On television, the Italian penchant for adorning soundstages with skimpily clad, surgically enhanced showgirls has radically metastasized, spilling over from game shows to all forms of entertainment, including the nightly news.But feminist grumblings only exploded into public debate in recent weeks after reports emerged that Mr. Berlusconi, a media magnate whose family owns Italy's three largest private television channels, was grooming a stable of TV starlets for the political arena. (Although the prime minister has denied the reports, Barbara Matera, a former showgirl, was elected earlier this month to the European Parliament with Mr. Berlusconi's People of Liberty party). Adding spice to the mix was the buzz over the harem-like surroundings at Mr. Berlusconi's villa in Sardinia.
On television, the Italian penchant for adorning soundstages with skimpily clad, surgically enhanced showgirls has radically metastasized, spilling over from game shows to all forms of entertainment, including the nightly news.
But feminist grumblings only exploded into public debate in recent weeks after reports emerged that Mr. Berlusconi, a media magnate whose family owns Italy's three largest private television channels, was grooming a stable of TV starlets for the political arena. (Although the prime minister has denied the reports, Barbara Matera, a former showgirl, was elected earlier this month to the European Parliament with Mr. Berlusconi's People of Liberty party).
Adding spice to the mix was the buzz over the harem-like surroundings at Mr. Berlusconi's villa in Sardinia.
A suburban "mother-to-be" has infuriated the right-to-life community in America by admitting a blog she had written for more than two months tracking her pregnancy with a child diagnosed with a terminal disease was nothing more than a fantasy
However, in her determination to sustain the illusion, Ms Beushausen had posed for the photograph not with a baby, but a plastic doll.
One of the first to become suspicious of the events described on the site - littleoneapril.blogspot.com - was Elizabeth Russell, a dollmaker from upstate New York. "I have that exact doll in my house," she said. "As soon as I saw that picture, I knew it was a scam." She then started a counter-blog to expose the fabrication. For her trouble, she was bombarded with hate mail.
hate mail comes from popping bubbles, ooo kaaay ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
A substantial majority of Americans say President Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, which also found that support for his plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, falls well below his job approval ratings. <...> As Mr. Obama finishes his fifth month in office and assumes greater ownership of the problems he inherited, Americans are alarmed by the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been doled out to boost the economy. A majority said the government should instead focus on reducing the federal deficit. <...> The national telephone poll was conducted Friday through Tuesday with 895 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. <...> "[Guantanamo]'s a bad symbol for our country: Preach one thing and do something else," said Roberta Hall, 73, a Democrat from Barboursville, W.Va. "We can transfer them here. We're good at keeping prisoners. That's what we do best."
As Mr. Obama finishes his fifth month in office and assumes greater ownership of the problems he inherited, Americans are alarmed by the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been doled out to boost the economy. A majority said the government should instead focus on reducing the federal deficit. <...>
The national telephone poll was conducted Friday through Tuesday with 895 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. <...>
"[Guantanamo]'s a bad symbol for our country: Preach one thing and do something else," said Roberta Hall, 73, a Democrat from Barboursville, W.Va. "We can transfer them here. We're good at keeping prisoners. That's what we do best."
An illegal immigrant has been found inside Sandhurst military academy after stowing away on an Army coach travelling from Germany.The Ministry of Defence said the man, whose age is uncertain, had been handed over to Thames Valley Police. The coach was carrying a number of officers and other personnel, but was driven by a civilian contractor who was responsible for security, the MoD said. The Sun newspaper reports that the man was originally from Afghanistan. It claimed that the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, was "incandescent" at the incident.
An illegal immigrant has been found inside Sandhurst military academy after stowing away on an Army coach travelling from Germany.
The Ministry of Defence said the man, whose age is uncertain, had been handed over to Thames Valley Police.
The coach was carrying a number of officers and other personnel, but was driven by a civilian contractor who was responsible for security, the MoD said.
The Sun newspaper reports that the man was originally from Afghanistan.
It claimed that the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, was "incandescent" at the incident.
Traditionally celebrated with food, drink, song, saunas and bonfires, Midsummer is the only holiday when the Finnish flag flies around the clock, from 6 pm Friday till 9 pm Saturday. The holiday is celebrated on the weekend closest to the actual Summer Solstice, which this year happens to fall on Sunday.
My eldest daughter went into hospital last night with appendicitis, though not acute. She'll be operated sometime later today according to latest reports. She'll be missing the big party and 'papa betaler' may too ;-)
I was looking forward to relaxing after delivering a rather major writing job to the client yesterday. But such is life. My daughters come first. You can't be me, I'm taken
What recent research suggests is that the appendix was a reservoir of specialized digestion bacteria that evolved where populations had a very simple diet with only rare changes. The appendix stored the bacteria suitable for digesting those rare occasions. Now our diet is very generalized - so the appendix is no longer needed - we carry the full complement at all times.
Yes, I think a speedy recovery, and a short window of opportunity for 'papa betaler' to talk about future careers with an immobilized audience ;-) You can't be me, I'm taken
