31 Januari 2012

8 selebriti gila yoga


LARA DUTA menjadikan yoga sebagai ritual hariannya.


SENAMAN yoga kini nampaknya semakin popular di kalangan selebriti Bollywood. Sudah semakin ramai yang mengamalkan senaman tersebut, termasuklah lapan orang selebriti terkenal yang antaranya mempunyai cakera padat (CD) khas senaman tersebut. Mereka terdiri daripada:

Neha Dhupia

Aktres ini kini dikatakan sedang semakin giat melakukan senaman yoga dan menjadikan senaman tersebut sebagai senaman utamanya kini. Dia juga selalu dilihat melakukan yoga di salah sebuah kawasan terkenal di Karnataka.

Sameera Reddy

Sameera Reddy juga dikatakan sedang jatuh cinta dengan senaman yoga. Dia giat melakukan senaman tersebut untuk mengekalkan tubuh badan langsing selain minda yang sihat.

Kangana Ranaut

Kemunculan Kangana dalam bikini baru-baru mengejutkan ramai peminat apabila melihat tubuh badannya yang semakin cantik. Ujar Kangana, rahsianya adalah senaman yoga dari jenis Pranayam yang sentiasa membuat dia rasa bertenaga.

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty memang selalu dianggap sebagai pemilik badan terbaik selebriti Bollywood. Dia harus berterima kasih kepada senaman yoga yang menjadi amalannya. Shilpa kini muncul dengan DVD yoga yang diberi nama Shilpa's Yoga untuk dikongsi bersama peminat.


BIPASHA BASU


Geeta Basra

Semakin mendapat perhatian, Geeta Basra tahu cara bagaimana untuk membuat khalayak 'tidak lari' daripada terus memerhatikannya. Dia kini giat dengan rejim yoga untuk mendapatkan bentuk badan ideal sebelum muncul di dalam filem terkininya, Zila Ghaziabad.

Lara Dutta

Baru sahaja melahirkan anak, Lara Dutta tidak berselindung tentang rahsia kekal cantiknya. Dia memberitahu, senaman yoga yang diamalkannya banyak membantu dan sebab itu dia kini muncul dengan DVD Yoga Recovery and Rejuvenation.

Bipasha Basu

Seorang lagi selebriti yang dianggap sebagai penggila kesihatan, Bipasha Basu, baru sahaja dilantik menjadi duta bagi Sugar Free Natura. Dia sangat obses dengan senaman yoga jenis Suryanamaskar dan baru sahaja melancarkan CD Bipasha Basu Love Yourself.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor adalah seorang pengamal yoga yang setia. Dia menjalani rejim yoga yang berlainan untuk tubuh badannya. Untuk bahagian belakang badan, dia mengamalkan yoga jenis Bhujangasana, untuk kaki dia mengamalkan yoga Virabhadra dan Surya Namaskar untuk badan.

30 Januari 2012

Tiga wanita separuh bogel ditangkap


DUA wanita separuh bogel cuba memanjat pagar manakala seorang rakan mereka memegang kad menuntut keadilan ekonomi dekat lokasi Forum Ekonomi Dunia di Davos kelmarin.


DAVOS, Switzerland - Tiga wanita dari pertubuhan pembela hak asasi wanita, FEMEN ditangkap polis kerana mendedahkan payudara semasa menunjuk perasaan di lokasi Forum Ekonomi Dunia yang disertai beberapa pemimpin dunia di sini pada Sabtu lalu.

Dua daripada mereka ditangkap polis semasa cuba memanjat pagar ke sebuah resort yang menjadi lokasi forum tersebut berlangsung.

Mereka yang menuntut keadilan ekonomi dunia hanya memakai seluar panjang tanpa baju walaupun cuaca amat sejuk. - Agensi/AFP

Ekspo tatu di Colombia


GAMBAR menunjukkan cangkuk pada dada seorang lelaki yang digunakan untuk
menggantung dirinya pada pameran Ekspo Tatu di Caracas kelmarin.


CARACAS - Lebih 200 artis tatu dari beberapa buah negara seperti Venezuela, Argentina dan Mexico mengambil bahagian dalam Ekspo Tatu di sini kelmarin.

