Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Thousands flee erupting Philippines volcano


Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Tens of thousands of villagers in the Philippines have fled their homes as one of the nation's most active volcanoes spewed lava and sent ash plumes high into the sky.
As Daily Telegraph informs :Soldiers and police marshalled the evacuation of about 50,000 people from the so-called "danger zone" of five miels around the foothills of the Mayon volcano, amid concerns a big eruption could occur at any moment.
"After the series of ash puffs and ash explosions of 1,000 metres, we cannot rule out a major explosion," said Cedric Daep, the head of the disaster relief operations in the eastern Bicol region.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

A ski in, ski out Austrian hideaway


Ever dreamt of living in Sound of Music country? Anna Tyzack visits the tiny village of Dienten, where you can buy yourself an Alpine retreat for less than £200,000
There are ski resorts with trendy nightclubs and famous black runs, and then there is Dienten – a rustic Austrian village in the Eastern Alps. You've probably never heard of it. My family stumbled across it when I was about six, on a summer holiday driving through Europe...
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As always the prices for real estate in France, Austria or United States are cheaper than in Jurmala. Paradox!

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

The most popular Christmas gifts through the years: Ben 10 to Care Bears


Photo: DREAMWORKS

We are going to count backwards from 2009 as, being of advanced years ourselves, we would like to gloss over the soulless plasticky modern stuff quickly and move on to wallowing in nostalgia over the toys we weren't allowed as children.
We've included the top ones from each year of the last decade, and then arbitrarily thrown a few older ones in because we felt like it.
2009: Ben 10: Alien Chamber
2008: The High School Musical Dance Mat
2007: Nintendo Wii
2006: Dr Who Cyberman Mask
2005: Tamagotchi Connexions
2004: Robosapiens
2003: Beyblade
2002: Bratz
2001: Lego Bionicle
2000: Teksta
1999: Pokemon
1996: Buzz Lightyear
1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1985 Transformers: Optimus Prime
1984 Care Bears
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Hm, I remember only Bratz, Pokemon, Lego and Tamagotchi. The rest is quite unfamiliar to me.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Santa promotes obesity and drink-driving, claims health expert


Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Traditional images of Santa Claus set a bad example and could promote obesity and drink-driving, a public health expert has warned.
Dr Nathan Grills from Monash University in Australia said the idea of a fat Father Christmas gorging on brandy and mince pies as he drove his sleigh around the world delivering presents was not the best way to promote a healthy and safe lifestyle among the young.
Writing on bmj.com, Dr Grills said: "Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 per cent to damage millions of lives."
He said the image of a healthier Santa could be very effective in promoting a positive message about diet and lifestyle to the young.

Read more
Neverending story, such discussions...

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Real Alice in Wonderland book sells for $115,000 in USA



A rare edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, given to the real Alice, has sold for $115,000 (£70,896) at an auction in the USA.
The copy belonged to 10-year-old Alice Liddell, the Oxford don's inspiration for Alice.
As BBC informs :Another first edition sold for $40,000 (£24,659). The books were being sold by the American football star and children's book collector Pat McInally.
They went under the hammer at Profiles In History auction house in California.
A signed letter from Lewis Carroll, dated 10 July 1890, went for $2,000 (£1,222) at the same sale.
Alice Liddell was the daughter of the Dean of Christchurch College, Oxford while Lewis Carroll was there as the Professor of Maths.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Misery continues as Britons try to get away for Christmas


Photo: AFP/GETTY

The misery continues for millions of Britons trying to get away for the Christmas break as snow and ice causes further disruption to travel plans.
All Eurostar services remained suspended for a third consecutive day, while airports and domestic rail networks across the country suffered delays.
As bus replacement services were put into action, the AA warned that some minor roads had effectively turned into “ice-rinks”.
With temperatures forecast to remain below freezing until Christmas Eve, there seems little respite from the chaos.
The three days of cancellation by Eurostar has left 55,000 people with travel plans in tatters as they try and find alternative transport at one of the busiest times of the year.
The company is encouraging those who don’t have to travel in the next few days to Those whose trains were cancelled have been offered refunds, as well as the costs of any hotel accommodation – up to three star – transport and meals.
But that provides little comfort for those Britons stranded in France, and those trying to get home to France and Belgium for the holiday.
Read more

I was always afraid of such force majeure, when you plan you long-expected trip and suddenly it is crushed by weather circumstances.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Father Christmas's Christmas Eve in figures'


Photo: GETTY

Father Christmas, Santa Claus, whatever you call him: you've got to admire his work ethic.
Even after his year's work of deciding who has been naughty and nice is done, he must get the presents and deliver them. With six billion people in the world, that's a heck of a job. We take a look at what goes into his biggest night of the year.

