Most Funny Pictures,Weird,Bizarre,Strange And Amazing Stuff

Amazing Week In Some Stunning Pictures

2011-05-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

Plastic heads and limbs of 'reborn babies' - dolls which are made to look just like real babies - are displayed at a show in Brentwood, Essex
Picture: AFP/GETTY

Newborn Nela listens to music with headphones at the Saca hospital in Kosice, Slovakia. The hospital uses music therapy to help newborn babies that have to be separated from theirs moms for treatment
Picture: AP

Overall winner, Elmar Weisser of Germany reacts after winning first place of the Full Beards Freestyle category during The Beards and Moustaches World Championship 2011 in Trondheim, Norway
Picture: AFP/GETTY

Bee Wrangler Norman Gary is covered in almost 70,000 bees on the set of a film. He is able to direct of a swarm of bees to cover his entire body without suffering a single sting. The retired professor, 77, who gained his PhD at the age of 26 in the study of bees, or apiculture, is the first port of call for any Hollywood production featuring bees.
Picture: NORMAN GARY / BARCROFT USA

South Africa's Robert Hunter, left, fights with Sacha Modolo after crashing just before the final kilometre of the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race from Castelfidardo to Ravenna
Picture: AP

Twenty men yoked to the 20,000-ton Tallink cruise ship, Baltic Queen, manage to set a new record for ship-pulling in Tallinn harbour, Estonia
Picture: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

10 Really Cool And Unique Lamps

2011-05-20T01:35:00.000-07:00

Sneaker Lamp

Creative lamp designed by Clara Sjodin that looks like a sneaker. The cloth shoe laces are not only accurately scaled, they are the actual power cords for the bulbs found in each sneaker, which helps keep the lamp's design very clean. Would you put a pair up in your house?(Link)

Mary Had a Little Lamp
Lonely in bed at night while you read? Mary Had a Little Lamp is there to help you and keep your bed warm.

(Link)

Penguins Lamps
Collection of lamps "Save The Penguins" by Alex Kozynets.

(Link)

Fire Lamp
Fire inspired lamp designed by Santiago Sevillano. The body is made of white semitransparent PET rotational molding and inside is LED lighting. The table lamps are wireless and use a base charge.

(Link)

Book Rest Lamp
Whilst you're all tucked up in bed reading your favorite fairy-tale, horror story or glamour model biography, you can read to the glow of this clever and uncomplicated lamp. Made of frosted glass it gives off a soft light, ideal to read to but also doubles as a book rest ensuring you never lose your page. Designed by Lee Sang Gin.

(Link)

Nymph Lamp
Nymph, as in “the immature form of some insects”, is the name of this odd and cool looking lamp by Site Specific Design – an interior and furniture design company based in Brooklyn, New York. The price: $2,600.

(Link)

Martini Lamp
This sophisticated lamp model has an illuminated red pimento.

(Link)

Memento Lamp
ID Award 2008 Biennial Winning an interior product award. Design by Hiroshi Yoneya and Yumi Masuko.

(Link)

Moon Rock Lamps

Beautiful and original design from the 1960's. Each lamp is handcrafted in Ravenna, Italy, of fiberglass and then coated with a layer of natural Italian stones. Both beautiful and modern, these lamps give any space a natural warm atmosphere. Can be used as ambient lighting on the floor or table top.

(Link)

10 Really Amazing And Cute Animal Pictures

2011-05-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

This bobcat got into a spot of bother after running from a pack of wild dogs - and climbing to the top of a prickly cactus. It sat on the spines and cowered as ten hounds gathered at the base of the 15ft-high saguaro cactus. Paco Espinoza took the picture in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. He said: ""The saguaro had a lot of thorns and it would have been painful sitting up there. The dogs had the cactus surrounded and the bobcat was scared so my dad and I threw stones to make them flee."
Picture: Paco Espinoza/Solent News & Photo Agency

A Fennec Fox looks around its enclosure at the zoo in the southern German city of Heidelberg
Picture: AFP/GETTY

Two pug named Roxy and Ivan are dressed up as Dorothy and the Tin Man from the movie Wizard of Oz, at the Pug Rescue of San Diego County's 20th annual Pug Party in Del Mar, California
Picture: REUTERS

A dog retrieves a sandal from the sea during the women's Billabong Rio Pro surfing championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Picture: AP

Pet rabbits and their handlers compete in the rabbit showjumping competition at the London Pet Show 2011 at Olympia
Picture: Paul Brown / Rex Features

A pet rat looks at a camera at the London Pet Show 2011 at Olympia
Picture: Paul Brown / Rex Features

Imre Szpisjak grooms his record-breaking 560kg (1234 pounds) giant hog Bela at his farm in Kenderes, Hungary
Picture: AFP/GETTY

A little Australian freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) shows his pointed teeth while being held by a keeper at the zoo in Frankfurt
Picture: EPA

A fire ant appears to be pulling off a one-handed breakdance move on a log. The insect held the pose - known as a hand freeze in breakdancing circles - for 30 seconds. Robertus Agung Sudiatmokos photographed the unusual sight using a macro lens in the village of Cibinong, Indonesia.
Picture: Robertus Agung Sudiatmokos / CATERS

A bumble bee collects pollen from a dog rose near Frankenthal, western Germany
Picture: AFP/GETTY Source

10 Most Beautiful Female Athletes

2011-05-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

Clair Bidez

Clair Bidez missed the 2010 Winter Olympics and has done nothing too special in the X-Games.
I can snowboard. I've played 1080 Snowboarding on N64. It's basically the same thing right?

Natalie Gulbis

If you're ditching your sport to be on a reality show like Gulbis did when she went on Celebrity Apprentice 2, then no matter what, you probably made the right decision. Her mind couldn't have been in the right place.
Sure, she was sixth overall on the money list, but she only has one win on tour. The strategy has to be to just linger until it's winning time, then make your move.
And did you know she has two brothers named George and Charles Innocent?
Yeah, they're a crime fighting duo whose nemesis is the notorious mobster Louis Guilty.

Jenn Brown
Baseball was my chosen sport, so whenever I see a softball player, I immediately think I have a chance of being better than any of them. Especially one who quit in college and now is a broadcaster.
Think of the rules of softball. You have a smaller field and you can't lead off the base pads. It is essentially little league baseball with a bigger ball. How does anyone ever strike out trying to hit something that big??