Pertunjukan menggantung diri dengan menggunakan cangkuk pada bahu juga diadakan semasa ekspo itu berlangsung, lapor agensi berita AFP semalam.

Antara peserta terkenal yang memiliki tatu unik pada muka mereka yang mengambil bahagian dalam ekspo itu ialah Mary Jose Cristerna yang lebih dikenali sebagai wanita puntianak dari Mexico.


VICTOR PERALTA

Peserta lain yang mengambil bahagian ialah Victor Peralta dan Gabriela Peralta dari Argentina, Emilio Gonzalez, Constantino Quintero serta Juaquin De Lima dari Venezuela - Agensi

25 Januari 2012

Bug snaps will give you creeps

Tree Hopper
Beast ... black bug
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

IT looks like a Doctor Who baddie - but this is actually a monster close-up of a bug.

Amateur photographer Nicolas Reusens has taken hundreds of macro images of insects across the world over the past three years.

And the results are enough to give anyone the creeps.

Claw blimey ... on leaf
Claw blimey ... on leaf
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

In one image a wasp appears to be staring down the cameras lens menacingly, his black and yellow markings standing out between his horn-like antenna.

Another shows an Amazon Moth's piercing and scaled green eye protruding from his feathered fur.

Hairy ... insect
Hairy ... insect
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Prickly ... tiny creature
Prickly ... tiny creature
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

While one shows the oily complexion of a Tiger Beetle feasting on a leaf in Nicolas' studio.

The 36-year-old Spaniard had to stay awake 24 hours to snare one species of wild bug he desperately wanted to add to his collection.

Who nose where they lurk ... yellow bug's 'beak'
Who nose where they lurk ... yellow bug's 'beak'
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Eyes can see you ... quad-eyed creepy crawly
Eyes can see you ... quad-eyed creepy crawly
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Each shot takes him between 20 and a staggering 200 frames to compose through a complex process named stacking.

Nicolas has visited a host of countries in his quest to picture as many known species of insect as possible - taking in Peru, Costa Rica, Malaysia, the Amazon and South Africa.

Army of them ... this one had long limbs
Army of them ... this one had long limbs
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Afraid of the dark ... black beasty
Afraid of the dark ... black beasty
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

He said: "For some of the images I had to hide for hours on end to wait for the insect to come along. Some I spent all night searching for them.

"With the studio ones it is very difficult to keep an insect still. You have to have a lot of patience.

Big headed ... super nano snap
Big headed ... super nano snap
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

The eyes have it ... this gets our vote
The eyes have it ... this gets our vote
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

"People's reactions on seeing them are always good.

"People use terms like amazing, breathtaking and beautiful, but you can always improve."

Plant you a biggun' ... bug on leaf
Plant you a biggun' ... bug on leaf
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Bea careful ... black and gold
Bea careful ... black and gold
NICOLAS REUSENS / CATERS NEWS

Nicolas only started collecting the snaps three years ago: He went on:"I only started three years ago. I've always had a sharp eye for nature and been fascinated by insects.

"I collected ants, moths and other insects in matchboxes, so my hobby is just a progression from that.

"I guess you cold call me a perfectionist or maybe even a freak - I'm that obsessed by them."

Claw joking ... could one of these be under your bed?
Claw joking ... could one of these be under your bed?

19 Januari 2012

Tajaan pakej wajib perkahwinan selebriti



Jika sudah namanya selebriti popular, apa sahaja yang dilakukan pasti menjadi perhatian ramai termasuklah acara bersejarah dalam hidup mereka iaitu perkahwinan.

Segala persediaan daripada lokasi majlis sehinggalah barang hantaran yang terletak di atas dulang, semuanya menjadi perhatian, tambahan jika selebriti yang berkahwin itu terkenal atau berkahwin sesama artis dan kedua-duanya popular.

Walaupun terkenal dan mempunyai duit simpanan yang banyak di dalam bank, kebanyakan mereka memilih untuk melangsung perkahwinan secara sederhana.