Children visited

There are roughly 2 billion children worldwide. However, assuming Santa doesn't visit the children of Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, atheist and so on parents, that leaves the 35 per cent or thereabouts whose parents consider themselves Christian. That's still an impressive 700,000,000 children in a night. Assuming three children per household, that's 233,000,000 stops for Santa and his sleigh. There may be a few households where all the children have been naughty, but we are going to discount them for statistical purposes.

Distance travelled

If we assume that the 233,000,000 good Christian households are distributed evenly around the world , and the planet's surface area is 510,000,000km (and for the sake of simple calculations we are going to treat the Earth as a square map, rather than a globe), then each stop between households will be around 1.47km (0.91 miles) apart. Santa will therefore have to travel a total of 342,510,000km (212,030,000 miles).

Speed of sleigh

If he's clever about it, and travels from east to west with the Sun, maximising his available night-time, Santa has about 32 hours to work with (assuming children sleep for eight hours, he has 24 hours plus those eight to finish). Travelling 342,510,000km in 32 hours equates to a speed of 10,703,437.5km/hr (6,650,807.72mph), or a little under 1,800 miles per second, assuming he takes no time actually to deliver the presents or stop for any comfort breaks. The fastest-moving man-made object in history, the space probe Voyager 1, manages a rather less impressive 10.8 miles per second.
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Impressive and interesting statistics! Give it to your children to calculate.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Friends pack apartment with gifts in holiday prank

As AP informs :A Chicago man could be unwrapping the hundreds of Christmas gifts spread around his apartment for days, even weeks.
Trouble is, they aren't really presents. They're his own belongings meticulously wrapped by friends as a prank while he was out of town.
Louie Saunders' packages contain everything from couch cushions to the beer in his refrigerator.
His friend Adal Rifai masterminded the scheme after Saunders gave him a spare key. It took 16 people, 35 rolls of wrapping paper and eight hours to finish the job.
Saunders tells the Chicago Sun-Times he's only been able to unwrap about 10 percent of the packages.
He jokes that the upside is that, with each package he unwraps, he finds something inside that's just what he needs.

OMG, quite wanton prank!

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Bistro makes diners sign Christmas pudding waiver



As AFP informs :A London restaurant has asked diners to sign a legal waiver before tucking in to their traditional Christmas pudding in case they hurt themselves on the silver charms inside, it emerged Thursday.
The owners of High Timber, located on the River Thames in the City of London financial district, said they were advised to draw up the indemnity form by lawyers who regularly dine there.
"It has created a bit of a stir in the restaurant and people looked at it disbelieving at first," said co-owner Neleen Strauss.
"I thought it was going to be a pain but decided to do it to cover my backside.
"We're based in the City so a lot of my customers are lawyers and they suggested it. It is a bit crazy but I decided to take their advice."
The waiver says: "I absolve entirely High Timber from all blame or liability should I come to any harm including, but not limited to, a chipped tooth, or any injury as a result of swallowing it."
Christmas pudding, a festive favourite in Britain, is a steamed dessert made with dried fruit, nuts, spices and brandy.
It is common to put several charms or coins in the pudding which are believed to bring prosperity in the New Year to the person who finds them.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Italy toy store opens at 4 a.m. to help frantic mother

As Reuters informs :An Italian toy store opened at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning to help a frantic mother whose gifts for her children had been stolen from a basement.
After putting her two toddlers to bed on Christmas Eve, the mother went down to the basement storage room of the apartment block in northern Italy where she had hidden them, only to find that they had been stolen, according to Italian media reports.
Police found out about the theft while the mother was frantically making the rounds of all-night petrol stations looking for substitute gifts so her two daughters would have something under the tree when they woke up on Christmas morning.
The police contacted the owner of a toy store in a small town near Turin, who opened his store at 4 a.m.

Wow! Such helpful police!

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

New Year 2010 celebrations take place around the world

Revellers in New York's Times Square were showered in confetti at midnight
People around the world have celebrated the turn of the decade and welcomed in the year 2010.
Spectacular fireworks displays were seen in cities including Auckland in New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.
London and Paris and other European cities also enjoyed displays, while in Brazil, people watched fireworks from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
Hundreds of thousands of people packed into New York's Times Square were showered with confetti at midnight.
Las Vegas welcomed 2010 with an estimated 315,000 revellers and fireworks from casino rooftops.

