Lady Gaga - JUDAS

Mother's Day (U.S.)

History

The first attempts to establish a "Mother's Day" in the U.S. were mostly marked by women's peace groups. A common early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the American Civil War. There were several limited observances in the 1870s and the 1880s but none achieved resonance beyond the local level.

In 1868 Ann Jarvis created a committee to establish a "Mother's Friendship Day" whose purpose was "to reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War", and she wanted to expand it into an annual memorial for mothers, but she died in 1905 before the celebration became popular. Her daughter Anna Jarvis would continue her mother's efforts.

In New York City, Julia Ward Howe led a "Mother's Day" anti-war observance on June 2, 1872, which was accompanied by a Mother's Day Proclamation. The observance continued in Boston for about 10 years under Howe's personal sponsorship, then died out.

Several years later a Mother's Day observance on May 13, 1877 was held in Albion, Michigan over a dispute related to the temperance movement. According to local legend, Albion pioneer Juliet Calhoun Blakeley stepped up to complete the sermon of the Rev. Myron Daughterty who was distraught because an anti-temperance group had forced his son and two other temperance advocates to spend the night in a saloon and become publicly drunk. From the pulpit Blakeley called on other mothers to join her. Blakeley's two sons, both traveling salesmen, were so moved that they vowed to return each year to pay tribute to her and embarked on a campaign to urge their business contacts to do likewise. At their urging, in the early 1880s, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Albion set aside the second Sunday in May to recognize the special contributions of mothers.

Frank E. Hering, President of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, made the first known public plea for "a national day to honor our mothers" in 1904.

In its present form, Mother's Day was established by Anna Marie Jarvis, with the help of Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker following the death of her mother Ann Jarvis on May 9, 1905. A small service was held on May 12, 1907 in the Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia where Anna's mother had been teaching Sunday school. But the first "official" service was on May 10, 1908 in the same church, accompanied by a larger ceremony in the Wanamaker Auditorium in the Wanamaker's store on Philadelphia. She then campaigned to establish Mother's Day first as a U.S. national holiday and then later as an international holiday.

The holiday was declared officially by the state of West Virginia in 1910, and the rest of states followed quickly. On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and requesting a proclamation. On May 9, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the first national Mother's Day as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.

In 1934, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved a stamp commemorating the holiday.

In May 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives voted twice on a resolution commemorating Mother's Day, the first one being unanimous (with 21 members not voting). The Grafton's church, where the first celebration was held, is now the International Mother's Day Shrine and is a National Historic Landmark.

Kristin Cavallari's Monster Engagement Ring Up Close

Kristen Cavallari was seen at the premiere for Something Borrowed starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, John Krasinski and Colin Egglesfield. It's a lovely little flick about pre-wedding dramz, but it's not likely that K. Cav's even a bit distracted by such poppycock as "jitters" given her impending nuptials to Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler is still providing her with a despicable amount of profound joy. I mean, look at her. When's the last time you saw her look this insanely GLOWING and euphoric? She appears to be emitting light from every pore on her person, every strand of glistening hair, and the white, strapless, embroidered sundress just evokes flashes of the morning-after-celebratory-friends-and-family-brunch after the Big Day. Even her tidily short and pristine manicure looks positively matrimonial. She's also wearing her sandal wedges she designed for charity, sold at ShoeDazzle which complement the summery aesthetic gloriously. In short, she looks great, and every aspect of her outfit works splendidly.

Aaaaaaaaaand, well, of course it does, given that she is also wearing a DELICIOUSLY MASSIVE, four-prong, FLAWLESS ASSCHER-CUT, hella faceted, three-or-so carat *brings out her jeweler's loupe* engagement ring replete with about 1.5-and-change carat accent diamonds on the band (what? I know my rocks. It's totally acceptable to be an unmarried woman of a certain age who is well-versed in precious jewels). Basically, she could be wearing a puce-colored, XXXXL zip-up fleece hoodie with a 3-foot-tall Insane Clown Posse face drawn in puffy paint on it with 12-year-old Wellington boots made expressly for longshoremen and look dazzling. Provided we could see her shine. Congrats, girl. Blind your enemies by harnessing the sun's rays, your own happy-girl phosphorescence and that rock. Make yourself a laser and vanquish your foes. GET IT.

More Sports Dialed In Early Kentucky Derby Favorite After Draw

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Nobody wanted to be No. 1.

No. 20 wasn't too popular, either.

Dialed In managed to avoid both -- the inside rail and far outside -- at Wednesday's post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby.

He was made the early 4-1 favorite for Saturday's race after drawing the favorable No. 8 post, prompting owner Robert LaPenta to let out a cheer. Uncle Mo was the second choice in a full field of 20 horses.

Ten horses have won from the No. 8 position; the last, 50-1 shocker Mine That Bird two years ago.

"It's a big thing, and he deserves it," two-time Derby winner Nick Zito said, referring to his horse's status as the favorite. Dialed In has won 3 of 4 career races.

Three times in the last seven runnings the favorite has worn the garland of roses, most recently Big Brown in 2008.

"So far, so good," Zito said. "If he has another couple of good days we'll be happy. Things are doing all right."

Things haven't been quite so right for Uncle Mo, who drew the No. 18 post, three slots from the outside. The colt is being treated for a gastrointestinal infection, which was blamed for his stunning first-ever defeat in last month's Wood Memorial.

Owner Mike Repole has said if Uncle Mo isn't sufficiently recovered, he won't run in the 1 1/4-mile Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher, however, said Uncle Mo might be able to win even if he's at less than his best.

"But we're committed to bringing him over there at 100 percent, anything less than that, we won't accept," he said.

Uncle Mo, last year's 2-year-old champion, jogged a mile around the dirt track at Churchill Downs and later stood in the starting gate to familiarize himself with the surroundings. He is scheduled to gallop on Thursday.

"I've always said I think he's the best horse of his generation," Pletcher said. "We proved that last year and identified what we thought was the reason for the poor performance in the Wood. I think if he shows up and he's the Uncle Mo from the Breeders' Cup or the Champagne or even the Timely Writer, he's the horse to beat."

Uncle Mo would have to overcome a bit of history.

Only one horse since 1900 has come out of the No. 18 hole to win and that was Gato Del Sol in 1982.

Still, Pletcher and Repole were relieved to have avoided the rail.

"We had this overlying fear we were going to get the 1," the trainer said. "Once it was anything besides that we were happy."

Repole's other colt, Stay Thirsty -- also trained by Pletcher -- landed in the No. 4 post and is 20-1 on the morning line set by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

Pletcher ended an 0-for-24 skid in the Derby last year when Super Saver won from the No. 4 post.

Nehro was the third choice at 6-1. The other 17 horses were listed at double-digit odds.

The dreaded No. 1 post -- the last position revealed -- went to Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch. That spot did in last year's Derby favorite, Lookin At Lucky, who was blocked behind horses and finished sixth for trainer Bob Baffert.

"I have always wanted to be No. 1, but not in the Kentucky Derby starting gate," said Jinks Fires, the 70-year-old trainer of Archarcharch who will give specific race instructions to jockey Jon Court, his son-in-law.

