London Life

How Gangstas Iron

2011-04-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

Japan Is Sinking

2011-04-19T15:11:00.003-07:00

Drive Thru Funeral In Compton

2011-04-19T15:10:00.001-07:00

10 places it's (almost) impossible to visit

2011-04-19T04:17:00.001-07:00

10 places it's (almost) impossible to visit

Thanks to cheap flights and the internet, the world’s not as mysterious as it used to be. Many of us have travelled to far-flung areas of the globe that would have been totally alien and unreachable to Brits even a couple of generations ago. However, there are still parts of the planet that – no matter how many tourist blogs you read – are still (almost) off-limits to tourists. Here are some of our favourite forbidden travel destinations.

1. Poveglia
Where is it? The Venetian lagoon, Italy
Why can’t I visit?: Because it’s haunted! According to legend it was used to isolate plague victims during Roman times, and then as a giant Black Death grave in the Middle Ages. As if that wasn’t scary enough, it’s also home to spooky abandoned building – complete with bell tower naturally – that was apparently a mental hospital. These days it’s off-limits to visitors unless you bribe a gondolier to take you there.

2. Area 51
Where is it? Nevada, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s a top secret military testing base, protected by armed private security teams patrolling in jeeps who are authorised to use deadly force to deal with intruders. Whether or not you believe UFOs have crashed landed there, the ridiculously strict security around the base means you’re never going to find out for sure.

3. Le Cercle Munster
Where is it? Luxembourg
Why can’t I visit?: It’s an exclusive private members club that’s extremely selective about adding new members. Want to join? You must be backed by two sponsors and be approved by a selection committee made up of bigwigs from the finance world. Unless you’re an incredibly rich banker, businessman or equity trader, you’ll never see the sumptuous insides of the club, take part in the ‘Programme culturel’ or eat the delicious food at the in-house restaurant. Damn!

4. Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
Where is it? Axum, Ethiopia
Why can’t I visit?: Because it’s no ordinary church. According to legend it's home to one of the most important biblical artefacts ever – the Ark of the Covenant (and we thought Indiana Jones left it in a warehouse). Only a specially chosen monk is allowed to guard the ‘Ark’. No-one else is allowed to lay eyes on it or even get close, in case they melt presumably (see Indiana Jones again). Of course, some claim this secrecy means the Ethiopian church is telling porkies…

5. Most of Niihau Island
Where is it? The Hawaiian Islands, USA
Why can’t I visit?: Super-rich family the Robinsons (they’re not Swiss) bought Niihau in 1915 and closed it off to preserve its indigenous culture and wildlife. The 200-or-so natives who live there lead a blissful existence free of electricity, burger joints and, for the most part, tourists. There are very rare helicopter tours to the isle where you can wander along one of the beaches, but getting anywhere near the locals is strictly forbidden; hence its nickname, the, er, ‘Forbidden Island’.

6. Bohemian Grove
Where is it? California, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s an extremely secretive men-only club whose members include artists, musicians, businessmen politicians… and the odd president (Nixon was a member). Once a year they all gather for a two-week long festival where (allegedly) rituals such as the ‘Cremation of Care’ - a wicker-man-style faux-pagan rite - and the ‘Grove Play’ - a large-scale musical theatre production - are performed by members. It sounds like fun to us, but somehow I don’t think we’ll get an invite…

7. Lechiguilla Cave
Where is it? New Mexico, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s perhaps the most beautiful cave on the planet and frankly, the authorities don’t want you ruining it. Discovered in 1986 by miners, the sprawling underground complex is home to stunning speleothems, gypsum chandeliers and hydromagnesite balloons. We don’t know what any of these are, but they sound impressive. Sadly, unless you’re an extremely experienced caver you’ll never get a permit to see them.

8. Jiangsu National Security Education museum
Where is it? Nanjing, China
Why can’t I visit?: Anyone is allowed in… as long as they are Chinese. There’s a big sign outside the front of this very unusual museum stating that only Chinese citizens are allowed inside. The unusual entry requirements are because the museum documents the history of Chinese espionage, and the state doesn’t want us foreigners finding out their spying secrets.

9. Ilha de Queimada Grande
Where is it? Off the shore of Brazil
Why can’t I visit?: Basically, because it’s full of snakes – hence the nickname: ‘Snake Island’. Local legend states there’s between one and five snakes per square metre on the island. And not just any old snakes, most of ‘em are golden lanceheads – noted for their extremely potent venom. Because of this, understandably, the Brazilian Navy forbids tourists from stepping foot on the island.