Namun, kesederhanaan perkahwinan mereka tetap luar biasa daripada pandangan mata umum. Pakej wajib yang pasti ada dalam setiap perkahwinan artis terkenal, pakaian yang direka khas oleh pereka fesyen terpilih, lokasi yang mewah dan unik serta barisan penaja majlis yang berderet-deret.

Bertuah sungguh menjadi selebriti terkenal sehingga majlis perkahwinan pun ditaja, siapa yang mahu menolak tuah. Bagai orang mengantuk disorong bantal, pelawaan untuk proses penjimatan itu selalunya diterima dengan baik oleh mereka.

Rezeki terpijak Memey

SEPANJANG tahun lalu menyaksikan puluhan selebriti tempatan menamatkan zaman bujang masing-masing dan antara yang paling menjadi perhatian sudah tentunya majlis perkahwinan pasangan kontroversi Norman dan Memey Suhaiza yang bernikah pada 24 September tahun lalu.

Mana tidaknya, majlis resepsi yang berkonsep New York di Kuala Lumpur mendapat tajaan sebanyak RM12 juta termasuk sepasang kasut daripada pereka kasut terkenal dunia Datuk Jimmy Choo dan Rafflesia.

Bukan itu sahaja, majlis pernikahan dan persandingan mereka di kediaman keluarga Memey di Felda Tenggaroh Selatan 1, Kota Tinggi, Johor, juga mendapat tajaan beberapa pihak seperti pelamin dan pakaian pengantin. Kos keseluruhan penajaan untuk kedua-dua majlis sebanyak RM12,050,000.

Akui Memey, dia memang mengimpikan sebuah majlis yang besar dan indah kerana itu, selain mendapat penajaan, dia juga mengeluarkan wang poketnya sendiri sebanyak RM50,000.

“Memang secara jujur saya mengaku yang saya inginkan sebuah majlis yang besar, meriah dan terbaik. Sebab itu saya berehat daripada berlakon selama sebulan sebelum majlis perkahwinan sehingga demam-demam membuat persiapan.

“Bukan tidak boleh buat secara kecil-kecilan, tetapi saya fikir jumlah tetamu yang datang termasuk pihak media, jadi saya ingin sebuah majlis yang terbaik yang boleh dikenang oleh saya dan juga tetamu. Alhamdulillah semuanya berjalan dengan lancar dan saya sangat berpuas hati dengan majlis perkahwinan saya,” katanya.

Memey menjelaskan, dia bersyukur kerana dilimpahi oleh banyak penaja yang sudi untuk menaja majlis perkahwinannya kerana mengikut perancangan asal penajaan tidak termasuk dalam agendanya.

“Mula-mula rancang majlis, tajaan tidak termasuk dalam agenda tetapi dalam masa perancangan, banyak pula yang menawarkan tajaan.

“Bagi saya tidak salah, saya boleh jimat duit dan dalam masa yang sama pihak penaja dapat promosikan produk mereka, situasi menang-menang.

“Dilabel antara perkahwinan mewah, saya tidak berbangga diri, cuma bersyukur dan berterima kasih kepada semua yang bertungkus-lumus menjayakan majlis bersejarah saya,” ujarnya.

Salah satu busana pengantin Memey yang direka oleh pereka tersohor dunia, Vera Wang turut dipamerkan di Muzium Negara.


MAJLIS perkahwinan Nabil dan Nazirah dibanjiri kira-kira 7,000 tetamu.


Fantasi perkahwinan Nabil

SELAIN Memey, majlis perkahwinan pelakon dan pelawak popular Ahmad Nabil Ahmad, 29, dan pasangannya seorang bekas pramugari, Nazirah Ayub, 24, juga menarik perhatian dengan konsep Fantasi Wonderland yang berlangsung di I-City, Shah Alam, Selangor.

Pasangan yang bernikah pada 30 September tahun lalu itu melangsungkan majlis resepsi pada 2 Oktober di I-City Shah Alam dengan dibanjiri lebih kurang 7,000 tetamu melebihi jangkaan awal sebanyak 5,000 tetamu sahaja.

“Niat saya bukan mahu jadikan majlis perkahwinan saya sebagai Wedding Of The Year, tetapi saya inginkan kelainan untuk kenangan diri sendiri.