"I'll just tell Jon to get good position, save ground and figure out a way to get out. It is still the shortest way around and at least I am not out next to the track kitchen."

Like Uncle Mo's connections, Baffert was happy that stalker Midnight Interlude escaped the inside post.

"My wife texted me. She's at LAX and said, `If we draw the No. 1, let me know so I can get off the plane,"' he said. "This is the toughest part of getting through the whole Derby. From now on it's the luck.

"I wanted to be on the outside. When you have a lightly raced horse you want to keep him in the clear as much as possible."

Archarcharch and Midnight Interlude were the co-fourth choices.

The other trainer with two starters is Mike Maker, who will saddle Twinspired and Derby Kitten.

A total of 22 horses were entered, two more than the maximum allowed field of 20, which is based on earnings in graded stakes races. Sway Away and Ruler On Ice were shut out because their earnings weren't high enough to put them among the top 20.

Mosley Is Ready For Pacquiao

LAS VEGAS – Almost a year to the day earlier, Shane Mosley sat in the same chair in the same room in the same casino and said nearly the same things about an upcoming fight against a superstar opponent.

He brushed off questions about his age. He dismissed suggestions that he was in decline. He insisted that he would stun those who sized up his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and came away believing Mayweather would win in a rout.

That was in 2010, and a few days later, Mosley was drummed by Mayweather, beaten like he had never been beaten before. He won only one of the 12 rounds and only won that one because of a single right hand which landed and hurt Mayweather in the waning moments of the second round. If he could have avoided that one punch, Mayweather would have had himself a shutout.

Fast forward a year, and Mosley is now 39, pushing 40. He’s an 8-1 underdog to Manny Pacquiao, yet he beams when it’s suggested it’s too old, out of his league, no longer fast enough to defeat the man now almost universally regarded as the best boxer in the world.

He fights Pacquiao on Saturday for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title in the main event of a pay-per-view card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will, he says, make believers of those who question his ability to compete at the highest level.

He concedes he’s no longer the physical specimen he was when, as a lightweight, he had some very credible boxing experts proclaiming him among the greatest in the division’s rich history, though he said his hand and foot speed is still very much above average.

He’s a smarter and wiser boxer today, he’ll tell you, than he was a year ago when he was preparing to face Mayweather. The only difference, however, other than another candle on the cake, is that he’s 0-1-1 since then and looking every bit like a one-time star on the downside.

But his trainer, Naazim Richardson, said Mosley has one of the highest boxing IQs he’s ever met and has taken advantage of every round he’s been in the ring.

Mosley has learned to adapt, Richardson said, as his body has evolved.

“Sometimes, we critique athletes at a level where we lose sight of what’s important ourselves,” Richardson said. “When I was a young man and I went out to the car to get the groceries, I went out there and I grabbed every bag and threw them on my shoulder and brought them in the house. As I got older, I took more trips to get the bags. As I got even older, I looked at my sons and made them get the bags. We make adjustments as we get older in everything that we do.

“Nobody is doing things the way they used to do them. This is how it is in sports. Like anything else, naturally, you get smarter and you make the necessary adjustments to cater to those reflexes getting a little slower.”

Slow reflexes are a big problem for any boxer against Pacquiao, who has lightning fast hands and may be one of the best-conditioned athletes in all of sports.

Antonio Margarito is a heavy-handed puncher, but he’s slow and lacks quickness. When Pacquiao fought Margarito in Dallas in November, he landed 474 punches, the eighth-most in a championship fight in the 25 years that CompuBox has been counting punches, despite giving up more than 20 pounds by the time the bell rang to start the bout.

Though it’s true that Margarito landed far more punches on Pacquiao than he did on Mosley (229 landed against Pacquiao compared to 108 landed against Mosley), part of that is because the Pacquiao fight went the full 12 rounds and the Mosley fight ended early in the ninth.

Additionally, 41 percent of the punches Margarito landed on Pacquiao were jabs, while just 17 percent of the punches Margarito landed on Mosley were jabs. In essence, Margarito landed a far higher percentage of cleaner, harder punches against Mosley than he did against Pacquiao.

It’s also nearly 2 1/2 years since Mosley’s stunning upset of Margarito.

Mosley, though, is emboldened by the sheer numbers alone.

“You know, if Margarito could hit Pacquiao as often as he did, wow,” Mosley said. “I know I’m quicker than Margarito.”

Mosley’s a relentless optimist, and nothing anyone says will convince him that he’s anything less than the elite fighter he was earlier in this decade. His father, Jack, his original coach, is much the same way.

And as a reporter recounted all the challenges Shane faces against Pacquiao, Jack Mosley broke into a broad grin. If he’s worried about his son’s health, he does a good job of hiding it.

“You know, Shane’s heard it for years, how he couldn’t do this and how he couldn’t do that,” Jack Mosley said. “Even when he was a kid, people would tell him this guy was too big or that guy was too fast, but Shane beat ‘em all. And when he fought Oscar (De La Hoya), everybody kept telling me what Oscar was going to do to him. But then Shane went out and beat him twice.

“Shane’s got the tools to beat this guy. He knows what he has to do and he has the ability to go out there and do it.”

Part of the reason that Richardson is so confident in Mosley’s chances is because of how well his father taught him. Mosley, Richardson said, is as wise as anyone in the game and is remarkable in his ability to follow a game plan.

When Mosley fought Margarito, he landed a hard body shot in the first round that made Margarito wince. When Mosley walked back to the corner, he said to Richardson, “I got him.”

Richardson, though, didn’t want Mosley to abandon the game plan and go for the knockout. And so for eight more rounds, Mosley systematically stuck to the plan and broke Margarito down. It’s why he believes Mosley will have a chance to score the upset on Saturday.

“Shane doesn’t get the credit for having such a high IQ in boxing,” Richardson said. “When you see the physical attributes he has, a lot of times we lose the sense of remembering what an intelligent fighter he’s been over the years. I was taken aback when I started working with him how high his IQ is. He really understands it.”

And so, despite the odds, despite his recent history, Mosley believes. This isn’t a guy who’s just showing up to cash a $5 million check and squeeze out a few extra moments in the spotlight.

This is a guy, four months shy of his 40th birthday, who totally believes he’s going to beat the best fighter in the world on Saturday. His experience, he said, is the difference.

“I’ve faced a lot of different people with a lot of different styles,” Mosley said. “He’s not been in there with guys like that.”

And it’s safe to say that Mosley hasn’t been in with anyone like Pacquiao. For that, he’s glad. He loves boxing, he loves competition and, most of all, he loves proving people wrong.

Dirk Came Out Firing Again Sends Mavs to 2-0 Lead

LOS ANGELES -- Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks let loose with a few primal howls as they left the court, cutting through the scattered boos and gloomy silence at Staples Center.

After back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks are headed home with something coach Rick Carlisle insists they expected.

These longtime playoff disappointments have a golden opportunity to knock out the two-time defending champions.

Nowitzki scored 24 points, Shawn Marion added 14 and the Mavericks stunned the erratic Lakers 93-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 second-round lead with consecutive road wins.