Maria Verchenova

I just can't take Verchenova's game seriously when she set the female athlete stereotype back a thousand years when she told Maxim magazine:
“I always like to bring something extra special to the golf course, so if I’m wearing sexier, more stylish stuff like a shorter skirt or a nice tennis-style dress, and if people notice then great.”
All right Maria. While you're making hard decisions like if you should wear a black skirt or a pink one, I am out at the driving range day and night, getting ready to take you on.

Claudia Toth
Claudia Toth's chosen sport is curling. You know, the Olympic sport where you push a large piece of stone and use brooms to put that large piece of stone in a spot?
This is arguably the toughest matchup because of the involvement of a broom. Men are fighting centuries of training that women have had with a broom.

Sophie Horn

You can drone on all you want about your golf accomplishments, Sophie, but until you're on the LPGA tour, I know I can take you.
Just don't talk though. The British accent thing will make me collapse on the green, and no one wants to see something like that.

Victoria Vanucci
The internet tells me Victoria here hurt her back, so she can't play tennis anymore.
Fine, Victoria. I call your bluff. I am totally willing to roll out in a wheelchair and duel you on a tennis court. No more excuses, this is for real.
Wheelchair tennis. I'm surprised that hasn't caught on. Maybe because it would take about as long as a game of Monopoly and would be equally as exciting.

Leryn Franco

Leryn Franco specializes in the javelin throw. She is also a clutch performer.
She set her personal best at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, which was good enough to get her last place. Well slap my ass and call me Shirley! That is what I am competing with! The best you can do is last!
Her personal best is 55.38 meters, which is 181.69 feet. If my math is right, and it is because I know I carried the four, then that means she can probably throw a baseball about 43 mph.

The Feres Sisters
he Feres sisters' list of prestigious accomplishments is so vast and endless, it earned them about three sentences on their Wikipedia page.
They were champions in Brazil for both juvenile and adult categories. That is like me proudly telling people I won some championships in the sixth grade.

Ashley Force

I'm not only sure I could beat Ashley Force in a drag race, I am confident I could beat any drag racer at anytime.
Let's review what this "sport" requires.
1) Sit in car
2) Buckle seat belt
3) See green light
4) Push accelerator down
5) Keep car straight
Whew. Number two would really give me some problems, but if I got past that hurdle, I think I have a chance.
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Really Amazing And Cute Animal Pics Of The Week

2011-05-16T03:13:00.000-07:00

A dolphin named Cessol looks as if he is smiling and blowing a welcoming thought bubble at Planete Sauvage wildlife park in Port Saint Pere, France. Amateur photographer Yohann Aberkane said: "I couldn't believe it when Cessol swam to the glass and blew a bubble - he really seemed like he was trying to communicate, almost like using a thought bubble."
Picture: Yohann Aberkane / Rex Features

Kishi, a Western Lowland gorilla, cradles her two-week-old unnamed baby at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, as it becomes the 130th born at the Aspinall Foundation's two wildlife parks in the county...
Picture: PA

A baby male baboon called Sekani rides on the back of his mother, Ayisha, in their enclosure at Auckland Zoo in New Zealand
Picture: AP

Baby elephant Nuka is presented with a honeydew melon with a '1' written in icing on it, on her first birthday at the zoo in Hanover, Germany
Picture: EPA

Two kingfishers mate at a pool near Droitwich, Worcestershire. Wildlife photographer Mark Hancox said: ''The pool is very popular with kingfishers at this time of year and I get some great pictures of them diving. I took dozens of shots of diving kingfishers but was intrigued by these two birds who were obviously in the middle of their courtship."
Picture: Mark Hancox / SWNS.com

A 560-pound polar bear called Tatqiq dives into the water and comes face-to-face with the underwater 'Polar Cam' at San Diego Zoo in California
Picture: San Diego Zoo / PacificCoastNews.com

Humboldt penguins swim in their pool at the zoo in the southern German city of Heidelberg
Picture: AFP/GETTY

A pair of Northern Gannets perform a courtship display on the clifftop at the RSPB's Bempton Cliffs on the East Yorkshire coast
Picture: GETTY

A leopard is chased by a lioness at Urikaruus waterhole in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kgalagadi, South Africa. The leopard narrowly escaped a swipe before leaping into the branches of the area's only tree. Amateur photographer Callie de Wet from Johannesburg captured the chase on camera. He said: "Lions can't climb so [the tree] was the only option for the leopard."
Picture: CALLIE DE WET / BARCROFT MEDIA.
Source

10 Amazing And Unique Gold Made Weapons

2011-05-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

International fashion with an emphasis on cultural uniqueness. A push towards using locally significant materials, that carry cultural weight.

For 2010 expect a more localized focus to feature your own native materials and beads.

The price of gold continues to skyrocket. This will continue to have an impact on jewelery making trends. Brass, silver, wood and beads are going to take over the field while gold remains unaffordable for the masses.

Handcrafted unique jewelery will continue to be hugely popular. More popular than ever, in 2010, because of the desire to express oneself through creativity rather than extravagance. Expect the truly fashionable to be wearing their own beaded jewelery, from necklaces, pendants, to rings and bands.

Craft jewelery making will be an unbeatable trend for 2010. With financial pressures mounting, and little relief in sight, families will return to what matters, and fashion will reflect this. The value of sharing the joy of creation together with children, creating memories as well as jewelery grow even further in popularity than it is today.

7 Most Strange And Restaurants Of The World

2011-05-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sushi Restaurant Los Angeles
Located in the heart of West Hollywood on Sunset strip this “Adults Only” Sushi restaurant, bar and lounge is equal parts exotic and delicious. Putting a new spin on sushi is an understatement. Where else could you order Nyotaimori “body sushi”? Which is the practice of eating sashimi or sushi from the body of a women or man. The food never touches the model and is presented on banana leaves draped artfully on the body.

Beer Spa Restaurant In Czech Republic
The mountain Bahenec Wellness Hotel is situated in the area of Slezské Beskydy, in the town of Písek u Jablunkova, very close to the Polish border. The entire procedure, which also includes a Finnish sauna and, following the beer bath, relaxation on a bed of oat straw, takes about two hours. The Bier Bottich Bad (BBB, Beer Tub Bath) recipe was conceived by the Austrian hotelier Hedwig Bauer and is a protected secret.

Dinner In The Sky Restaurant Las Vegas
Dinner In The Sky is a Belgian based novelty restaurant which used a crane to hoist its diners, table, and waitstaff 150 feet into the air. Dinner in the sky has now made its way to the Las Vegas Market with a grand opening on New Year’s Eve.

Maldives, Hilton Resort & Spa
Maldives, Hilton Resort & Spa is world’s first underseas restaurent at the resort. It was designed in New Zealand and constructed in Singapore and now shipped in Maldives. For those of you who DO find this enticing and beautiful, the world’s first underwater restaurant just opened at the Hilton resort in Maldives. It’s like a giant stationary submarine immersed in the most beautiful water in the world.