“Saya memang suka taman permainan, isteri saya mahu konsep dalam taman tetapi saya rasa sudah ramai orang buat konsep yang sama. Warna-warni dan ceria lebih dekat dengan jiwa saya,” ujarnya yang kini muncul dengan filem Bujang Terlajak bersama Johan dan Apek.

Sama seperti selebriti lain, Nabil juga tidak ketinggalan ditawarkan penajaan untuk majlis perkahwinannya tetapi tidaklah sampai jutaan ringgit.

Kos keseluruhan majlisnya yang dirancang selama empat bulan itu menelan belanja sebanyak RM177,000 dan kos penajaan hanya separuh daripada jumlah tersebut, iaitu sebanyak RM88,500, manakala selebihnya menggunakan wang Nabil sendiri.

“Mula-mula rancang saya mahu jemput 500 ke 800 orang sahaja yang dekat dengan saya sebab saya sedar yang saya bukannya asal anak orang kaya, jadi majlis perkahwinan tidak perlulah besar-besaran.

“Selepas jumpa perancang majlis perkahwinan, saya rasa apa salahnya tambah sedikit duit lagi untuk nampak cantik dan lain daripada yang lain.

“Sebab itu kami pilih I-City, rasanya belum pernah orang buat majlis kahwin di sana. Tempat terbuka, senang orang nak datang termasuk peminat yang datang mahu bergambar. Tidak sangka pula yang datang melebihi ramalan, seramai 7,000 orang, apa makanan yang ada saya hidangkan sahaja, maaf jika ada yang tidak sempat makan,” tuturnya yang inginkan anak secepat mungkin.


KASUT yang digayakan Ezlynn untuk majlis resepsi perkahwinannya ini ditaja oleh Neelofa.


Majlis kahwin Ezlynn RM15 juta

SATU lagi pasangan yang melangsungkan perkahwinan penuh mewah adalah penyanyi Ezlynn, 31, dan suaminya yang juga pengurus peribadinya Adam Fahmy Shamsudin, 36.

Majlis pernikahan yang berlangsung pada tanggal 20 November tahun lepas di Roof Garden, Pusat Konvensyen Sime Darby, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur itu sahaja sudah cukup mewah dan umpama majlis resepsi.

Kemudian pada 11 Januari lalu, pasangan ini diraikan dalam sebuah majlis resepsi bernilai RM12 juta di Hotel Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Kuala Lumpur tajaan Rafflesia.

Tanggal 20 Januari iaitu esok, pasangan ini sekali lagi diraikan dalam sebuah resepsi di Dewan Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur dan kos keseluruhan untuk ketiga-tiga majlis mencecah RM15 juta dan mereka hanya mengeluarkan duit sendiri sebanyak RM20,000 sahaja.

“Semua majlis ada tajaan, saya rasa bersyukur sangat sebab bila ada penaja saya tidak membazir. Saya bantu promosi produk, saya pun dapat kelebihan dengan dapat sebuah majlis yang eksklusif.

“Saya tidaklah mahu bertanding perkahwinan siapa paling besar dan mewah dengan selebriti lain. Sudah rezeki datang ketika perancangan majlis dibuat saya terima sahajalah.

“Kalau ikutkan saya mahu buat kecil-kecilan sahaja. Saya tidak mahu kerana buat majlis perkahwinan yang besar, saya berhutang, ada penaja, saya lebih jimat,” katanya yang menyarungkan kasut tajaan pelakon Neelofa yang merupakan pereka kasut tersebut pada majlis resepsinya yang pertama itu.

16 Januari 2012

5 Posh Private Islands for Sale

Cave Cay
Location: Bahamas
Listing price:
$110 million

$110 million buys a lot, including a private airstrip.
Photo: Curbed.com

For less than half the price of that Italian property, Cave Cay in the Bahamas offers up 250 acres of paradise and no fewer than 38 buildings. In the Bahamian archipelago of Exuma Cays, Cave Cay has 35 dock slips, a 2,800-foot private airstrip, water and power supplied by diesel generator, beaches, and grassy grounds.