10. The peak of Mount Kailash
Where is it? The Himalayas, Tibet
Why can’t I visit?: Because it's home to a Hindu god. Lord Shiva, to be precise, who resides at the summit in a state of perpetual meditation. Sounds like bliss to us, which is appropriate, as Buddhists also believe the peak is home to the Buddha Demchok, who represents supreme bliss. Because of this religious significance the peak was always considered off-limits by most climbers, before this Chinese government issued an official ban in 2001.

The Fire Fighter Olympics!

2011-04-18T17:21:00.001-07:00

Kid Brings A T-Rex To School & They Look Terrified!

2011-04-18T17:20:00.001-07:00

Footage Of Shaw University In North Carolina Gettin Hit By Tornado! (Students Ducking For Cover In The Cafeteria, Left Without Dorms & School Shut Down For Rest Of The Semester)

2011-04-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

Reporter Looks Just Like The Wanted Rapist!

2011-04-18T17:15:00.001-07:00

81 Year Old Man Says Hit a Burglar With His Frying Pan & Got To Work! "Me And This SKillet Are Goin Outta This World Together"

2011-04-18T17:11:00.001-07:00

World’s Most Expensive Apartment Sold To Mystery Buyer For $221 Million

2011-04-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

One Hyde Park, London

On Friday, a mystery buyer snapped up a three-floor penthouse atsought-after London address One Hyde Park for £136m ($221 million), making it the most expensive apartment sale on record. The owner concealed his or her identity by using an offshore company to make the purchase, although he or she is widely believed to be from Ukraine, home to eight billionaires on the Forbes list. The Financial Times reports that a Ukrainian law firm oversaw the transaction. The buyer may remain a mystery as the deal includes a confidentiality clause, says the FT.

At 25,000 square feet, the apartment is the same size as the Silicon Valley mansion Russian internet billionaire Yuri Milner recently bought, although the latter cost only (!) $100 million. The new owner bought thepied-à-terre unfurnished, although the bells and whistles attached to theOne Hyde Park development are impressive. According to the Guardian, the apartment comes equipped with a wine cellar, and thanks to a partnership with the Mandarin Oriental next door, residents are treated as hotel guests and can order room service. Windows are bullet-proof, and security comes courtesy of former British Special Forces officers.

The building was developed by brothers Nick and Christian Candy, known as the kings of London’s luxury real estate scene. The new owner of the penthouse is thought to be engaging Nick Candy’s interior design company Candy & Candy to decorate the property for an additional £60 million, or $97 million.

The mystery Ukrainian buyer will be in the company of at least one billionaire at One Hyde Park. Kazakh mining mogul Vladimir Kim, worth $4.7 billion, owns one of the neighboring apartments.

Superbus: A 155mph Extra Long Limo

2011-04-17T07:12:00.001-07:00

Superbus: A 155mph Extra Long Limo

April 13th, 2011 1:42 PM | by Christen da Costa | 0 Comments | Autos, Cars, superbus, Transportation

The Superbus might be best branded a misfit given its unorthodox nature. This massively long car, or bus, travels at a speed of up to 155mph and is designed for cities that don’t want to invest in a permanent railway system. Range is purported to be just over 125 miles.
It measures 15 meters long, and 8 individual doors provide access for up to 23 passengers. Power is derived from an electric motor and rechargeable battery system. To increase safety, they’ve instituted a obstacle detection systems, and promise high maneuverability and formidable breaking power.

Nokia X7 Officially Heading to Three in the UK, Price and Release Date Unknown

2011-04-17T07:11:00.001-07:00

Nokia X7 Officially Heading to Three in the UK, Price and Release Date Unknown

April 13th, 2011 2:53 PM | by Christen da Costa | 0 Comments | Nokia, Nokia X7, smartphones, symbian, three, uk, x7

While the Nokia X7 will probably never hit US shores, UK residents will eventually be able to snap one up over at Three in the United Kingdom. It will run the Symbian^3 Anna OS (it features 50 new enhancements) and includes a 4-inch AMOLED 640×360 touchscreen, an 8 megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash that captures 720p video, a 1200mAh battery, WiFi b/g/n, 1GB of built-in storage (8GB memory card included), Bluetooth 3.0 and more, all encased in a stainless steel body. Flash 10 is supported as is a faster browser, a full on screen portrait QWERTY keyboard and a new split view which lets users can see their message conversations, webpages, maps, contacts or email while writing.
Pricing and availability will be announced shortly.