Guolizhuang (Penis Restaurant Beijing)
Guolizhuang (Penis Restaurant Beijing) is a restaurant where nearly every dish has a dick in it. You can have your choices of dog, yak, donkey, seal, and more. According to some Chinese medicinal tradition, you are what you eat. If you’re a coward, it’s advisable to eat tiger’s testicles or something like that to boost your bravery. Well who loves delicious animal reproductive organs, raise your hand! You’ll get plenty at this place in Beijing because that’s all they serve. Now who ordered the dog’s penis garnished with a plum?

W’Duck Toilet Restaurant Portugal
Do you mind sitting on the toilet while you dine? Or wiping your mouth with toilet paper? Don’t bother showing up at W’Duck in Matosinhos if you need to think about your answer. W’Duck has occupied the old Sapataria Concalve space at 245 Avenida da República in this small port town Portugal.

Robot Kitchen in Hong Kong
A robot performs as a chef prepares food at Robot Kitchen in Hong Kong. With a whir and a flash of lights, another robot whizzes to the restaurant table and takes a customer’s order, while a second races to another table to deliver plates of steaming food.

Cute Pics Of Osama bin Laden’s Niece Wafah Dufour

2011-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wafah Dufour is the niece of Osama bin Laden. She was born in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer-songwriter, socialite and model. Her father, Yeslam bin Ladin (half brother of Osama bin Laden), is Saudi Arabian and her mother, Carmen bin Ladin, is of Swiss father and Iranian mother from a noble family.She is one of over 300 nieces and nephews of Osama bin Laden. She has Swiss nationality by her mother and United States nationality by birth.

Wafah Dufour spent the early part of her life in Los Angeles, then Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but later moved to Geneva, Switzerland with her parents and two little sisters Nadjia and Noor. In 1988, her parents separated and finally divorced only in January 2006. Her father and his family have reportedly not spoken to either her or her two younger sisters since she was 15 years old. She changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name, Dufour (wikipedia).

10 Cute Girl With Beautiful Body Art Painting

2011-05-14T01:47:00.000-07:00

Body art is very broad term which includes ear piercing to a funky tattoo, painting or you can say everything related to skin decoration. Today there is a craze among college students especially to get a funky tattoo done. Having a body art done is a means to express themselves and their individuality.

Besides piercing and tattooing body painting is growing in popularity as a body art form. Body art painting treats human body as a blank canvas, and beautiful crafty colorful pictures are drawn on it. Although this artistry may not be your drawing room’s show case they are still splendid.

These days companies have employed a new marketing funda of using body painting as a form of advertising. Many advertisements showcase the models with company logos painted onto their bodies.
Be it a sports day at school or cricket match in the country or going in discs beautiful body art, or painting is apparent. Fans many times express their love and compassion for their favorite team by painting the team mascot or writing their favorite team’s name.

5 Really Strange And Weird Beauty Contests

2011-05-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Miss Exotic World

The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially, the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion) is an annual burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event (and fundraiser for) the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly the Exotic World burlesque museum). The pageant, sometimes referred to as the “Miss America of Burlesque,” attracts former burlesque queens from past decades, as well as current participants of the neo-burlesque scene.

Miss Beautiful Bottom

What kind of ‘butts’ do you like? Bit round butts, small cute and petite butts or a butt that looks like Donald duck’s, pointing skywards. Round and firm, that’s got to be the bottomline of this pageant. Finalists at this competition held in Munich vie for a modelling contract and prize money of 10,000 euros. The judges only get to see the bottoms and not any part of the men’s or women’s body.

Miss Condom

A bevy of Thai bar girls, health officials and a transvestite blow up condoms and parade for a different kind of honour – the title of Miss Condom Asia-Pacific. Featuring 20 contestants from four different nations, the contest aims to promote safe sex in Thailand – a country on the frontline in the war against HIV/AIDS in Asia. But instead of twirling batons or warbling show tunes, competitors wow the judges with their condom-blowing prowess and knowledge about the virus.

Miss Artificial Beauty

This Chinese pageant is where fakers and cheaters walk away with the cake. China holds the Miss Artificial beauty contest, exclusively for women who have had plastic surgery. All contestants have to provide a doctor’s certificate to prove that they have had surgical alteration. Plastic surgery is a booming business in China, and those who have acquired beauty through surgery are called “renzao meinu” (man-made beauties).

Miss Jumbo Queen

This wobbly event is held in Bangkok. The annual pageant aims to raise awareness and money for Thailand’s suffering elephant population. Women weighing 176 pounds and over strut their stuff for judges in beauty and talent competitions – fully representing the theory that “bigger is beautiful.” Judges score the women on how well they exhibit the qualities of an elephant, something of a compliment in a country where the animals still have a respected role.

7 Most Strange And Bizarre Plants On Earth

2011-05-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

Plants and fungi are classified as different kingdoms by scientists, just like Animals, Protists, Jeff Goldblum and two distinct kinds of bacteria. However, they both form a vital role in the natural world: cycling energy. Plants take sunlight and make it usable while fungi decompose and recycle. Despite these noble purposes, many species of both groups are downright weird.
Rafflesias Flower

What is 4 feet across, smells like a dead body, and is a parasite that feeds by growing parts of itself inside another living thing? “Flower” probably wasn’t the first thing you would normally think of, but the Rafflesias flower from Malaysia is exactly that. The only part of the plant that isn’t burrowing through vines to steal their nutrients is the flower itself, which smells like rotting meat to attract carrion beetles, which spread their pollen. It’s kind of like a normal bee/flower relationship, except in this case the bees are beetles who think the flower is a corpse.
Titan Arum

This big wiener-shaped monstrosity is the Titan Arum, also colloquially known as the “Corpse flower” (botanists aren’t the world’s most creative people). Can you guess why? Yes, it also smells like a dead body. Go nature! You can’t make a giant flower that smells like, maybe, a rose? Or do bugs that like dead things pollinate better?

The blooms can reach 9 feet in height making Titans the largest flowers in the world.

Elephant foot yam

The elephant foot yam is a relative of the stinky phallus up there. And joy of joys, this one is edible! Seriously, the root of this is apparently a yam and is eaten in several countries as a delicacy. It looks like an ugly mushroom, but with any luck, doesn’t smell like death. Since it bears resemblance to its big brother, Titan Arum, it also understandably has a suggestive name: “mutated wiener”. Have fun with your weiner yams, rest of the world, we’ll stick with potatoes.