Nautilus Island
Location: Brooksville, Maine
Price:
$7.995 million

Nautilus Island's 37 acres are on sale.
Photo: Curbed.com

For some old timey Americana, head to Maine's Nautilus Island. The 37-acre island was held by the British during the Revolution until a Paul Revere-led band of Marines took the isle. For sale: the whole 37-acre estate, replete with a six-bedroom main house (built in 1882 and since updated), a two-bedroom farmhouse, a guest house, a vineyard, a boathouse (retrofitted with a sweet-looking bar), a 300-foot dock, not to mention a 23-foot boat.


Location: Whitefish Lake, Montana
Listing price:
$9 million

A rare island home in Montana.
Photo: Ed Meek

Purchasing a home in the mountains or a private island is a dream of many Americans, but how many thought to wish for a private island in the mountains? This 10-acre island compound on Montana's Whitefish Lake manages to kill both birds, making its price tag just a little easier to swallow.


Location: Stamford, Connecticut
Price:
$18.9 million

A causeway connects this mansion to the mainland.
Photo: Houlihan Lawrence

Just an hour north of the Big Apple in Stamford, Conn., this luxe, 14,000-square-foot mansion sits atop a three-acre private island. For convenience, the property is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The compound consists of an 11-bedroom main house, a guest cottage, staff quarters, and a greenhouse.

11 Januari 2012

World's Biggest Buildings

The world's tallest building: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. (istockphoto)
The economy may be shrinking, but when it comes to architecture, big is in. Seems whenever there’s an economic downturn, buildings go to new heights. The Empire State Building went up in 1931 during the Depression. Similarly, Dubai's Burj Khalifa topped out at 2,723 feet in 2010, deep into the Great Recession. When times are tough, nothing says stability like a big, solid structure—and these new buildings often become tourism icons.

Today’s superlatives of architecture trend toward high-tech achievements; even the concept of sustainable architecture is entering the record-setting race. The world’s largest solar building, designed to resemble a sundial, recently opened in Dezhou, China. Such cutting-edge buildings remind us that the impulse to think and build big isn’t a new one. Consider the Great Pyramids—the world’s tallest structures for nearly four millennia—or Beijing's Forbidden City, which still holds the record for the world’s largest palace complex and lures 12.8 million annual visitors. Today, as architects strive to outdo each other, the new motto is evident: more is more.

Biggest Clock Tower:
Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Courtesy of Fairmont Hotels)

Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower,
Mecca, Saudi Arabia


This mega–clock tower broke several world records when it opened in 2011. For now, at least, it’s the tallest clock tower in the world, the tallest hotel in the world (the Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower), and the world’s largest clock face—visible from 16 miles away and topped by a golden crescent minaret whose massive loudspeakers emit prayer calls to a distance of four miles. If that weren’t enough, it’s also the world’s second-tallest building, exceeded only by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. The mega-structure is adjacent to the world’s largest mosque, the Masjid al-Haram.

Biggest Solar Building:
Dezhou, China (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Solar City, Dezhou, China

Designed to resemble a sundial, the world’s largest solar building opened in 2009. Its 800,000 square feet of space is festooned with thousands of solar panels and features exhibit halls, scientific research facilities, and the 180-room International Solar Micro-Emission Hotel, which utilizes solar power and “will leave you impressive memory forever,” according to the website. The building is rumored to have used less than 1 percent of the steel used in Beijing’s Olympic Bird’s Nest.

Biggest Tent:
Astana, Kazakhstan (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Khan Shatyr Tent, Astana, Kazakhstan

The Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center (a.k.a. Royal Marquee), a giant transparent tent with a glass roof, was unveiled in 2006. The 500-foot-tall structure designed by Norman Foster’s firm remains the highest “tensile structure” in the world, while under its canopy is 10 football stadiums’ worth of landscaped park and shops, replete with squares, cobbled streets, a boating river, mini-golf courses, and a palm-lined beach filled with white sand from the Maldives.

Biggest Inverted Building:
Mexico City (BNKR Arquitectura/solent)

Earthscraper, Mexico City

A 65-story subterranean “Earthscraper” that would extend 900 feet under Mexico City’s El Zócalo and be covered in tempered glass sounds like an earthquake disaster waiting to happen. But the project’s designer, Esteban Suárez from architecture firm BNKR Arquitectura, promises a safe, ecofriendly structure that adheres to the city’s height restrictions, preserves historic Cuauhtemoc’s skyline, and prevents urban sprawl.