"If you would have told me before that were going to win both games, that would have been hard to believe," Nowitzki said. "But I think we earned it."

Jason Kidd scored 10 points for the Mavericks, who pushed the Lakers halfway to playoff elimination with Nowitzki's stellar shooting, another steady defensive performance, and a decisive 9-0 fourth-quarter rally. Dallas did nothing spectacularly well, yet was significantly better than the cold-shooting Lakers on both ends.

"We came to compete, and we came to make something happen here," Marion said. "We made our presence felt on both ends of the floor tonight. We did a good job of handling their pressure and just going out there and doing what we've been doing all postseason, just playing good defense and just playing our style of play."

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who hadn't lost the first two games of a playoff series since the 2008 NBA finals -- also the last series they lost. Only three NBA teams have come back to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two at home, where dismayed fans sent the Lakers off with boos and jeers.

"We came here to win two games," Carlisle said. "We're going to need every gun blazing and throw the kitchen sink at these guys when they come to our place."

Game 3 is Friday night in Dallas.

Los Angeles missed its first 15 3-point attempts in Game 2, only avoiding its first playoff game without a 3-pointer since May 8, 2001, on Bryant's 3-pointer with 2:43 left. Los Angeles finished 2 for 20 on 3-pointers, but the Lakers also appeared simply exhausted during long stretches of their 75th playoff game in the last four seasons.

Center Andrew Bynum saw another reason for the Lakers' frustrations.

"It's deeply rooted at this point. It's obvious that we have trust issues, individually," said Bynum, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds. "All 13 of our guys have trust issues right now. I think it's quite obvious to anyone watching the game -- hesitation on passes, and defensively we're not being a good teammate because he wasn't there for you before -- little things. And unless we come out and discuss them, nothing is going to change."

Bryant wrote off Bynum's comments as concerns about the Lakers' defensive communication.

"I think the trust that he's referring to is being able to help each other on the defensive end of the floor," Bryant said. "You saw a lot of layups. He gets frustrated when he supports a guard coming off the screen-and-roll and nobody supports him."

But Los Angeles also could be without its defensive stopper in Dallas: Ron Artest was ejected with 24.4 seconds left for clotheslining Dallas guard Jose Barea, possibly leading to a suspension. Even Lakers coach Phil Jackson conceded "there's a good chance" he won't have Artest on Friday.

"It's not a basketball play, so we'll see what happens," Barea said.

After years of playoff underachievement during owner Mark Cuban's tenure, the Mavericks certainly appear primed to change their reputation.

Dallas, which won just one playoff series in the past four years before this spring, was more aggressive and inventive than the champs, maintaining a steady lead before breaking it open with nine straight points down the stretch in the rally led by Barea, who highlighted it with an impressive short shot directly over Bynum. Barea had 12 points and four assists.

Cuban led the cheers behind Dallas' bench as the Mavs pulled away in the fourth quarter. Not even Bryant could save the Lakers, going scoreless in the fourth until hitting two free throws with 3:11 to play.

Bynum and Pau Gasol haven't been able to control the paint with their usual vehemence against the Mavericks' three 7-footers. Gasol had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but appeared tentative for long stretches while struggling to contain Nowitzki.

The Mavericks protected the rim and largely controlled the tempo, using their advantages in depth and athleticism to limit the Lakers' offense. Dallas took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter and stretched it to 10 moments later before coasting home with little opposition from the Lakers, who went 7 for 20 in the final period.

"Desperate? That's a strong word," Bryant said. "I think when you play desperate, you don't play your best basketball. What we need to do is relax, focus on what we're doing wrong and the mistakes that we're making, and we have plenty to review and lock in on that."

Dallas rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to win Game 1, finishing on a 9-2 run capped by four last-minute points from Nowitzki, who seems determined to erase memories of the Mavericks' past playoff failures on big stages.

Nowitzki came out firing again in Game 2, scoring 15 points in the first half with the 7-footer's usual array of impossible-to-block fallaway jumpers. The Lakers ran several defenders at him, using Gasol and Lamar Odom before trying Artest in the second quarter.

Pittsburgh Steelers' Hines Ward Briefly Detained at Gunpoint in California

LOS ANGELES -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Hines Ward was briefly detained at gunpoint Thursday in a mix-up over a reported stolen car, but he was released without being arrested, police said.

Hines and a woman friend were stopped in her car at about 1:30 a.m. in North Hollywood because she had reported the car stolen on April 19, said Sgt. Maria Morrison.

The two had left a restaurant in North Hollywood, said officer Sara Faden.

Police took Hines out of the car at gunpoint and handcuffed him, Morrison said. Hines and the woman were released after she was able to prove the car was hers.

"She had gone somewhere, misparked it, reported it stolen and found it later" but failed to cancel the police report, Morrison said.

Hines cooperated with police while he was detained, she said.

The woman's name wasn't released, but she isn't Hines' partner on "Dancing With the Stars," Morrison said.

Easter egg

Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or

springtime.

The egg is a symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.

The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. These eggs are often hidden, allegedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw to resemble a bird's nest.

he egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick hatches out.

The ancient Zoroastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. The Nawrooz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years. The sculptures on the walls of Persepolis show people carrying eggs for Nowrooz to the king.

At the Jewish Passover Seder, hard-boiled eggs called Beitzah dipped in salt water symbolizes the Qorban Chagigah or Hashlamim, the festival peace-offerings sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem to be eaten on Erev Pesach.

There are good grounds for the association between hares (later termed Easter bunnies) and eggs, through folklore confusion between hares' forms (where they raise their young) and plovers' nests. The mention of eggs left for children in connection with the Germanic goddess Ostara in the supposed Old High German lullaby is considered a literary forgery.

An egg hunt is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial ones filled with, or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden for children to find, both indoors and outdoors.

When the hunt is over, prizes may be given for the largest number of eggs collected, or for the largest or the smallest egg.

Real eggs may further be used in egg tapping contests.

In the North of England, at Eastertime, a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other player's egg with their own. This is known as "egg tapping", "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. The annual egg jarping world championship is held every year over Easter in Peterlee Cricket Club. It is also practiced in Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and other countries. They call it tucanje. In parts of Austria, Bavaria and German-speaking Switzerland it is called Ostereiertitschen or Eierpecken. In parts of Europe it is also called epper, presumably from the German name Opfer, meaning "offering" and in Greece it is known as tsougrisma. In South Louisiana this practice is called Pocking Eggs and is slightly different. The Cajuns hold that the winner eats the eggs of the losers in each round.

The central European Slavic nations (Czechs and Slovaks etc.) have a tradition of gathering eggs by gaining them from the females in return of whipping them with a pony-tail shaped whip made out of fresh willow branches and splashing them with water, by the Ruthenians called polivanja, which is supposed to give them health and beauty.

Egg rolling is also a traditional Easter egg game played with eggs at Easter. In England, Germany, and other countries children traditionally rolled eggs down hillsides at Easter. This tradition was taken to the New World by European settlers, and continues to this day each Easter on the White House lawn.

Different nations have different versions of the game.

