some Israeli law enforcement officials said, "The Islamic Movement acted with defiance all the way: they were given an option to construct the building nearby but they rejected it, they didn't obtain building permits, and connected illegally to the electricity grid. Their attempts to protest the demolition attracted few people."
According to Mayor Abu Sahiban, the act was a direct offence against all Muslims, and the "police should act responsibly and use its discretion."
Rahat is located in the Negev and currently has a population of approximately 53,000, but it is projected that the numbers may be growing due to the Jewish National Fund and the Israeli Land Administration efforts have become stronger to remove the Bedouin from their land.
One example of this initiative is the Bedouin village of El Araquib. The IAL has destroyed it six times over the last four months. This has caused many to move to Rahat, and now they have become targets of the Israeli authorities there.

The ILA controls about 93% of the land in Israel. There is a project to make the Negev green, so they have been responsible for uprooting olive trees in Palestinian villages and attempting to plant forests for the green initiative.

"If they continue to destroy it, we will rebuild the mosque over and over again," said Yusuf Abu Jama, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Rahat.
Rahat residents began rebuilding the mosque on Sunday, with dozens honouring the site of yesterday’s destruction with worship.

NYC Marathon 2010 -- Chilean Miner runs!

Truelly an insperational man! 

Watch him running the NCY marathon here!

A Chilean miner crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on Sunday. He is a man filled with passion, determination and grit, attributes that carried him through his ordeal when trapped underground in the Chilean mine for 69 days.
Edison Pena crossed the Central Park finish line at 3:24 p.m., with a time of 5 hours, 40 minutes, 51 seconds.
He believes that running makes you free. Here is what he had to say about it:
"First, I want to run this marathon, but secondly, I'd like to motivate those people who aren't running the marathon to do so in the future," he said before starting Sunday morning. "I also want to especially motivate young children and youth to run because running makes you free."
Apparently, Pena, trained while trapped with the other Chilean miners 2,300 feet under ground. He would jog down there in the stifling heat and humidity. He said that when he ran he proved just how much he wanted to live. He thinks of it as his salvation.

The crowds of spectators didn’t care if he won the race among the swarm of 45,000 other marathon runners. No, they felt him a winner from the start. The ordeal he suffered trapped with the other miners for 69 days in Chilli was a tremendous victory that pales the marathon in comparison.
His will to finish is amazing to say the least. Only an hour into the race he lost his smile and replaced it with a more serious maybe even a painful expression. It was clear something was troubling him, yet he pressed on in true unstoppable fashion.

However, at the 14th mile he had to leave the course and get help in the medical tent. Did that keep him down? NO WAY!
He left the medical tent with bags of ice tied on both knees. His left knee was previously injured in the mine cave in, so now he had his other knee in jeopardy.
Yes, with a total time of 5hours and 40 minutes 51 seconds this determined man crossed the finish line.

Dumbledore is going to be in Doctor Who!

Well, just the actor that plays the charming elder wizard in the Harry Potter movies. Sir Michael Gambon grabs a ticket on the Tardis this Christmas in an exciting rendition of “A Christmas Carol” – Doctor Who style.

Mr. Gambon will join Matt Smith, the newest Doctor, along with his companions Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams).

Doctor Who has undergone a change with its excellent new star Matt Smith; this charming young man (26) has a certain charisma as seen in his portrayal of the good Doctor. His rendition of the famed alien is whimsical and engaging on many levels. Adults and children love him. Matt’s plunge into the renowned role gained him much media attention; to properly cope with this, his phone and facebook were rendered closed for a time. His costars Karen Gillan she plays Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill who plays Rory Williams together form a cohesive bond that is unstoppable. They all fit into their respected roles together naturally. When watching them one feels a sense of friendship, as if you knew them personally, you could be mates. This makes for good entertainment; desirable viewing that extends into a vast future of possibilities.

However, something bigger is brewing on the horizon. Veteran actor Sir Michael Gambon will soon share the screen with them; another “Golden Trio” shades of Harry Potter. Yes, this “Golden Trio” is the Doctor and his two companions. When you group these fabulous talents, you get an explosion of quality performances that will no doubt make for one of the best showings of any Doctor Who episode to date.

Sir Michael Gambon made his professional film debut in Othello in the 1960’s when he was a lad in his teens. Since then you may have seen him in various films; The Singing Detective, Joe’s Place, Path to War, Layer Cake, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow among many other films. Of course the most famous to date being his role as Dumbledore in the illustrious Harry Potter films. Now he will add Doctor Who to his honorable list of achievements.

The series has undergone a new writer Steven Moffat. The BBC announced in May 2008 that Moffat would be taking over from Russell T Davies  as head writer and executive producer for the revived show's fifth series, to be broadcast in 2010. The Dickens theme for the festive holiday season concerning Doctor Who is not new. In 2005, Dickens appeared in The Unquiet Dead, an episode that was written by Mark Gatiss.   

 Mr. Moffat had this to say about writing this episode for Doctor Who: 

“Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And The Doctor. And a honeymoon. And... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything.

I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbours loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I'm fairly sure they did it ironically."