Watch video on BBC

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

No Kidding: Goats munch Christmas trees

Dozens of Christmas trees in Arlington, Wash., not only were recycled, they became a meal for goats to munch on.
KING-TV in Seattle says :the trees were taken to the New Moon Farm Goat Rescue and Sanctuary, where the evergreens were fed to about 38 goats.
Sanctuary owner Ellen Felsenthal says people like the idea of turning trees into goat food. She says she's looking for good families to adopt the rescued goats.

Well done!! Recycling!

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

BeautifulPeople.com axes holiday weight gain members



Dating and social network site www.BeautifulPeople.com has axed some 5,000 members following complaints that they had gained weight.
The members were singled out after posting pictures of themselves that reportedly showed they had put on pounds over the holiday period.
The site allows entry to new members only if existing members vote them as sufficiently attractive to warrant it.
Read more on BBC News

By the way, such site is a good chance to meet somebody attractive and single. It is concerning the highly discussed theme today and yesterday

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Snowed-In Brits boost adultery website



Britons snowed in by the wintry weather have been flocking to an extra-marital dating site in the last 24 hours.
www.IllicitEncounters.com , which provides a platform for married people to conduct affairs, said on Wednesday it has seen an unexpected increase in visitors over the past 24 hours, and received a record number of new profiles on Wednesday morning.
As Reuters informs :The website said most new members are registering from areas worst hit by this week's extreme weather, including Hampshire, Berkshire, and the West Country, and the site has taken on several temporary staff members to cope with the rush.
"In light of these figures, I'd be interested to see how much work those 'working from home' have actually done," www.IlicitEncounters.com spokeswoman Sara Hartley said in a statement.
The website said it has gained 2,567 new members in the last six days, suggesting that January will be its busiest month ever.
It says it has more than 350,000 members in Britain and that its aim is to create a safe and nonjudgmental environment where married men and women can meet each other.

Girls, our discussion here is a reflection of general mood in the world due to weather conditions or some other changes in the air.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Astronomers discover new depths to neighbouring island universe M94



Astronomers have captured a new image of the island universe M94, revealing previously undetected spiral arms around its outskirts.
New Mexico, spent three years looking at M94 – which is located 15 million light-years away – for evidence of the spirals.
The galaxy, which was first discovered in 1781, is a popular target for astronomers and lies in the northern constellation of the hunting dogs, Canes Venatici.
Until recently it was widely believed that the galaxy’s inner spiral region was surrounded by a faint, broad ring of stars in an oval shape.
However, the new image clearly shows spiral arms sweeping across the outskirts of the galaxy.
Read more

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Guinness World Records as the world's shortest man and tallest man.


REUTERS/Osman Orsal

He Pingping (L) of China holds the finger of Sultan Kosen of Turkey as they pose for photographers during a promotional event in Istanbul January 14, 2010. He, with a height of 73 cm (2 feet 5 inch), and Kosen, with a height of 246.5 cm (8 feet 1 inch), are listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's shortest man and tallest man respectively.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Lincolnshire man, 91, awaits 106th grandchild



A Lincolnshire great-great grandfather is awaiting the arrival of his 106th grandchild.
Ted Leeson, 91, from Grantham, has eight living children, 33 grandchildren, 61 great grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren.
Most of the family still live in the county, with the youngest being three-month old Cotie.
His great grandson Toby Fairbrother, 36, and his wife Zoe, 36, are now expecting their fifth child this week.
Mr Leeson said: "I'm quite happy with it. There's nothing wrong with having a big family, I don't think."
Daughter Paula Dickenson said: "He's always been there for us.
"He's always looked after us - he's worked all his life and always provided for us, we've never gone without anything."
VIDEO with this great great man

Can you imagine- 106 grandchild?

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Umka


Photo: Angela Plumb

Polar bear cubs ride 'piggy back' on their mother's back to avoid falling into the freezing waters of the Arctic.
Angela Plumb was holidaying in Duvefjorden, Nordaustlandet, when she spotted the mother bear with a seven-month-old cub hitching a ride.