Egg dance is a traditional Easter game in which eggs are laid on the ground or floor and the goal is to dance among them without damaging any eggs which originated in Germany. In the UK the dance is called the hop-egg.

The Pace Egg plays are traditional village plays, with a rebirth theme. The drama takes the form of a combat between the hero and villain, in which the hero is killed and brought to life, The plays take place in England during Easter.

In some Mediterranean countries, especially in Lebanon, chicken eggs are boiled and decorated by dye and/or painting and used as decoration around the house. Then, on Easter Day, young kids would duel with them saying 'Christ is resurrected, Indeed He is', breaking and eating them.

Cascarones, a North-Eastern Mexican tradition now shared by many in South Texas, are an emptied and dried chicken egg stuffed with confetti and sealed with a piece of tissue paper. The eggs are hidden in a similar tradition to the American Easter egg hunt and when found the children (and adults) break them over each others heads.

ANGEL FALLS

Angel Falls or Paradise Falls (Spanish: Salto Ángel; Pemon language: Kerepakupai vena, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or Parakupa-vena, meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela.

It is the world's highest waterfall, with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft). The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyantepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State, Venezuela.

The height of the fall is so great that, before getting anywhere near the ground, much[clarification needed] of the water is evaporated or carried away as a fine mist by the strong wind. The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Río Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River.

The height figure 979 m (3,212 ft) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 400 m (0.25 mi) of sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and a 30 m (98 ft) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids. While the main plunge is undoubtedly the highest single drop in the world, some feel that including the lower cascades somewhat stretches the criteria for the measurement of waterfalls, although there are no universally recognized standards of waterfall measurement.

Angel Falls is one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, but, even today, a trip to the falls is a complicated affair. The falls are located in an isolated jungle of Venezuela, and a flight from Puerto Ordaz or Ciudad Bolívar is required to reach Canaima camp, the starting point for river trips to the base of the falls. River trips generally take place from June to December, when the rivers are deep enough for the wooden curiaras used by the Pemon guides. During the dry season (December to March) there is less water seen than in the other months.

Scientist claims that Last Supper was a day earlier

LONDON (AFP) – Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday but new research released Monday claims to show it took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion.

Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter.

Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death.

Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible.

While Matthew, Mark and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.

Humphreys has concluded in a new book, "The Mystery Of The Last Supper", that Jesus -- along with Matthew, Mark and Luke -- may have been using a different calendar to John.

"Whatever you think about the Bible, the fact is that Jewish people would never mistake the Passover meal for another meal, so for the Gospels to contradict themselves in this regard is really hard to understand," Humphreys said.

"Many biblical scholars say that, for this reason, you can't trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction."

In Humphreys' theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar which was in widespread use at the time of his death and is still in use today.

This would put the Passover meal -- and the Last Supper -- on the Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion.

It would follow that Jesus' arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period.

Humphreys believes a date could therefore be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.

Lady Gaga's 'Judas' Draws Comparisons To 'Bad Romance'

It isn't uncommon for pop stars to pay homage to themselves in the most nostalgic way possible (see Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" music video). And with the release of Lady Gaga's highly anticipated second single, "Judas," from her forthcoming album, we here at MTV News couldn't help but be reminded of another song that sounds more or less similar to the recently dropped track.

From both of the songs' structures to their lyrical repetition, "Judas" draws on heavy elements from Mother Monster's 2009 smash "Bad Romance." Both songs, which were produced by hit-maker RedOne, start off on common ground with comparable lyrical introductions, combining a series of oh's, song-title call-outs and signature Gaga name-drops. As with many of her dance tunes, "Judas" carries a steady, head-bopping beat throughout the verses until comes an even bigger and more sing-along-friendly chorus à la "Bad Romance."

Similarities between the dance tunes don't stop there as Gaga appears to have the same love troubles as she did just a couple of years ago. During both songs, the pop star sings the tale of a woman drawn and captured by the affection of her ill-fated lover. ("Judas" — "Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain/ Even after three times, he betrays me" vs. "Bad Romance" — "I want your ugly/ I want your disease/ I want your everything/ As long as it's free/ I want your love.")

While Lady Gaga is no stranger to having her songs pitted against hits of past (Yes, I'm looking at you, "Born This Way"), "Judas" is sure to set the dance floor on fire even if it may sound like the long-lost cousin of "Bad Romance."

Katy Perry's 'Iconic Eras Of Style'

NEW WAVE

GLAMOUR

BOHO CHIC

Ortiz Wins Over Berto In An Unanimous Decision

LEDYARD, Conn. (AP)—Victor Ortiz got some advice from Manny Pacquiao before his title fight against unbeaten Andre Berto.

“Manny told me to stick to my game plan,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz listened to boxing’s biggest star and the result was three knockdowns in an upset victory over Berto in a World Boxing Council welterweight title fight Saturday night.

Ortiz (29-2-2) won a unanimous decision despite having a point taken away for hitting behind the head. The three judges scored it 114-112, 114-111 and 115-110.

“That wasn’t me in there tonight,” Berto said, adding that he hurt his right thumb in the second round at the MGM Grand at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Berto had made five successful title defenses since he took the WBC welterweight crown in June 2008, when he knocked out Miguel Rodriguez in the seventh round.

Berto (27-1) was nearly knocked out in the first round against Ortiz, who came out firing combinations from the bell, stunning the champion with a right hand followed by a left hook that put him on the canvas.

With Berto clearly dazed, Ortiz tried to finish his rival off. He produced another knockdown, but Berto made it out of the round.

“I noticed he was vulnerable on the inside,” Ortiz said. “Part of my game plan was to smother his shots and overwhelm him.”

Ortiz appeared to be in command in Round 2, when out of nowhere, Berto connected with a short right hand that sent Ortiz backpedaling. He didn’t go down, but took a brief count from referee Michael Ortega.

The brisk pace continued in Round 3 with Ortiz continuing to apply the pressure. The 24-year-old Ortiz continued to stalk Berto in Round 4. Berto kept waving at his opponent to keep coming forward, and Ortiz was happy to oblige.

“I wasn’t surprised the way he tore into me,” Berto said. “I knew he would come out the way he did.”

The 27-year-old Berto turned it around in the sixth round and knocked Ortiz down with a right hand. But just seconds before the round ended, Ortiz flattened Berto with a left hook. Berto got up with no trouble just before the bell sounded.

“That was a beauty of a right hand he hit me with and it was a heck of a round,” Ortiz said. “I’d vote it the round of the year.”

After three uneventful rounds, Berto landed a good right to begin Round 10. Ortiz, who had been warned earlier about hitting in the back of the head, had a point taken away by Ortega. That seemed to motivate him, and he finished the round with a solid combination.

The crowd gave both fighters a standing ovation when the bout ended.

“I would rather have won than just be in an exciting fight,” a dejected Berto said.

Ortiz now has a six-fight winning streak. He hasn’t lost since June 2009, when he was knocked out in the sixth round by Marcus Maidana.

“I think this is where I’m going to stay now at 147 pounds,” Ortiz said. “I’m the king here. “I’m the king of the welterweights.”

