It looks like an ordinary ultrasound scan, with a blurry contrast of light and shade. But to Dawn Kelley and William Hickman, it's the face of Michael Jackson.The imaginative couple say they can clearly see the face of the late pop star when they look at the picture of their unborn baby. Mr Hickman, 29, a window cleaner, said: 'I showed my daughter Ami, who's six, and she saw it straight away, so I thought "well, if she can see it too, it's not just me seeing things".'Mother-of-six- Dawn, 34, went for her 20-week scan at Sunderland Royal as normal last month, but doctors could not see the foetus's stomach or diaphragm. A few weeks later she was sent to a different medical centre for a closer look.The more powerful scanner there is normally used to examine internal organs so the images it produces are much more detailed.Mr Hickman said: 'We were looking at the pictures again, and I just saw Jacko there. read more

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” American President Ronald Reagan famously demanded in 1987 in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The Soviet leader didn’t exactly rush forward at the controls of a bulldozer, and whether the speech had an effect or was simply an example of surfing on the tides of history, with the collapse of other soviet satellite states and mass demonstrations for reform in East Germany, the Berlin Wall did come down, marked on November 9 of 1989. The Berlin Wall wouldn’t be officially demolished until the summer of 1990, but an off-hand answer to the question of an Italian journalist by a GDR Public Information Officer that “free passage” through all border crossings would be allowed, sent Berliners to test the barriers that evening. The answer was a response to Hungary ending border restrictions, effectively opening a back door to the West.
East German hardliner Erich Honecker had resigned after mass public demonstrations a month before and a temporary crossing through the wall was opened at the Brandenburg Gate on December 22, just before Christmas. The wall separating east and west Berlin was first constructed in 1961, went through four generations of reconstruction, but today is almost entirely vanished except for a sometimes recognizable path marked by information stands and a few remaining sections left as an art project. For 2009 in Berlin, a series of special events and exhibitions celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the “peaceful revolution” that lead to the reunification of Germany and a divided Berlin.

Hun Sen to Thaksin : Run to Me

Posted by etet1140 | 11:59 AM | | 0 comments »

Following a meeting with Chavalit, Cambodian Premier Hun Sen told reporters how his wife cried at the mention of Thaksin Shinawatra's fate and how a plan to give Thaksin a home "that deserves his honour" was discussed.

"We have been great friends since Thaksin was businessman and the relationship has remained the same since he entered politics," Hun Sen said. "Though I'm not Thai, I'm hurt by what has happened to him. My wife even cried on knowing about it and has an idea to build a home for Thaksin to come and stay honourably."

It was the closest thing to saying Cambodia would be willing to give Thaksin a political exile, an issue which will present both countries with an awkward situation, in addition to the Phra Vihear conflict, going into the Asean summit. read more...

Tweet What You Eat

Posted by etet1140 | 10:13 PM | | 0 comments »

Now there's a new diet trend for people who love the Internet and shame in equal measure.


It's called Tweet What You Eat (TWYE), and it's basically an online food journal. Except that unlike most food journals, this one gets shared with the public, so the entire world gets to know that you just ate an entire can of whipped cream for funzies. The idea is that once you know everything that you're eating, you can tell where most of your calories are coming from and get your diet under control -- TWYE just has the added bonus of making you really embarrassed about pigging out on Wheat Thins.

While we won't argue that keeping a food journal can be very helpful for people trying to lose weight, it's the notion of also sharing it with the world and setting yourself up for fear of judgment from others that really takes this diet from handy online calorie counter to new method of dietary torture. Besides, do you really think we care what the Internet thinks of our breakfast cookie habit?

The official exhibition of rare Michael Jackson memorabilia will go on display in London this week. The exhibition is a documentation of his musical legacy, said curator Robert Santelli. The show, starting Wednesday at the O2 Bubble Arena, will feature Jackson in his many guises, including his roles as stylist, dancer and lyricist.

Some of the memorabilia includes the late singer's navy blue Rolls-Royce, a selection of his trademark gloves and sequined jackets and a contract from his early days with the Jackson 5. Another jewel of the exhibition is the design and patent for the shoes he invented for the lean dance move that he does in the "Smooth Criminal" video. TheAssosiated Press

Ex-premier Thaksin Shinwatra Saturday criticised Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying he had failed in running the country and lacked leadership and courage over the appointment of the national police chief. Thaksin phoned in to his supporters gathered for a training session organised by the 111 Thai Rak Thai Foundation in Phuket. He said three years after the military coup that brought down his government, the country had been destroyed economically and politically, with respected institutions discredited and politicised.

"The country's credibility is ruined. No country wants to bring its investment to Thailand because of the country's political instability,'' he said. The Nation