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It is so cute, as in our cartoon 'Umka'. However as I got it is not typical for bears to carry cubs on backs.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

helen :

Guinness World Records as the world's shortest man and tallest man. REUTERS/Osman Orsal He Pingping (L) of China holds the finger of Sultan Kosen of Turkey as they pose for photographers during a promotional event in Istanbul January 14, 2010. He, with a height of 73 cm (2 feet 5 inch), and Kosen, with a height of 246.5 cm (8 feet 1 inch), are listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's shortest man and tallest man respectively.

Remember I told about this couple. Unfortunately BBC News informs that the world's shortest man, He Pingping, died aged 21.
Mr He was in the Italian capital to take part in the filming of a television programme called The Record Show.

According to the TV production company Europroduzione, he had already filmed two episodes of the programme when he complained of feeling unwell.

"He started to feel slightly ill and we decided to take him to hospital. He entered hospital two weeks ago and had all kinds of tests, being a very special person he had to go though all sorts of tests. He went into intensive care three days after he was admitted," said Marco Fernandez de Araoz, communications director for Europroduzione.

He said that Mr He died on Saturday afternoon and, at the request of his family, his body would be returned to China to be buried.

Sad news.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Interesting news for those who live in Prague or going to visit Prague.

Prague cafe owner scraps price list, boosts business




A cafe owner in the Czech capital Prague has devised an unconventional, but apparently successful, scheme to drum up business: scrapping the price list.

"I had no customers and couldn't attract new ones, so I got this idea. The place is mostly full these days," 42-year-old Ondrej Lebowski told AFP.

Now clients at his Big Lebowski bar are free to set their own price for drinks, food, and even some of the memorabilia inside including film posters, books, toys and chess boxes.

Lebowski launched his innovative bid to attract more custom last August. Five months on, curious customers are flocking to the cafe which would otherwise have gone bust.

Read more

If you have a chance to visit it, please, give your feedback!!!

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Article from 8th of January, published in The Wall Street Journal ''Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior''.

This aricle is one of the most discussed now all over the world.

What do you think?



A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:


Amy Chua with her daughters, Louisa and Sophia, at their home in New Haven, Conn.
.• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play

• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not play the piano or violin.

I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.

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''Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, "You're lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you." By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they're not disappointed about how their kids turned out.''

''First, I've noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children's self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In other words, Western parents are concerned about their children's psyches. Chinese parents aren't.''

''Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it's probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children. (And it's true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring, training, interrogating and spying on their kids.) Anyway, the understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud.''

''Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children's own desires and preferences. That's why Chinese daughters can't have boyfriends in high school and why Chinese kids can't go to sleepaway camp. It's also why no Chinese kid would ever dare say to their mother, "I got a part in the school play! I'm Villager Number Six. I'll have to stay after school for rehearsal every day from 3:00 to 7:00, and I'll also need a ride on weekends." God help any Chinese kid who tried that one.''

''Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.''



what do you think? можно и на русском.

Ziņojumi: 1861
Pilsēta: Рига, Пурвциемс

Happy Valentine's Day!


Couple use the same recycled Valentine's Day card for 70 years


Трогательный рассказ, о том, как в Великобритании супружеская пара уже 70 лет использует одну и ту же валентинку, сообщает Daily Telegraph. Гарри Уорду 88 лет, Дорис - 87. Открытку Гарри купил, когда ему было 17, он отправлялся на фронт и как-то надо было выразить свои чувства. Они были знакомы только три месяца. Поженились Гарри и Дорис в 1942.
С тех пор она ему каждый год 14 февраля дарила эту открытку. На открытке написано: "Два сердца переплетаются на этой Валентинке. Настоящая любовь делает ее искренней".
У них две дочки, две внучки и четверо правнуков.

There's no danger of 88-year-old Harry Ward forgetting his wife Doris's Valentine's Day card - the couple still use the same one he bought her 70 years ago.




When 17-year-old Harry Ward presented his sweetheart Doris with a Valentine's Day card as he boarded a train to join the wartime effort on February 14, 1941, he must have been fairly confident his affections would be requited.

After all the couple had been dating since they met in a Bristol café three months earlier.

But little can he have imagined that 70 years on, not only would he still be happily married to Doris, but that every year she would present him with the very same card he gave her at the railway station that Valentine's day.

Now the card is set to make another appearance on the couple's mantelpiece as Mrs Ward, 87, dusts it off in time for tomorrow's celebrations.

"I bring it out of the cupboard and put it on our mantlepiece every Valentine's Day," she said. "It's a special to me now as it was 70-years-ago. Harry has never bought me one since, because I have this one every year."