Amir Khan Retained His WBA Light Welterweight Title

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Amir Khan retained his WBA light welterweight title on points after Paul McCloskey was stopped by the referee in the sixth round because of a nasty cut over his left eye on Saturday.

Referee Luiz Pabon deemed the cut to have come from an accidental clash of heads, and summoned ringside doctor Phil Sahu, who believed McCloskey couldn’t continue with blood seeping into his eye and impairing his vision.
McCloskey disagreed but Pabon sent the fight to scorecards, and the Irish challenger and his team were livid.

All three judges had Khan leading 60-54 halfway through the scheduled 12-round bout, and the Englishman improved to 25-1 with 17 knockouts.

McCloskey, the European champion, was furious with the decision that cost him his first loss in 23 fights, and his team believed Khan should have been disqualified.

Khan started patiently against the challenger’s rangy southpaw style. But Khan landed a big right at the start of the second that visibly shook McCloskey, who recovered with a few shots of his own by the end of the round.

McCloskey grew in confidence, and his left crosses in the third pushed Khan back.

Another tactical few rounds followed, with Khan the main aggressor.

In the decisive sixth, a five-punch combination from Khan staggered McCloskey and moments later the pair went toe-to-toe before McCloskey wheeled away and noticed blood coming from around his left eye.

The referee immediately brought the fight to an abrupt end to a chorus of boos from the 6,000-strong crowd of McCloskey fans.

Salido Upsetting Lopez With An Eight Round Stoppage

So much for the big showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

THE RING’s Nos. 1- and 2-rated featherweights had been on a collision course for the past two years. Hardcore fans everywhere couldn’t wait to see what happened when Lopez, a popular Puerto Rican puncher with solid technique and heart, clashed with the Cuban amateur standout with dynamic speed and power.

However, Orlando Salido put all discussion of that anticipated match on hold by upsetting Lopez with an entertaining eighth-round stoppage Saturday in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Lopez's hometown.

Salido, a hardnosed veteran and former beltholder from Mexico, dropped Lopez in the fifth round and repeatedly stunned the 10-to-1 favorite before referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. waved the fight off at 1:39 of the eighth round.

The stoppage was shocking given the status of the two fighters. Salido entered the bout with 11 losses, one of which was his last bout, a unanimous-decision loss to Gamboa last September. Lopez was undefeated in 30 bouts, 27 of which he won by knockout. The two-division titleholder was ranked No. 9 in the pound-for-pound rankings of both THE RING and Yahoo! Sports.

One can forgive Lopez’s promoter, Top Rank, for viewing Salido as a reasonably “safe” bout for the budding Puerto Rican star. One can almost forgive Top Rank President Bob Arum for telling fans and boxing media who wanted to see a Lopez-Gamboa match sooner rather than later to “go f___ themselves” a year ago.

Arum wanted to let the featherweight showdown marinate until it became a “super fight,” and it’s hard to fault him for that logic. The longer the hall-of-fame promoter held the featherweight beltholders apart, the more fans debated and demanded the fight, and the more money he and the combatants would make once the bout was made.

However, this is boxing, and as fans have witnessed in recent days, any damn thing can happen in that ring.

Salido (35-11-2, 23 knockouts) is not in Lopez’s class in terms of talent and technique, but sometimes a rock-solid chin can neutralize superior power. Sometimes an aggressive brawler with an awkward style can throw off a boxer-puncher with textbook form.

Sometimes personal troubles, such as Lopez’s recent divorce, can distract even the most-seasoned professional. And sometimes the underdog catches a break from the officials.

Salido’s TKO was not without controversy. Lopez, who was clearly hurt along the ropes but on his feet and throwing back when Ramirez waved the fight off, was infuriated by the stoppage, as were many fans.

“He was hitting me but they shouldn’t have stopped the fight,” Lopez said during his post-fight interview with Jim Gray of Showtime, which televised the fight in the U.S. “I was still conscious.”

Lopez controlled the first three rounds with his jab and lateral movement, and he was game until the bitter end, but the usually sharp southpaw was nailed by looping overhand rights from Salido throughout the fight.

Salido landed a number of right hands in the fourth round, sparking the warrior within Lopez, who stood his ground and traded with the grizzled 30-year-old veteran in that round and the fifth. Big mistake. Salido connected with a huge right that dropped Lopez hard with 16 seconds left in the fifth round. Lopez got up on very wobbly legs and barely survived the round.

Although he remained game in the following rounds, even rocking Salido toward the end of the sixth and seventh, he continually absorbed the harder punches during their many exchanges.

“The punch did hurt me in the fifth round, but I recouped,” Lopez said. “(Salido) is a very uncomfortable fighter. I realistically couldn’t block that punch (the right hand).”

That fact was evident in the eighth round as Salido backed Lopez into a corner with a series of flush rights and then teed off on the wobbly but defiant Puerto Rican favorite until the referee had seen enough.

The fight was even, 66-66, on all three official scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

“It was a great fight,” Lopez said. “I just want him to give me a rematch.”

That’s a fight that must happen, and one the dethroned titleholder must win, if fans ever hope to see Lopez-Gamboa.

Borich Leads Points Chase Heading into Round Four of GNCC

Morgantown, W. Va. (April 5, 2011) - After winning eleven of thirteen races in 2010, Chris Borich secured the Championship and rolled into the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series with more momentum then ever. Borich kept it going as he had a nine-race winning streak heading into the last round at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC. Unfortunately, after passing for the lead on the last lap, Borich experienced some mechanical issues that left his bike to sputter past the finish line in fifth place.

Foremost Insurance Warnert Racing Can-Am rider Adam McGill secured his first win of the season after battling with teammate Chris Bithell throughout the two-hour race. Bithell led a majority of the race until he lost his rear brakes on the last lap, giving McGill the opportunity to hammer out the win.

Round four of the 2011 Can-Am GNCC tour, the Pirelli Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina, takes place this weekend April 9-10. Now that the Can-Am duo has broken up the winning streak of Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich, the playing field has evened back out to a championship chase that could be anyone's claim.Another contender in the quest for the GNCC title is Ballance Racing Yamaha's Taylor Kiser, who currently sits fourth in the point standings. Kiser was docked a position at Steele Creek after choosing a bad line on the course but there's definitely possibility for Kiser to step up and get a moto win amongst the stacked field of XC1 riders.

Ballance Racing's Walker Fowler has dominated the XC2 division so far, claiming his third win of the season. DeRisi Racing's Eric Hoyland and KTM rider Aarol Bright have been mixing it up in the top three with Greg's ATV & Cycle Yamaha rider Gabe Phillips and Honda rider Parker Jones edging out the top five in points.

Spectator passes run $15 for the full weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge. On both Saturday and Sunday, youth riders race at 8 a.m., beginner riders race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and the pros race at 1 p.m.

To get to the track, take I-26 to Exit 44, then to Highway 49 North 7 Miles and look for the signs.

$10,000 Reward Raised For The Giants’ Beaten Fan

Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic from Santa Cruz who is also a father of two children was badly beaten by two suspects who were reportedly wearing Dodgers clothing after the Giants-Dodgers season opener Thursday. The poor fellow suffered a medically induced coma for brain injuries at County-USC Hospital. Fortunately he is stable right now.