Bear’s head tooth mushroom

These things are about thirty kinds of weird. It looks like an old man’s beard made out of worms, and is actually a mushroom. They are edible, and apparently certain types have been found to be helpful in fighting cancer, stimulating nerve growth, and helping kill roundworms. They also grow branches, like a tree. Or possibly ent.

Red Cage fungus

It turns out giant flowers aren’t the only things that smell like dead bodies (aside from more dead bodies), and this mushroom is one of them. Fungi are usually a lot bigger than we realize. The bulk of it remains underground, the only part we can see is the mushroom, or “fruiting body”. But they don’t have to be mushroom shaped… in this case, it is lattice shaped and the interior is coated with slime. The stench exists for much the same reason as the flowers; flies distribute the spores allowing more stinky mushrooms to grow.

Witch’s Butter and Black Jelly Roll

These two have possibly the most revolting names in fungal history. Witches butter is considered a delicacy in some places (Okay, in China, so take that info with a grain of salt) but most of the world seems to think they taste pretty bland. Both types are parasites of wood fungus, which for some reason I find deeply unsettling. They add to their appeal by also being called Yellow Brain Fungus.

Madagascar ocotillo

We couldn’t find much on these save that they are from Madagascar (imagine that) and they are endangered. They have the notable distinction of being on this list and not smelling like fecal matter or dead meat, but rather look like something used during the Inquisition to force confessions of heresy.

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10 Best Countries You Should Choose For Living

2011-05-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

10. Italy
Cost of Living – 56
Leisure & Culture – 85
Economy – 63
Environment – 74
Freedom – 92
Health – 90
Infrastructure – 62
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 87
Final Score – 77

9. Canada
Cost of Living – 62
Leisure & Culture – 76
Economy – 69
Environment – 62
Freedom – 100
Health – 84
Infrastructure 85
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 69
Final Score – 77

8. Belgium
Cost of Living – 41
Leisure & Culture – 83
Economy – 66
Environment – 64
Freedom – 100
Health – 88
Infrastructure – 96
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 86
Final Score – 78

7. United States
Cost of Living – 56
Leisure & Culture – 79
Economy – 67
Environment – 62
Freedom – 92
Health – 78
Infrastructure – 100
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 84
Final Score – 78

6. Luxembourg
Cost of Living – 44
Leisure & Culture – 76
Economy – 85
Environment – 77
Freedom – 100
Health – 87
Infrastructure – 66
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 83
Final Score – 78

5. New Zealand
Cost of Living – 62
Leisure & Culture – 82
Economy – 65
Environment – 77
Freedom – 100
Health – 88
Infrastructure – 70
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 84
Final Score – 79

4. Germany
Cost of Living – 54
Leisure & Culture – 82
Economy – 71
Environment – 83
Freedom – 100
Health – 89
Infrastructure – 90
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 79
Final Score 81

3. Switzerland
Cost of Living – 41
Leisure & Culture – 86
Economy – 79
Environment – 78
Freedom – 100
Health – 95
Infrastructure – 96
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 77
Final Score – 81

2. Australia
Cost of Living – 56
Leisure & Culture – 82
Economy – 71
Environment – 76
Freedom – 100
Health – 87
Infrastructure – 92
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 87
Final Score – 81

1. France
Cost of Living – 55
Leisure & Culture - 81
Economy – 69
Environment – 72
Freedom – 100
Health – 100
Infrastructure – 92
Risk & Safety – 100
Climate – 87
Final Score – 82

7 Most Colorful Cities in the World

2011-05-08T13:24:00.000-07:00


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1. Guanajuato City, Mexico

Nestled in the mountains of the Sierra de Guanajuato lies the beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato. The city was founded in 1554 next to one of the richest silver mining areas of Mexico. The 16th-century mining boom led to the construction of beautiful haciendas and fine colonial buildings.

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2. Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles

Willemstad is the chief town of Curaçao located on the southern coast of the island. The Dutch colonial architecture of Willemstad is decidedly picturesque when set against the Caribbean waters.

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3. Valparaiso, Chile

Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere.

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4.St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

St. John's is the capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and is the primary municipality of the St. John's Metropolitan Area. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.

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5. Manarola, Italy

Manarola is one of the oldest towns in Cinque Terre and is nestled in the Italian Riviera. This picturesque village sprouts out of the mountainside to provide a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean sea.

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6.Wroclaw, Poland

Wroclaw, located in the south-west, is Poland's most charming city. The town square dates back to the 12th century, and its 14th century brick Gothic architecture is particularly inspiring.

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7. Lima, Peru

Unlike many of the tourist-driven towns on this list, Lima is very much a working city. Unique in its mixture of poverty, native and imported cultures and varied development, Lima is especially noted for its different architectural styles.

7 Extreme Rock Climbing And Mountaineering Photographs by Robert Bosch

2011-05-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

Over 37 years and seven continents, Robert Bosch has travelled to the some of the highest peaks on Earth as one of the world's premier mountain photographers. Sharing in mountaineers' trials and exertions by scaling the heights, Robert has captured stunning images that pay tribute to climbers and nature.
Climber Annatina Schultz climbing The Fall on Klettern in Meiringen, Switzerland
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

Robert, 57, has travelled to the summit of Everest, the icy Alps of Europe, and even to the frozen desert wastes of Antarctica, in pursuit of adventure and the perfect shot.
Climber Pesche Wuthrich on the 800ft high artificial climbing wall on the Diga di Luzzone dam in Tessin, Switzerland
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

"Ueli (above) is a wonderful climber, an exceptional mountaineer, we climb a lot together looking for that perfect shot that sums up the strength and balance and fitness that climbers need," explained Robert. "We go out of our way to make the photographs as difficult as possible, like in our ice-climbing route in Graubunden in Switzerland and Berner Oberland, which is also in Switzerland. His free climbing abilities are what most impresses me, he is a good friend and it is a pleasure to work with him"
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

Photographing the greats of the climbing world such as 34-year old Ueli Steck, Robert has witnessed his skill during perilous ice climbs in Switzerland
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

in almost 40 years of climbing Robert has had some close shaves. "I was working in the Swiss Alps working on my photography, hanging from a rope and using my crampons digging into the rock face to balance myself," said Robert. "Unfortunately I had a momentary lapse of balance and I turned 180 degrees upside down to face a sheer 3,000 feet drop...
Climber Pesche Wuthrich climbing on the border between Italy and Switzerland
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