Biggest Archaeological Museum:
Giza, Egypt (Heneghan Peng Architects)

The Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza, Egypt

Like many new extreme forms of architecture, Giza’s planned Grand Egyptian Museum was the outcome of a competition. The $550 million museum is slated to open in 2013 despite Egypt’s political turmoil. It’s a 210-acre project just a mile from the Giza Pyramids that will include a main structure made with translucent alabaster and a large atrium for ancient Egyptian artifacts and statues like the 3,200-year-old Ramesses II, relocated from Cairo’s Ramses Square.

Biggest Church:
Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast (Hemis / Alamy)

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast

Africa gets a nod in the extreme architecture genre with the world’s largest Christian church, trumping even St. Peter’s in Vatican City. Built between 1985 and 1989 at a cost of $300 million, the nave has enough space to seat 7,000 people while offering standing room for an extra 11,000. Imported Italian marble and contemporary French stained glass adorn the basilica, which was commissioned by late Ivory Coast president Félix Houphouët-Boigny. His image can be seen as one of the Three Magi bearing gifts to Jesus in a stained-glass depiction of the Nativity.

Biggest Indoor Ski Resort:
Stockholm (Courtesy of C. F. Møller Architects / Berg Arkitektkontor)

Skipark 360°, Stockholm

A lack of high mountain peaks won’t stop Swedes from skiing close to home. C. F. Møller has begun designs for an architectural ski resort powered by geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower, which when it opens in 2015 will make it the world’s biggest indoor ski resort—and the greenest. A 700-meter-long downhill slope and a drop of 525 feet meet the requirements for hosting the World Cup. The resort also includes a downhill run, a 3.5-kilometer cross-country skiing tunnel, a hockey and figure-skating rink, a snow park for snowboarding, and a spa.

Biggest Factory:
Everett, WA (Courtesy of Daniel T Jones)

Boeing Everett Factory, Everett, WA

Europe and the United States have become mostly bystanders in the race for record-breaking architecture, but America’s Boeing Everett Factory, 25 miles north of Seattle, remains the world’s largest building by volume and world’s largest factory. Workers assemble Boeing aircraft—including the new 787 Dreamliner—within this 472,000,000-cubic-foot factory. Ninety-minute public tours depart daily.

Biggest Single-Story Structure:
Cape Canaveral, FL (David Bigwood)

Vehicle Assembly Building, Cape Canaveral, FL

Adorned with a massive American Flag and NASA Logo, the Kennedy Space Center’s behemoth eight-acre main building encompasses 129,428,000 cubic feet indoors. It is the world’s biggest single-story structure and the fourth largest by volume. Though the VAB retired in 2011, it helped launch 135 missions. It reopened for public tours in November 2011 after more than three decades off-limits; visitors on these new “Up-Close” tours get to view the launch pads where massive vehicles were assembled and walk along the Transfer Aisle, used to move elements of rockets among the building’s four High Bays.

Lexus LF-LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

lexus lf lc concept 12 468x310 Lexus LF LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

Japanese luxury auto brand Lexus finally revealed the LF-LC sports coupe concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

The all-new design pushes Lexus further into sports car territory and could provide a rival for established names such as Porsche if approved for production.

With a low profile, large wheels and futuristic running lights, the LF-LC is clearly designed for ‘serious’ drivers, with quad exhaust pipes and tail lamps inspired by a jet afterburner at takeoff.

Lexus LF LC Hybrid Sports Concept interior 468x311 Lexus LF LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

The model is currently a hybrid, Lexus says, although no performance indicators were offered with the rear-wheeled car.

Lexus LF LC Concept interior 468x311 Lexus LF LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

Inside, Lexus has included race-inspired front seats and a racing-style steering wheel, along with twin 12.3-inch LCD displays and high-tech touchscreen surfaces to control the windows, mirrors and seat adjustments.

Lexus LF LC Concept photo 468x310 Lexus LF LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

Lexus’s parent company Toyota also unveiled a new sports car in late November in a bid to shed its rather staid image.