Security cameras were not able to get a decent picture of the two suspects and only relied on the sketches. Detective Larry Burcher is pretty confident that a lot of people were able to witness on the incident. “We’re very confident there were witnesses. It happened immediately following the game when everybody was coming out,” Burcher said.

A reward amounting to $10,000 has been raised by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich for any information of the incident that could help them give justice to the Giants’ fan. An enhanced security and strict limits on stadium alcohol sales has also been commanded after the monetary award has been announced.

It is just so sad that incidents like this one happens in a supposedly fun game. Fans can get wild in defending their team but it is not just rightful that it would lead to hurting an opponent’s fan.

NASCAR 2011 Races Schedules: NASCAR 2011 Auto Races Schedules and 2011 NASCAR Martinsville Races Starting Line Ups Disclosed

NASCAR 2011 Races Schedule: NASCAR 2011 Auto Races Schedules and 2011 NASCAR Martinsville Races Starting Lineup Disclosed- We are leading on our way to the NASCAR 2011 Complete and Official Schedule for Spint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and to the Nationwide Series as the NASCAR officially released them. The NASCAR might be popular for some people and it may be an exciting event for all the fans out there as the NASCAR 2011 begins, as well as its anniversary and schedule. To all the NASCAR fans out there, the 2011 NASCAR official schedule is already laid down here and the Martinsville race starting lineup is already available. Apparently, the NASCAR 2011 races will have its live broadcast via FOX. Come and join with us and witness the every series winner of this most popular auto racing in the country, the NASCAR 2011.

Apparently, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. The season includes 36 races and two exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2010 season, NASCAR announced several calendar changes, including race additions at Kansas Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, and the removal of one race each from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. Once the 2010 season had concluded, NASCAR also announced changes to the point system, and that the fuel will be changed from Sunoco unleaded to an ethanol blend called ‘Sunoco Green E15′. Chevrolet entered 2011 as the reigning Manufacturer’s Champions, while Jimmie Johnson is the defending Driver’s Champion.

And for the latest updates, iIn the first exhibition race of the season, the 2011 Budweiser Shootout, Hamlin crossed the finished line in the first position, but since he passed below the yellow out of bounds line, Kurt Buschbecame the winner of the race. Trevor Bayne won the opening race of the season in the Daytona 500 after David Ragan received a penalty for a restart violation, with Bayne becoming just the fifth driver to win the race for Wood Brothers Racing and the youngest ever to win the Daytona 500 at 20 years and 1 day.

Meanwhile, Four time champion, Jeff Gordon claimed victory in the 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, after leading the most laps of 138, ending a 66-race winless streak.[12] Next, Carl Edwards won the 2011 Kobalt Tools 400 after Tony Stewart, who led the most laps, was penalized on pit road. After winning the Nationwide race on Saturday, Kyle Busch held off Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson to take his fourth consecutive Bristol victory. Though Kyle dominated the race, Jimmie Johnson took the lead briefly but was passed on the last lap by Kevin Harvick, who took his first win of 2011 at Auto Club Speedway.

You can check out now for the complete NASCAR 2011 Schedule at the NASCAR Official website now. The entire tournament is divided into three different categories, the Sprint Cup, the Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. You can watch the NASCAR 2011 live streaming online in different sports channels across the nation like FOX and ESPN. Please standby here for more updates with regards to the results of the each series.

NASCAR 2011 Martinsville Updates:

Opening in 1947, the Martinsville Speedway is the oldest track in NASCAR. At .526 miles in length, the paperclip-shaped oval is also the smallest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. In spite of its age and size, however, the Martinsville Speedway annually provides some of the best action of the entire Sprint Cup season.

Martinsville Speedway is one of those tracks that sometimes a novice fan or a new fan looks at it and thinks it really couldn’t be that difficult to race on. Martinsville is deceiving. It is flat and small. Sure, the cars aren’t going 200 mph, but it is just as tough, if not tougher than any of those big tracks. To get around Martinsville takes so much finesse. It also takes a lot of patience.

The recipe for the excitement produced on the claustrophobic speedway is simple: take 43 cars manned by 43 human beings fully capable of the perfectly human emotion of losing their cool, pack them into a space that small, then rinse and repeat 499 times, and the result is plenty of bent sheetmetal, plenty of bruised egos, and often times, plenty of blowups.

Carl Edwards will easily tell you that Martinsville drives him crazy. The place is just that difficult. This may be hard to believe, but in all of his 84 wins, NASCAR legend Bobby Allison was never able to win there.

The place is also one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks. It has so much history. The track opened in 1947. So it has been around longer than NASCAR itself. We’ve lost some tracks over the years like Rockingham (North Carolina Motor Speedway) and North Wilkesboro, but Martinsville Speedway continues to thrive. Twice a year, NASCAR’s focus is on Martinsville.

Miley Cyrus at the 2011 Kids Choice Awards

Miley Cyrus arrives at Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards at Galen Center on April 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Elizabeth Hurley Files for Divorce Citing "Unreasonable Behavior"

Elizabeth Hurley has filed for divorce from husband Arun Nayar after four years of marriage, the UK's Daily Mail reports.

Hurley, 45, filed papers Friday at London's High Court, citing "unreasonable behavior."

Elizabeth Hurley joins Wonder Woman as the "evil villain"

Four months ago, Hurley announced her split from Nayar on Twitter after she was photographed kissing Australian cricket player Shane Warne.

Hurley and Nayar, an Indian textile heir, married in March 2007 after dating for four years. The former model has an 8-year-old son, Damian, from a previous relationship with millionaire Stephen Bing.

Hurley recently shot the pilot for NBC's Wonder Woman.

Massacre at Koran-Burning Protest At UN Office At Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — Demonstrators incensed at the burning of a Koran by a Florida pastor opened fire on a United Nations office Friday in northern Afghanistan, killing 12 people, including three foreign UN workers and five Nepalese UN guards, officials said.

Two of the foreign dead reportedly were beheaded, Reuters reported.

The other four dead were protesters, the Associated Press reported.

"We can confirm an attack on the UN mission in Afghanistan's operations center in Mazar-i-Sharif, and can confirm that there have been deaths of UN personnel," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at UN headquarters in New York. "The situation is still confusing and we are working to ascertain all the facts and take care of all our staff."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's special representative in Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, was "on his way to Mazar-i-Sharif now to deal with the situation personally on the ground," AFP reported.

The rampage began when demonstrators marched in Mazar-i-Sharif and in the capital Kabul on Friday to protest the burning last month of Islam's holy book by Florida pastors Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp. Jones reportedly put the Koran "trial," then supervised Sapp as he burned the book.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the burning, and called on the U.S. to bring those responsible to justice.

Jones captured headlines last September when he threatened to burn the Koran on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Jones canceled the burning after appeals from several world leaders, including President Obama.

Jones, meanwhile, issued a statement Friday, calling on President Obama to "take a close, realistic look at the radical element Islam... It is time that we call these people to accountability."

Last month's Koran burning also was blamed for an attack earlier this week on a Catholic church in Pakistan. Government officials said the attack was directly related to the Koran burning, but Msgr. Anthony Rufin, bishop of Islamabad, would not link the two incidents.