As an experienced and seasoned climber, Robert has scaled over 100 different peaks across the world. "My passion was born when my parents would take me to visit the Alps when I was boy," said Robert, who lives near Zurich in Switzerland. "My climbing became serious when I hit my twenties, I got to know the guides who work on the mountains in the Alps like Mont Blanc."
Robert Bosch taking a picture on the 800ft high artificial climbing wall on the Diga di Luzzone dam in Tessin, Switzerland
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT

"Climbing Mount Everest is relatively straightforward for an experienced climber," explained Robert. "I had previously attempted to ascend the notoriously difficult west ridge route but that had defeated me. So in 2001 I succeeded climbing the north face, but I must tell you that to climb Everest up the commercially popular route is easy. Everyone travels to the top and thinks they can write a book about it, but the majority of these people are not mountaineers, they are relying on the incredible work of the Sherpas in Nepal. It is not all that it is cracked up to be"
Picture: ROBERT BOSCH / BARCROFT Source

7 Most Weird Rides Around The World

2011-05-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Spindizzy
Spindizzy serves as Diggerland’s main Thrill-ride. This ride is effectively a JCB, swinging daring visitors at a huge height, in its scoop. This Diggerland ride has an advantage over many other thrill rides in that it isn’t computer programmed, this ride is operated by member of Diggerlands staff team. This allows the ride to be as crazy as you want it to be. Each single operation of this ride can therefore be customized, for example, a younger set of riders are thrilled easier than a group of adults, or so the story goes! Hold onto your hats and be spun crazy!

SkyRoller
Fly in the sky with the new Sky Roller by Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH. This world’s first offers a new way of flying. Guests enjoy an individual, interactive ride in the open seats where their legs dangle free. The rotation of the seat is controlled with wings attached at the side. The ride can be scenic or thrilling- however each passenger decides to fly. The Sky Roller makes every ride an exciting adventure and attracts guests of all ages.

Stratosphere X Scream Ride
X-Scream is essentially a teeter-totter for adrenaline junkies that tilts riders 27 feet off the edge of the Stratosphere Las Vegas. Rides like X-Scream take advantage of a built environment to create new thrills. Pribonic explains that the ride uses a relatively low-tech magnetic braking system, based around a copper blade that is attached to the bottom of the car. As the ride rolls forward, the blade slips in between a row of magnets before hitting a rubber bumper that brings it to a standstill. As the ride is tilted backwards, the blade slips out and heads toward an identical row of magnets at the other end. “I take comfort in the solid, heavy-duty, easy-to-see mechanical connections,” Pribonic says. “Everyone is locked in, and everything is locked down.”

Wild 5
Wild 5 offers a range of activities, operating from the beautiful unspoiled environment of the Oribi Gorge. Activities available cater for both young and old, for those seeking the thrill of adventure, or for others quite happy to relax and be drawn in to the peace and tranquility of their surrounds. Awaken the adventurer in you, and brave the elements in a full day or two-day trip down the Umzimkhulu River.
Wild water rafting on the Umzimkulu River provides a fun filled adventurous day outing. Half day, full day and two-day trips offered down the Umzimkulu River. Wild abseiling is definitely for the more adventurous. It is presently the highest natural commercial abseil in the world at 110 meters. The first 45m is a cliff abseil where one traditionally abseils with their feet against the cliff while the remaining 65m is a free abseil allowing one to take in the beauty of the gorge from a different angle.

Shweeb
Shweeb is a proposed personal transit network based on human-powered monorail cars. The project prototype was originally designed and implemented in Rotorua, New Zealand as a leisure attraction. The proposed Shweeb transit network relies on recumbent bicycle technology to power pods suspended from monorails. According to Shweeb Monorail Technology, the intent of their proposal is to to “create a solution which provided the user with the same flexibility and comfort offered by the car but without the consequential costs – both direct financial and indirect health and environmental costs.” The proposal envisions networks of monorail track providing point to point and commuter transit for urban areas.

Nothin’ But Net
For some people, it’s not enough to simply bungee jump or free fall 130 feet into an awaiting net. They want visual proof–whether as assurance for themselves or their friends–showing them in action as they conquer the most extreme rides in the country. For a mere $12 we’ll provide a DVD of your adventures at Zero Gravity, which is consistently ranked as one of the top Dallas attractions.

Insanity: the Ride
Insanity the Ride is a truly mind-bending experience! A massive mechanical arm extending out 64 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at a height of over 900 feet, this Vegas ride will spin you and several other passengers in the open air at speeds of up to three ‘G’s. You’ll be propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees, which will tilt your body into one position — straight down! If you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open you’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of historic downtown Las Vegas.
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World’s first Underwater-Submarine Car,Rinspeed sQuba

2011-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Rinspeed is a Swiss based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer company was founded in 1979 by Frank Rinderknecht. Rinspeed have specialization in restoring the classic and vintage cars, tuning and modify the modern cars like Porsches and Subarus. Each year they design the exotic concept car for the Geneva Motor Show.

sQuba is a Rinspeed concept car debuted at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, built around the Lotus Elise is the world’s first car that can be driven both on land and underwater.

Rinspeed founder and CEO Frank M. Rinderknecht sQuba concept car were inspired by the 1977 James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me”. James bond drive the animated Lotus Esprit in the movie. Rinspeed founder wanted to build a car that could move underwater like a submarine. It took founder 30 year to accomplish his desire.

sQuba call as the first real submersible car is a zero-emission all electric vehicle. It got three electric motors one for to drive on land and two motors to drive underwater. It can be submerged to a depth of 10 metres (33 ft), the car’s top land speed is 120 km/h (75 mph). On the surface of water, the top speed is 6 km/h (3.2 kn; 3.7 mph) and underwater it is 3 km/h (1.6 kn; 1.9 mph). According to Rinspeed, sQuba is made open cockpit to allow the occupants to escape easily in case of emergency.

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7 Top Female Footballers In The World

2011-05-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

Marta Vieira da Silva, or simply Marta, all great Brazilian soccer players go by just one name (born on February 19, 1986 in Dois Riachos, Alagoas). At 21 years of age she is the worlds best women's soccer player. She plays midfield for Sweden's Umea IK, and is a member of the Brazilian National Team, where she plays forward. She is the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year.

Scored this amazing goal against the USA in the World Cup in China.

Mia Hamm The most recognized female soccer player in the world, she broke the all-time international scoring record, for men and women, on May 16, 1999, against Brazil in Orlando, Fla. with her 108th career goal.

Julie Foudy Co-captain and nine-year veteran of the U.S. Women's National Team ... Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games...