Nokia X7 coming soon to Three.
Today Three confirms that it will range the Nokia X7. Built for multimedia, it showcases a 4″ touchscreen with an OLED Clearblack display, HD video and an 8MP camera with dual LED flash and zoom. All this and it is still pocket-friendly.
Underneath the stainless steel construction and smooth curved edges, the Nokia X7 runs on the new Symbian Anna operating system, which features more than 50 new enhancements. Highlights include a faster browser and full on screen Portrait QWERTY keyboard. Plus, with the new split view, users can see their message conversations, webpages, maps, contacts or email while writing.
The X7 also includes Nokia’s best in class free navigation that now allows check-in from the homescreen direct to destinations such as Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter.
Sylvia Chind, head of handsets commented, “The Nokia X7 is a great multimedia device, combining picture, video and mobile internet needs into one savvy smartphone. With a best-in-class four inch OLED ClearBlack display, superb camera and fully customisable operating system, our customers will have a great entertainment experience on this phone using out super-fast 3G network.”
Key features:
• Symbian^3 OS
• 8MP camera Dual LED Flash
• 4.0″ OLED ClearBlack display, widescreen 16:9
• HD Video recording
• Flash10
• Expandable memory of up to 32G
• Ovi store access
• 256MB RAM, 1GB ROM memory
Pricing and availability will soon be announced, but in the meantime check out the sneak peak video which has just gone live on the Three blog.

The Bulletproof Clipboard is No Joke (video)

2011-04-17T07:10:00.001-07:00

The Bulletproof Clipboard is No Joke (video)

April 14th, 2011 2:06 PM | by Christen da Costa | 0 Comments | armor, bullet, Bulletproof Clipboard, clipboard, guns

Note taking has become a dangerous business, or so Thinkgeek would have you believe. They’re hocking a product called the Bulletproof Body Armor Clipboard. While no description is probably needed, it’s probably best we dive into some level of detail, otherwise you might just be in denial.
In addition to holding pieces of paper, this clipboard can withstand a bullet from a 9mm gun. And by withstand we mean stop it. But there is one massive caveat: it weighs 3lbs and costs $44.99.

Read

iOS 4.3.2 Now Live For All iOS Devices, Verizon’s iPhone Receives 4.2.7

2011-04-17T07:05:00.001-07:00

iOS 4.3.2 Now Live For All iOS Devices, Verizon’s iPhone Receives 4.2.7

April 14th, 2011 3:10 PM | by Christen da Costa | Apple, iOS, ios 4.3.2, ipad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Today, Apple issued an iOS update which brings it to 4.3.2. It fixes a Facetime bug that caused the app to crash and resulted in blank or frozen video. It also addresses an issue that prevented some 3G iPad owners from connecting to a cellular network. As it happens they also distributed a separate update, 4.2.7, for Verizon’s iPhone users, which addresses some minor security holes and bugs.
To receive the update, just plug in your phone and launch iTunes.

just look

2011-04-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Over The Top $6400 Luxury Toilet! (With Foot Warmer, Heated Seat, Bidet Washlet & Built-In Music System)

2011-04-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

7 Yr Old Gets Plastic Surgery to Prevent Bullying

2011-04-16T06:07:00.001-07:00

7 Yr Old Gets Plastic Surgery to Prevent Bullying

A 7 year old girl from South Dakota underwent plastic surgery to pin her ears back so bullies would stop teasing her.

So You Think You Can Dance: These Dancers Catch The Holy Spirit!

2011-04-16T02:29:00.001-07:00

Fall Of The Week: This Chick Tries To Out Run The Tredmill

2011-04-16T02:10:00.001-07:00

Miracle: Father Saves His Baby's Life During Unexpected Car Crash!

2011-04-16T02:07:00.001-07:00

Church Folks Do The ATM Praise!

2011-04-16T01:57:00.001-07:00

This 600 Pound Woman Wants To Be Biggest In The World! (People Are Paying To See Her On Net & Sending Her Food)

2011-04-16T01:53:00.001-07:00

HIV Postive Teacher Arrested For Having Sex With A Male Student!

2011-04-16T01:51:00.001-07:00

Video 3-Year-Old Kids Caught Smoking Inside A Train In China!