Lexus LF LC Concept 468x310 Lexus LF LC Concept Unveiled in Detroit

10 Januari 2012

Urban Mansions Rich with History

The profiles and footprints of urban palaces are a bit different from those of your average American mansions. In cities, mansions are often several stories taller, and they aren’t surrounded by sprawling estates. But don’t cry for these acreage-challenged city dwellers — the owners of urban mansions probably have country homes, too.

Walter N. Rothschild Mansion
Location: New York
Price: $30 million
Square Footage: 11,256

The Rothschild Mansion in the Upper East Side of New York.
Photos: Realtor.com

The 28-foot-wide mansion originally built for Walter N. Rothschild and Carola Warburg-Rothschild has fluctuated in price from $35 million to $25 million and now is offered at the middle point, according to a list on Curbed naming it one of the "Top 10 Manhattan Properties That Just Can’t Sell." Rothschild’s family helped found Abraham & Straus department store and Federated Department Stores.

A special feature of the properties on this Upper East Side block is a common rear garden area totaling nearly 6,800 square feet. A low fence defines the individual yards (the Rothschild home’s is 33 feet deep facing another 33-foot-deep stretch), while the effect of a large grassy expanse is kept whole. The gardens are unofficially named for the neighboring Lehmans of Lehman Brothers fame.


The Francis J. Dewes House
Location: Chicago
Price: $9.9 million
Beds / Baths: 7 / 9
Square Footage: 12,000

The Francis J. Dewes House in Chicago's Lincoln Park.
Photos: Realtor.com

This house was built in 1896 for Prussian immigrant brewer Francis J. Dewes and is now a Chicago landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The grand home has more recently served as a private event space. The house was renovated over six years by Botti Studio, which restored the stained glass, painted panels and ceilings, and tiled mosaic floors.

Although the Lincoln Park mansion retains many neo-Baroque details, the house has modern luxury property features like a game room, media room, wine cellar, chef’s kitchen, and a 1,200-square-foot master bedroom.


Edwin O'Connor Residence
Location: Boston
Price: $12.75 million
Beds / Baths: 10 / 9
Square Footage: 11,118

The Edwin O'Connor Residence in Boston.
Photos: Realtor.com

The former limestone/brick home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish-American author and journalist Edwin O'Connor, who wrote “The Last Hurrah,” is on the market for the first time since 1967. It is steps from the Public Garden and about a mile from the Omni Hotel’s whiskey bar, which is named “The Last Hurrah.”

The townhouse, which dates from 1905, is 33.5 feet wide and has formal entertaining rooms with mahogany doors and paneling and other elegant details like columns, less-formal private rooms like the charming skylighted bath, and an elevator.


Robinson House
Location: New Orleans
Price: $12.5 million
Beds / Baths: 9 / 10
Square Footage: 12,072

The Robinson House in New Orleans' Garden District.
Photos: Realtor.com

This Garden District mansion was built between 1859 and 1865 for tobacco tycoon Walter Robinson. A Frommer’s walking tour featuring the home says the roof is a vat designed to collect rainwater, which then was distributed throughout the house, which constituted the neighborhood’s earliest indoor plumbing.

Other than that unique feature, the house looks much like classic New Orleans mansions from the past 150 years, with wrought-iron balconies, columns, traditional furnishings, and a lanai for passing humid afternoons. Only the updated kitchen with its giant granite-topped island betrays the current era.


Ames-Webster Mansion
Location: Boston
Price: $18 million
Bedrooms: 10
Square Footage: 26,000

The Ames-Webster Mansion in Boston's Back Bay.
Photos: Realtor.com

They don’t build ‘em like they used to in 1872, when this 50-room Back Bay mansion was designed by Peabody & Stearns for railroad tycoon Frederick L. Ames. It features an astonishing carved oak staircase with cherubs and seahorses, Byzantine murals by French painter Benjamin Constant, a John LaFarge stained glass skylight and 28 fireplaces. More recently, rooms have been sublet for use as offices by lawyers, money managers and others.

They must not make millionaires like they used to either, or maybe those in the market for a house don’t share the same tastes as wealthy homebuilders in the gilded era because this property has been on the market since 2009 (for the first time since 1971), and remains there even at a price reduced by $5 million.