Michelle Akers A thundering center-forward, she dominated the Women's 1991 World Cup in China to earn the Golden Boot. She changed roles in the lead-up to the 1996 Olympics, dropping into midfield where her playmaking skills and composure with the ball could be more utilized while the beatings she took every game playing with her back to the goal would be greatly reduced.

Brandi Chastain Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games ... Started and played every minute of USA's five matches at the '96 Olympic Games ... Began training with the national team in September 1995 after spending two years away from the program ... Showed she still has excellent read of the game and came into camp at very high fitness level despite not having competed in an international match in two years ...

Joy Faucett Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games ... Had the assist on Tiffeny Milbrett's gold-medal-clinching goal v. China ... Started and played every minute of the USA's five matches at the `96 Olympic Games ... One of two players to play every minute of the United States' six games in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Championship in Sweden ...

Shannon MacMillian Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games ... Led the USA with 3 goals in five Olympic matches, including the match-winners versus Sweden and Norway ... Originally left off the roster for residential training camp leading up to the Olympics, she battled her way back onto the team and into the starting lineup ... The youngest member of the U.S. Women's National Team that won the silver medal that the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, NY, where she made her debut with the U.S. Team ...
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The Most Beautiful Island On The Earth

2011-05-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Private ownership of North Island in the Seychelles - a paradise of earth for a relaxing holiday. Spectacular nature, white beaches with crystal clear waters, unusual flora and fauna. 11 luxury cottages scattered around the island, where an atmosphere of complete isolation from everything and everyone, and a sense of security, tranquility and oneness with nature that makes the guests forget about everything in the rest.

There's one little nuance - the cost of living in this little paradise starts from 1800 euros per day. But enjoy these beautiful photos and to dream - is absolutely free.

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8 Coolest Jobs Any One Can Dream Of

2011-05-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Cyclist in Paris
Love cycling and the City of Lights? Boy, will you love this job. “Just ask the two young cyclists Google hired to ride ultra-high-tech, three-wheeled bikes through the French capital in the summer of 2009. Their fancy tricycles were equipped with nine cameras, a GPS, a computer and a generator so the cyclists could capture thousands of digital photos for GoogleMaps,” MSNBC said.

Inventor of fried foods
Yummy, this mouth-watering job is delicious! Abel Gonzales of Dallas is an “inventor of fried foods” – it’s how he makes a living! He came up with Fried Cookie Dough, a Fried PB&J and numerous fried cookie recipes.

Luxury bed tester
“Okay, so this job didn’t go on forever, but it sure sounded fun while it lasted. In August 2009, Roisin Madigan, a college student from Birmingham, England, got paid about $1,600 to spend a month trying out top-of-the-line beds and mattresses ranging in price from $8,000 to $43,500,” MSNBC reports.

Travel blogger
Couples who love to travel and write will love this gig. Thailand tourism officials recently advertised for couples who wanted to travel to and blog about Thailand. “The five winning couples would have all of their travel expenses covered, and the couple who did the most outstanding work online while in Thailand would win $10,000, a video camera and a BlackBerry,” MSNBC said.

TV corpse
If your ideal job involves you doing next to nothing all day, consider becoming a TV corpse. You’ll get to hang out on set, get free lunch and you could get paid up to $200 for the day. That’s not such a bad gig for just having to lie completely still!

Video game tester
If you love video games, this just might be the job for you. Video game testers play video games over and over and over again to ensure the quality, check for bugs, see if they can “break” the game, and more.

Beer taster
When you have a job like this, you have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside more often than most of us do. The reason: Unlike wine tasters, beer tasters actually get to swallow the beer before they can rate the experience. Cheers to that!

Chocolate taster
This is one sweet job! Sally McKinnon, who is a chocolate taster and product development manager for the grocery chain Tesco told MSNBC that it’s “the best job in the world.”
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7 Most Famous Food Festivals In The World

2011-05-04T08:44:00.000-07:00


(images via: FestivalPig and Allpics4u)

La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain
When it comes to food fights, all must bow down to the grand-daddy of them all, La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain. Each year on xx, the town is swamped with a tsunami of tomatoes as the air rapidly turns rosy red in hue and redolent with the heady scent of sauce. As the poster child for massive outdoor food fights, La Tomatina is widely reported on by world media and has become as well-known as the Running Of The Bulls in Pamplona – also Spanish, but much less tasty.

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(images via: Suite 101)

La Tomatina en Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Who loves a tomato fight? Everyone loves a tomato fight! They must – or else we wouldn’t have not one, not two, but THREE massive ‘mato massacres making our Top 10 Food Fights list. We’ll lead off with La Tomatina en Reno, by far the sloppiest event in the “Biggest Little City in the World”. Inspired by the original Tomatina food fight in Buñol, Spain, Reno’s version matches 5,000 participants with 100,000 pounds of tomatoes – and everyone’s a winner!

(images via: MSN Travel and FestivalPig)

La Raima Grape Throwing Festival, Pobla del Duc, Spain
Welcome to Spain, we hope you’ve brought a change of clothing! This advisory is especially important if you’re considering a visit to the town of Pobla del Duc, less then an hour from Valencia, around the last Friday in August. Should you find yourself there, note the steady procession of trucks loaded with grapes – they’re not bound for any warehouse or processing plant. Between 40 and 90 tons of locally grown Garnacha Tintorera grapes are off-loaded in the town square and as for what happens next… remember the classic grape-throwing scene from I Love Lucy? Multiply it by about a thousand.

(images via: Emma Wood Photos)

World Custard Pie Championship, Coxheath, UK
Fans of the Marx Brothers and Blazing Saddles can live out their pie in the sky fantasies by attending the World Custard Pie Championship in Coxheath, UK. No, this is not a bake-off, nor is it an athletic competition judged by distance and accuracy. Imagine a huge, open-air paintball game using giant, edible paintballs… and to those who object, say let ‘em eat cake!