Lindsay Lohan Walks Her First Red Carpet After Rehabbed

Lindsay Lohan hit the Manhattan premiere of Jake Gyllenhaal's The Source Code Thursday night.

Still facing a legal battle for allegedly stealing a $2500 necklace from a Venice, California jewelry store, "Lindsay seems much more at ease now that she's decided to go to trial and not take a plea deal," a source tells UsMagazine.com. "She feels that the jury will see she's innocent."

Yet, after she fell while leaving a local bar Wednesday night, blogs were buzzing about whether the recently rehabbed Lohan was back to her old ways. "Is it not allowed to slip and fall?" Lohan fired back via Twitter Thursday. "I'm always a klutz!!!"

Former Bonds Employee: I Saw Trainer Inject Home Run King

Former baseball player Barry Bonds arrives for his trial at federal court in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds' personal buyer said he saw former personal trainer jet in the navel Bonds before a trip during the 2002 season.

Kathy Hoskins said Thursday it was Bonds bedroom packing clothes for a trip to the seven-time NL MVP and trainer Greg Anderson walked into the room. Anderson expressed concern about his presence and Bonds said he did not need to worry Hoskins, why is my girlfriend. "

Hoskins testified that he then saw Anderson injected Bonds. She said he did not ask questions about the injection, but the volunteers bonds as "a little something, something for when I go on the road. You can not detect it."

Bonds is accused of lying to the grand jury when he said that no one other than the doctor who injected anything. It 'also accused of lying when he testified that he never knowingly used steroids.

Libya's Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa speaks to the media at a hotel in Tripoli, Libya.

Two senior Libyan officials have resigned from their posts Thursday, dealing a further blow to the regime of Muammar al-Gaddafi.






Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Kousser and Abdel-Salam Ali al-Trek, a former foreign minister who had been representing Libya at the United Nations, defected from the regime of Gaddafi.

Britain has refused to offer immunity from prosecution after his defection clear that the rebels want him ordered to stand trial for murder and crimes against humanity Kousser.

The assertions of the Libyan opposition Koussa, considered one of the closest allies Muammar al-Gaddafi, played a role in the brain in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people, most of them Americans. Kusa was expelled from Britain in 1980 after giving an interview to promote the use of violence to silence critics of the British government of Libya.

"We want to bring him to justice. This guy has so much blood on their hands. There is documented executions, torture. There is evidence that Musa Kusa did," the rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani told the Guardian.

Prosecutors in Scotland say they want to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs has jumped on the Lockerbie bombing and asked the British government to talk to him.

A spokesman for the Libyan government confirms that Koussa resigned.

"If someone wants to retire, that's their decision," said Ibrahim Moussa, during a press conference in Tripoli on Thursday.

Ibrahim said the Libyan government has given permission to leave home Koussa Libya for medical treatment before he was defecting.

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said the resignation Koussa one of the most senior members of the Qaddafi government shows that the regime of Libyan leader is "fragmented, under pressure and ruin."

But Hague said: "Koussa enjoy no immunity from the UK or international justice," dampen speculation that the British government might want to ignore the claims - led by the Libyan opposition - he played a crucial role in '1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, among other atrocities.

"Gaddafi must think to himself:" Who will be next to walk? "Said Hague.

The Hague said it would be "useful for advertising" or not other members of the regime intended to stop, but he believes that many private equity opposition to Qaddafi.

Authorities questioned consultant Koussi, reliable and long-time Gaddafi and Libya, the robust administration, when he fled to Britain on Wednesday, private aircraft, Tunisia - apparently hardly notice the British government. Koussi Hague said it was "a safe place in the United Kingdom," but gives no further details.

His name is also linked to the attack against a French plane over Niger in 1989, but in recent years he has contributed to diplomatic progress, breaking the international isolation of Libya.

The former foreign minister, Jack Straw, described as a key player Kousser there was a "crucial" role in negotiations to bring Libya into the international community sometimes in the early 1990 after the terrorist attacks damaged the reputation east African countries. Kousser out could tip the balance away from Gaddafi, if only psychologically.

"Desertion Musa Kusa is clear - indeed, his unexpected visit here - is a very important factor in the simple addition of the peso against the Gaddafi regime and tip the balance against him," Straw told the BBC: "For now, this . that is clear is that it is unlikely to be a "victory" any member of either side. Therefore, it depends on which side collapses psychologically. "

Kousser move would be the first high-level resignations from the air attacks in the United States has led the Libyan forces have begun. Justice ministers from Libya and resigned earlier inside the war and joined the fight against rebels in the east.

Although the name long associated with Koussa liquidation of dissidents in Arab and Western capitals, he later became involved in negotiations with the West, which led to the dismantling of Libya's nuclear program.

In 2003, Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to repay the victims. Gaddafi also announced that it dismantle its nuclear weapons program, takes a major step forward in US-Libya relations. These plans were the United States and Europe to lift sanctions against Libya.

Britain restored diplomatic relations in 1999, ending Libya's international isolation.

Guma El-Gamaty, the organizer of the Libyan opposition leader in Britain, said the action Koussi would be a "big one" that would weaken Qaddafi.

"Says outgoing," said El-Gamaty. "It means that she is defecting. He is a man of trust Gaddafi for many years running the intelligence, the implementation of the Lockerbie negotiations under way for many things."

El-Koussi Gamaty said he does not believe is destined to remain in Britain, but probably end up in another country to avoid possible prosecution.

He said Koussi does not accept the opposition movement because of his previous actions on behalf of the Gadhafi government.

What Recession? California Mansion Sells for $100M

New home sales may still be in slumpsville, but not in the world of one Russian billionaire.

Yuri Milner, a Russian billionaire investor, paid $100 million for a mansion in Los Altos Hills, Calif., marking the highest known price paid for a single-family home in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal.

The 25,500-square-foot home was not on the market at the time the deal was done, the Journal reported. Among its many luxury amenities, the French Chateau-style mansion has a ballroom, home theater, wine cellar, indoor and outdoor pools and outdoor tennis court. Design plans for the house began in 2001 and the home was completed around 2009, according to the report.

The buyer, Milner, is the head of Digital Sky Technologies. According to the WSJ report, his investments include Web giants Facebook and Groupon, along with Zynga, Inc. Milner purchased the property from Fred and Annie Chan; Fred is the founder of ESS Technology.

As of right now, Milner has no immediate plans to move into his new home, the Journal reported.

Few deals are known that rival this one in size, according to the Journal. Here are some cited in the report as notable mentions: In 2007, investor Ron Baron paid $103 million in East Hampton, N.Y. for 40 acres of vacant land. In 2008, an investment company linked to Russian fertilizer billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev paid $95 million for an estate owned by Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Fla.; Mr. Trump had been asking $125 million. Former Global Crossing chairman Gary Winnick around 2000 acquired a Los Angeles estate in the Bel-Air neighborhood in a complex deal involving money and property for more than $90 million.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/03/31/100m-home-sale/#ixzz1IEhkZcZl

Searches soar on doomed cosmonaut flight

Serious space buffs probably know the name Vladimir Komarov: He was the first human fatality in space. But now a controversial new book, "Starman," along with a blog post on NPR—have prompted popular interest and Web searches related to his story to soar.