2011-04-15T03:12:00.001-07:00

The most extravagant wedding

2011-04-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Prince William's wedding is expected to rank among the most expensive of modern times. These are the A-list blowouts it will be judged against.

When it comes to getting married, the rich are really no different than you or me: they want to have weddings to remember. Their financial firepower just gives them more ways to pump up the drama than the average US bride and groom with a £15,000 budget.

Photos: World's most eligible royals

Rather than a simple spray of white roses, Donald Trump wed Melania Knauss amid 10,000 roses, peonies and hydrangeas. Where the more common man might have had Uncle Tony's son's garage band play at the reception, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise had Andrea Bocelli.

When Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the heir to the throne in Dubai, married Princess Salama in 1981, his proud parents built a 20,000-seat stadium for the week-long celebration, the most expensive wedding on record at £61.5 million in today's dollars. The sheikh visited every town in the emirate by horseback during that week, and fed them all. During the ceremony, wedding gifts for his bride were delivered by 20 bejewelled camels.

Photos: Royal wedding dresses of the past

When Indian steel barron Lakshmi Mittal married off his daughter Vanisha in 2005, the family sent out 20-page invitations contained in silver boxes. Mittal paid for 1,000 guests to stay for five days in five-star Paris hotels. The reception was held at the Palace of Versailles and concluded with a celebratory fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. Total cost: £37 million, the third most expensive wedding of modern times by our estimation.

Across the channel, the British Royal Family has been no stranger to opulent nuptials. When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the fairy-tale wedding, which was complete with horse, carriage and a worldwide TV audience of 750 million, had a price tag to match: an estimated £43 million in today's value. This comes in as No. 2 on our list, with Diana's ivory silk gown alone believed to have cost more than £9,000.

Photos: A look back at Princess Diana's wedding

Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton will reportedly take a more low-key approach to their big day, opting to arrive in a car rather than the traditional horse-drawn carriage. Despite the nod to more austere times, the estimates are still staggering. Reports suggest the wedding could top £18.5 million.

Perhaps the propensity for all of us, rich and not-so-rich, to go over the top for our wedding is an attempt to make sure we're serious about our mate on the first go-round. An opulent service, with vows made in front of hundreds, can place an obligation on the bride and groom to work through rough patches rather than toss it all aside at the first hint of rough water.

World's most awkward wedding photos

But no amount of glitz and expensive pageantry offers any guarantee. Take Liza Minnelli and David Gest. Michael Jackson served as best man at their £2 million wedding in 2002. Natalie Cole sang 'Unforgettable'. The ultra-A-list guest list, which one wag labelled "night of 1,000 facelifts," included Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Mickey Rooney, Barbara Walters and 1,500 others. Yet a mere 18 months later, the two split up amid accusations by Minnelli that he tried to poison her.

Here's hoping that Will and Kate do better.

THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT WEDDINGS

1. Princess Salama to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

£61.5 million, 1981 (today's value)

To hold a really large wedding it helps to have a large venue, such as the 20,000-seat stadium specially built for the now-ruler of Dubai for his 1981 wedding to Princess Salama.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

2. Charles, Prince of Wales, to Diana Spencer

£43 million, 1981 (today's value)

There are special expenses when royalty weds, including mob control. Part of the millions spent on the fairy-tale wedding of the decade was allotted to ensure tight crowd surveillance. The joy of the occasion would later turn to ashes, proving that the amount spent on the wedding does not necessarily equate to the likelihood it will succeed.

3. Vanisha Mittal to Amit Bhatia

£37 million, 2005

Six days, 100 guests, the Palace of Versailles, free jet transportation to France for the ceremonies, five-star hotels, fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, can-can girls, all these expenses add up - in this case, a total of £37 million.

4. Aleksandra Nikolic to Andrey Melnichenko

£18.5 million, 2005

Entertainment was an important part of the wedding between this Russian billionaire and model, with performances by Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Julio Iglesias, each of whom raked in an estimated £2.2 million for the gig.

Mikhail Fomichev/Newscom

5. Priya Sachdev to Vikram Chatwal

£12.3 million, 2006

Take 600 guests for a 10-day wedding celebration and jet them from city to city in India, and you have the foundation for an over-the-top opulent wedding. Chatwal (nicknamed the "turban cowboy"), owner of luxurious hotels such as Dream New York, managed to bring the event in at a tidy £12.3 million.

More from forbes.com