(images via: Oddity Central and Telegraph UK)

La Tomatina, Sutamarchan, Colombia
When in Sutamarchan, do as the Sutamarchanians do… and that’s put on Colombia’s biggest, messiest and tomatoiest food fight EVAR. The event, held on June 14 this year, featured hundreds of locals and tourists who gathered on an old football (soccer) field and proceeded to launch 15 tons of tomatoes into the sky. Of course, what goes up must come down. Like La Tomatina en Reno, La Tomatina in Sutamarchan was inspired by the famous Tomatina of Buñol, Spain. The Colombian version adds a few variations, however, such as adding a tomato-eating contest and a competition for the largest tomato – one assumes the former follows the latter.

images via: Ipernity and Before It’s News)

Els Enfarinats, Ibi, Spain
Food fight aficionados should be sure not to miss the annual Els Enfarinats festival in Ibi, Alicante, Spain, and they should be especially sure to arrive BEFORE the main event and not after… if you thought rotten tomatoes smelled bad, just imagine the aftermath of a huge flour & egg battle. The place must reek for weeks, and that’s no yolk.

images via: Most Interesting Destinations

Batalla del Vino (Wine Throwing Fight), Haro, La Rioja, Spain
What began as a 13th century land dispute has evolved into the annual Batalla del Vino (Wine Throwing Fight), because who in their right mind would dispute some land for 700-odd years unless they were properly plastered on the local plonk? Leave it the fun-loving residents of Haro in La Rioja, Spain, to come up with this “full-bodied” festival that, by its end, sees everyone involved being involuntarily inducted into the Purple Gang.
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7 Most Expensive And Cool Watches

2011-05-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

1. 201-carat Chopard: $25 million
This is the most expensive watch in the world. The 201-carat Chopard is unbelievably the costliest watch in the world with a cost price of a whooping $25 million. This watch is made of diamonds and contains in total 201 carat of diamonds, which incidentally became the name of the watch. There are three big heart shaped diamonds on the centre which are a 15 carat pink diamond, 12 carat blue diamond and 11 carat white diamond.

In addition to all this it has got 163 carat of other small diamonds of white and yellow surrounding the centre 3 piece.

2. Patek Philippe’s Supercomplication: $11 million
Patek Philippe is an 18 carat gold pocket watch made in 1932. It took a long time to produce this antique watch which created records for the pocket watch collection. It costs $11 million, which makes it one of the most costly watches in the world. This watch was finally auctioned in 1999.

3. Patek Philippe’s Platinum World Time: $4 million
Patek Philippe’s Platinum World Time was a limited edition watch which became extremely popular in the 2002 when it was sold in an Auction for a whooping $4 millions. The speciality of this super special watch is that it shows 24 hours time zone in different countries and it is really easy to read. The most unique feature of this watch is that it can distinguish the day and night factors in all this 24 countries and is a super technology implementation.

4. Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’Ile: $1.5 million
The Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’Ile is one of the most complex watches ever made by humans in this world. It has got in total 834 parts which was assembled to perfect functioning in around 10000 hours of producing time. The figures seem to be unbelievable but one has to see the watch to believe it. The unique feature of this $1.5 million watch is that it shows time both sides of it. The watch is so complex that it is designed to wear both sided and is completely plated with gold. This watch was made only 7 units across the globe.

5. Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon: $1.3 million
The Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon is a $1.3 million watch is the most complex watch in the Patek Philippe Series. It is made of 688 parts including a few super small microscopic parts as well. The Sky moon tourbillion is an indeed a very complex watch with a platinum casing. It is produced only two units each year.

6. The Chopard Super Ice Cube: $1.1 million
The name of the watch came from the shape of the watch which is similar to an ice cube. The Chopard Super Ice Cube is made of 66 carat gemstones which are carved in the shape of an ice cube. By the look of the watch you might not like it but to believe it u have to see it and the 66 carat gemstone are the soul reason for the whooping cost of the watch.

7. Hublot Black Caviar Bang: $1 million
The Hublot Black Caviar Bang is another complex watch ever manufactured. It is made with an effort of 2000 hours of workmanship. The casing of the watch is done with 18 carat of white gold which is combined with 322 grains of black gems. The unique area of the watch is its belt buckle which is a beautiful piece of art and craftsmanship. The watch cost $1 million and it is one beauty of a watch. The black colour of the gemstone embedded watch makes it a special product.
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10 Most Expensive Soccer Players,2010-2011

2011-05-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Number 1 – Cristiano Ronaldo, 16.95 Million Dollars

The most expensive player in history deserves to be the highest paid player in the game. With 11 goals in 13 league matches, the only thing that seems to stop one of the most hated athletes in the world are the occasional injuries and the occasional suspension for breaking an opponents nose.

Number 2 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 15.6 Million Dollars

Still Barcelona. Zlatan has cooled down since the calender turned to 2010, but Barcelona are winning (almost all the time) and Zlatan, scoring or not, is one of the best players in the world.

Lionel Messi
The tiny Argentinian continues to play like the best in the world, maybe because he is. 16 Goals and 8 assists in 19 league matches for the Catalan side while Maradona wonders why he isn’t playing like that when he wears the Argentina shirt.

Samuel Eto’o,,Number 3-4, 13.65 Million Dollars
He hasn’t exactly been scoring in the numbers we’re used to from the Cameroon striker, but has 8 so far and Inter are leading the Serie A comfortably, so generally, life is good for Eto’o. Lets see how good they’ll be after the dust from the clash with Chelsea settles.

Number 5 – Kaka, 13.05 Million Dollars
The Brazilian Galactico is probably disappointing many fans with his stat line of 4 goals and 5 assists in 18 matches this season, but the way Real play, with Ronaldo on your side, the numbers are obviously going to be lower than in the past. Still, it seems that Real’s style isn’t exactly best suited for Kaka to show his full arsenal of abilities. A big test will be coming in 10 days when Lyon arrive at Madrid for the second leg of their Champions League clash after a 1-0 win in France, with Kaka needing to prove he can lead this team even when Ronaldo isn’t himself.

Emmanuel Adebayor
Adebayor start out firing on all cylinders for his new club, but after his suspension due to his disgusting actions against Van Persie, it seemed that he and City lost the momentum. After the tragedy in Angola and some time off, it seems Adebayor is coming back to his early-season-self, scoring three goals in City’s last four matches.

Karim Benzema,11.1 Million Dollars
It’s sometimes hard standing out on such a star studded side, but despite pushing Raul to the bench and maybe across the Atlantic, Benzema is slightly disappointing and suffering from Higuain’s fantastic season.

Carlos Tevez, 10.5 Million Dollars
Speaking of Manchester City, here is their first player on this list, Carlitos Tevez who has been fantastic for the lesser Manchester side after a woeful start to the season. He has already scored 13 goals this season, one shy of his best in the premiership

John Terry
Another Chelsea player who is playing well this season, but is having a rough time off the pitch, with his whole affair with Wayne Bridge’s girl a while back exposed. Wayne Bridge even got permission not to shake his hand in the upcoming Chelsea vs Man City match.

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10 Hottest Girlfriends Of Cristiano Ronaldo

2011-05-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Nereida Gallardo

Apparently, Gallardo is a part-time nursing student who works as a model in order to get by. She wasn't famous at all until she started dating Ronaldo.
She quickly faded back into oblivion once they were through, right after Ronaldo broke up with her over text message.