'Botox hijau' bunga raya


Rangkaian Naturalift Hibiscus Skin Renewal oleh Melvita.


Apabila usia kita meningkat, garis halus, kedutan dan tanda penuaan lain membuatkan kulit yang semakin kendur kelihatan seperti kulit pokok tua yang berkerepot.

Namun, keajaiban alam semula jadi yang boleh dijadikan penawarnya ada di mana-mana.

Biji benih halus atau tunas kecil boleh tumbuh menjadi pokok besar, yang boleh memberi banyak manfaat kepada manusia.

Melvita, pakar produk organik untuk penjagaan kulit dari Perancis, menggunakan sel tunjang putik pokok bic, yang dikenali sebagai 'pokok awet muda', bersama biji bunga raya dan pelbagai ekstrak biji benih antipenuaan lain.

Ramuan ini digabungkan dengan hasil penyelidikan saintifik dalam penjagaan kulit bagi menghasilkan 'botox hujau'.

Formula anti penuaan semula jadi organik ini dinamakan rangkaian Naturalift Hibiscus Skin Renewal.

Rangkaian produk 'pembaharuan' kulit ini menyuntik nafas baru ke dalam sel kulit, untuk menentang gejala penuaan dari dalam sel.

Ia berkesan mencerahkan dan mengurangkan garis halus dan kedutan, selain membuatkan kulit dengan serta-merta terasa tegang dan terangkat, dan memberi tenaga kepada sel kulit untuk pulih dengan lebih cepat.

Rangkaian Naturalift Hibiscus Skin Renewal yang meliputi Naturalift Youthful Skin Cream, Skin Serum, Skin Complex - Eyes and Lips dan Skin Mask, menggunakan tenaga hayat daripada tumbuh-tumbuhan semula jadi untuk mengekalkan kecantikan kulit.

Rangkaian penjagaan ini menggunakan teknologi baru Gemoterapi (terapi sel tunjang putik) untuk mengekstrak sel tunjang putik pokok bic untuk mendapatkan ramuan aktif DNA tersebut.

Ia turut mengandungi pelbagai ekstrak biji benih antipenuaan lain seperti biji bunga raya, kudup ros, delima, borage, Camelina dan sebagainya.

Semua tumbuhan ini kaya dengan hormon tumbesaran semula jadi, faktor pertumbuhan epidermis dan asid lemak yang membolehkan produk ini memberi kesan seolah-olah 'botox hijau' untuk menenangkan otot muka yang menyebabkan garis halus.

Ia sekali gus melicinkan garis tanda penuaan ini dan mencerahkan kedutan.

Pada masa yang sama, sel tunjang putik pokok bic boleh membantu membaiki resapan oksigen dalam sel kulit dan memberi tenaga tambahan untuk membantu meningkatkan pembaharuan sel kulit. Di samping itu, ia juga telah ditambah gam Akasia, untuk menangani masalah kekenduran kulit.

Snoop Dogg Arrested On Marijuana Possession Charge


By Jill Serjeant

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Rapper Snoop Dogg was arrested over the weekend after border control agents found what they said was a small amount of marijuana on his tour bus.

The singer and record producer, 40, was stopped at the same Sierra Blanca, Texas, checkpoint Saturday where country singer Willie Nelson was arrested for marijuana possession in 2010, customs officials said.

Bill Brooks, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, said agents conducted a routine inspection of the rapper's tour bus on at the U.S.- Mexico border checkpoint east of El Paso and thought they smelled marijuana.

"When our officers did a further inspection, they discovered a small amount of marijuana and turned him over to the Hudspeth County sheriff," Brooks said.

Brooks declined to say how much marijuana was involved or where it was found. The rapper was booked and released and given a January 20 court date.

Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, has been arrested and convicted numerous times in the last 10 years for possession of drugs ranging from marijuana to cocaine, and weapons offenses.

In 2008, Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson collaborated on the song and music video "My Medicine," a thinly veiled homage to marijuana. Both artists have made their appreciation of pot an important part of their public personas.

The rapper's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment on his latest arrest.

DUIT