The account involves the Russian space race in 1967 and its star, the Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin. Gagarin was the first human to go into outer space—where he spent a total of 108 minutes orbiting Earth. But the world at large still knows very little about the highly secretive Soviet program, or the other cosmonauts who were the program's unsung heroes.

The story of Vladimir Komarov in "Starman" comes principally from a single source, a KGB officer. If the account is true—and some historians are taking issue with its veracity—it is horrifying: Gagarin was a backup pilot in a doomed spacecraft called Soyuz I, which ended in a fatal crash. Komarov was a close friend of Gagarin's. He had agreed to ride in the structurally unsound capsule in order to spare Gagarin from going, even though he knew the Soyuz's flight would surely end in disaster.

Indeed, as the readers of "Starman" learn, Komarov crashed full speed into Earth, and his body turned molten on impact. Audio from the flight records the cosmonaut screaming and cursing the "people who had put him inside a botched spaceship."

The final words of the Russian man's last minutes were picked up on the sly in 1967 by U.S. intelligence. You can listen to the recording—in Russian—on NPR.

News of the story caused big gains in Web searches for "yuri gagarin." Lookups also increased on "yuri gagarin profile," "space race," and "cosmonaut crashed into earth crying in rage."

Of course, the former Soviet Union wasn't the only country that suffered devastating losses during the early phases of global space exploration. As Bing Quock at the California Academy of Sciences noted, "Political pressures and the intensity of the 'space race' during the late '60s led to both the U.S. and the Soviet Union taking some very dangerous risks—some of which we already know didn't go well."

Indeed, in the same year of the Soyuz I disaster in Russia, the U.S. also lost astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee when the Apollo I capsule caught fire in the midst of a pre-flight test while it was still on the launch pad. And even President Nixon kept remarks at the ready in case the first astronauts to the moon didn't make it.

Study Sees 42 Groups Of Diseases In 13 States

Cancer Cells

There are 42 so-called disease groups in 13 U.S. states, show the incidence of various cancers and other chronic diseases, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported.

A study by NRDC and the National Alliance on disease clusters, from research by the federal, provincial and local officials peer university, and urges coordination and support of the federal government help confirm these groups and determine their causes.

"Before we are able to detect such clusters, and the sooner we can determine the reasons, we can better protect the residents of communities affected" NRDC Dr. Gina Solomon, a co-author of the study, said in a statement.

The study examined the clusters that have occurred since 1976, when Congress passed the Toxic Control Act, which was intended to govern the use of toxic chemicals in industry, commerce and consumer goods.

U.S. Center for Disease Control define a research group as "an examination of an unusual number, real or perceived, of health events (such as reports of cancer) grouped in a time and place."

Monday ', the search is the first of many they are scheduled. It examined the clusters in Texas, California, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas.

Only one of 42 groups - in Libby, Montana - showed a specific source of chemical contamination: asbestos. In the other groups, NRDC has seen signs that the documented exposure to toxic chemicals that harm people living nearby.

The Senate Environment and Public Works has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, groups of diseases and environmental health.

NASA: Mars Rover, Home Phone Season Especially After Sleeping Over

LOS ANGELES - may never hear about Mars rover Spirit is disappearing, if not responded to repeated earth.

Although the gloomy outlook, NASA makes last-ditch attempt to communicate with Spirit, which was silent for a bit 'more than a year ago. If there is still no contact with the next month or so, the space agency to reduce its campaign to listen to the Spirit and to focus on healthy living, "Opportunity.

Spirit has not called home suggests that something more serious wrong than just a power problem, "said John Callas, program manager of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

solar-powered rover got bogged down in sand trap, and in 2009 a race routine. Despite efforts to swing freely, has been captured, and not expensive in itself to the Martian winter approaches DOM without a sufficient amount of energy when the solar panels, went to sleep.

Engineers had planned to wake Spirit once there was a solar maximum, which is trapped. But the moment came and went earlier this month with no response.

Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, put the odds of hearing a signal now in less than 50-50. Yet he stands behind the attempted appeal.

"I'd be surprised if restore communication - happy, but surprised," said Arvidson, assistant researcher with the primary mission "is so long.."

Flight controllers are paging Spirit over the frequency range and at different times of the day, if his internal clock has stopped working and lost track of time. They are also commands for the rover back on the case of a radio transmitter, the most important, is dead.

Finally, NASA will need to declare Spirit lost if there are no words. When this happens, it will be reduced to sporadic listen until the end of the year, "said Callas.

Spirit and Opportunity parachuted to opposite sides of Mars in 2004. Both have worked beyond their original mission of three months during which they found geological evidence of water on Mars.

While Spirit's odometer is stuck at 4.8 miles, Opportunity finished exploring the crater rim of Santa Maria on Mars and runs to another crater. 16.6 mi has accumulated to date.

Arizona State University astronomer Jim Bell said the loss of communications has been the worst time possible, because the Spirit has made a valuable contribution to science and property.

"It 's disappointing if we actually lost the job," he said. "But it's the best kind of disappointment can be. We had a phenomenal adventure that Rover."

Romantic Breakups Cause Real Pain

Rejection evil literally - the experience and memory to get dumped by a loved one triggers brain regions associated with physical sensations of pain, scientists find.

Around the world people for centuries have used the same language - words like "evil" and "Pain" - to describe the mental anguish and physical suffering, leading researchers to wonder if the feelings n 'do not activate the same parts of brain.

Speculatively, it is logical that you get a broken heart can literally feel something break. During human evolution is rejected by the group can do very vulnerable, researcher Edward Smith, a cognitive neuroscientist at Columbia University, New York, told LiveScience, "so it could be the reason for the connection between the developed and the pain of rejection, so we want to avoid rejection. "

Previous research has not found much to recommend its rejection led to pain in areas of the brain. However, these studies have tried to provoke feelings of rejection in the test subjects, telling them they had been excluded from a computer game, for example, or anonymous comments suggested that a foreigner does not like - the examples that could lead just warm feelings of rejection. "We wanted something bigger," said Smith.

Smith and colleagues routes in Manhattan and online ads on Facebook and Craigslist in search of people who experienced unwanted break from a novel in the last six months. As the brains of 40 volunteers were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), half the time looking at photos of his ex, and half the time looking at photos of a friend. In both situations, participants were asked to focus on the experiences we share with the people in the photos.

In comparison with their reaction to physical discomfort, whether participants had probes placed on the forearms, which could be painfully hot.

The scientists found that parts of the brain linked to physical pain also comes on when people have been failures, bad memory.

"The rejection hurts literally," Smith said.

Researchers are now looking for possible techniques to relieve mental suffering, including methods that therapists are already using. "For example, a table when you think of the refusal to consider the experiences with a former partner as an outsider in the distance," Smith said. "We want to see if it actually helps the brain."

Smith did not recommend aspirin for pain like that. "An hour later, you might start thinking about that person," he said.

The researchers detailed their findings online Monday (March 28) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.