Maria Sharapova

After watching her on the tennis court, all men have speculated on what Sharapova might sound like in bed.
Ronaldo is one of a select few who probably know.

Diana Chavez

Diana Chavez is an actress who has such roles to her name as "Woman" in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and the unforgettable "Hot Girl at ATM" in an episode of CSI: Miami.
Ronaldo didn't date her for her talent. I think we can all agree on that.

Daniele Aguiar

You know, when you've dated one Brazilian supermodel, you've dated them all. Or so I'm told by Ronaldo.
To us, Aguiar would be one of the most beautiful women we ever came in contact with. To Ronaldo, she's a pretty decent Thursday.

Luana Belletti

The best thing about Luana Belletti, besides the fact that she's super hot, is that she is the sister of Chelsea footballer Juliano Belletti.
Nothing will get into an opponent's head like telling him how much you enjoyed sleeping with his sister.

Karina Ferro

It seems like Kim Kardashian is definitely not the first bootylicious chick Ronaldo has ever dated. Fitting, because it seemed like Ferro was Ronaldo's booty call for about three years.

They were connected from 2002-2005, during which time Ronaldo was linked to many different women. Something tells me she didn't mind.

Paris Hilton
I can only imagine the STD party that went down when these two hooked up. I need to go take a shower just thinking about it.

Niki Ghazian

Ghazian is a model/law student/lingerie football player, according to her Twitter page.
Am I the only person who thinks that a career in law is not in her future? Maybe it's the fact that she buried it in between model and lingerie football player.

Gemma Atkinson

What can I say? Gemma Atkinson is pretty much just perfect.
I still can't get over that Ronaldo cheated on her with a couple of hookers. Her! How could you possibly want anything else?
So even though she was never Ronaldo's No. 1, she comes in at the top spot on my countdown easily.
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8 Worst Ever Jobs But People Still Hang Around

2011-05-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sewers Cleaner

Ramesh Sahu works in the sanitation department of Calcutta, cleaning out the city's sewers. On a regular basis, Rakesh sits in a low crouch at the bottom of a seven-foot-deep manhole, sloshing away in a swirl of human waste and sediment. Equipped with a hoe and a steel bar, and wearing only a pair of loose purple underpants, Rakesh empties the thick black sludge from a clogged sewer into a bucket that his fellow crew members hoist up and dump in the middle of a narrow road. A small mountain of decaying excrement accumulates between the manhole and a rickety wooden vegetable cart.

Portable Toilet Cleaner

This job is a sort of combination of garbage collector and gastroenterologist, and arguably more disgusting than both put together. Although most people in polite society methodically avoid situations where they need to use a portable toilet, modern outhouses can be lifesavers. As gross as they can be, they'd be worse without the folks who clean them for a living. Using a tank and a vacuum wand, cleaners must suck up all the waste in a portable toilet. After picking up any stray toilet paper, they also wash down all surfaces that could possibly be soiled, including the walls. This is when a high-pressure hose comes in handy. Usually, cleaning one portable toilet takes only a few minutes, and most workers clean from 10 to 60 of them a day.

Guard at Buckingham Palace

Guard duty at Buckingham Palace is regarded as one of the worst jobs in the British Army. Besides the fact that they have to stand for hours, no laughing allowed, they also have to look their best. Soldiers spend several hours each day cleaning and pressing their uniforms and polishing their boots in preparation for one of the many kit inspections that they are likely to face before taking up their positions outside one of the royal palaces.

Flatus Odor Judge

Odor judges are common in the research labs of mouthwash companies, where the halitosis-inflicted blow great gusts of breath in their faces to test product efficacy. But Minneapolis gastroenterologist Michael Levitt recently took the job to another level-or, rather, to the other end. Levitt paid two brave souls to indulge repeatedly in the odors of other people's farts. (Levitt refuses to divulge the remuneration, but it would seem safe to characterize it thusly: Not enough.) Sixteen healthy subjects volunteered to eat pinto beans and insert small plastic collection tubes into their anuses (worst-job runners-up, to be sure). After each "episode of flatulence," Levitt syringed the gas into a discrete container, rigorously maintaining fart integrity. The odor judges then sat down with at least 100 samples, opened the caps one at a time, and inhaled robustly.

Brazilian Mosquito Researcher

Scientists fighting malaria must study the biting habits of the mosquito that spreads it. In Brazil, that's the Anopheles Darlingi, which doesn't fall for the light or wind traps researchers use in Africa: this smart little sucker will come near scientists only when they offer themselves as bait. In the early evening, when mosquito activity is busiest, a mosquito dinner- researcher finds a nice buggy area and sets himself up inside a mosquito-netting tent with a gap at the bottom. Mosquitoes fly in low and get trapped inside, where the researcher sits stoically, sacrificing his skin to science. He needs focus only on his legs to keep him busy: whenever a mosquito chooses a drumstick dinner, the researcher draws it into a mouth tube and then expels it into a container. Veteran researcher Helge Zieler used to put himself on the menu twice a week. On his best evening, he caught 500 Anopheles in 3 hours.

Crocodile Wrestlers

The daily grind at the office may not seem so bad after viewing these startling images.
For, no matter how grumpy your boss may be this morning, at least you aren't actually risking life and limb by sticking your head in his jaws.
But that is exactly what the crocodile wrestlers at a Thai zoo do on a daily basis. The men at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo perform what may well be the world's most dangerous job. The wranglers have been performing the stunts at the zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, since it was set up in 1985. During the hour-long shows they stick their head between the jaws of some of the zoo's biggest crocs, in the style of Krai Thong, a legendary Thai crocodile hunter.

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Target Girls

Target girl is a term sometimes used in circus and vaudeville to denote a female assistant in "impalement" acts such as knife throwing, archery or sharpshooting. The assistant stands in front of a target board or is strapped to a moving board and the impalement artist throws knives or shoots projectiles so as to hit the board but miss the assistant. The presence of an assistant as a human target provides a powerful element of risk. Without assistants placing themselves in danger these acts would be simple demonstrations of accuracy, but with the potential for injury or death the show is much more dramatic. Where can I apply?

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Deminers

Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing either land mines, or naval mines, from an area. Manual demining is still the best system currently in use because it has been proven that the current generation of mine clearance machines can only clear up to an 80 percent certainty at best, whereas manual demining can give a 99.6 percent certainty. But this work can be very dangerous. Demining resulted in at least 500 deaths from 1996 to 2002.

(Link)

12 Funny And Interesting Animal Pictures

2011-04-30T11:47:00.000-07:00