Awesome Sunday Happiness Pics!!

Vampire Threat Terrorizes Serbian Village

For the people in a tiny Serbian village there is nothing sexy or romantic about a vampire. In fact, they are terrified that one of the most feared vampires of the area has been roused back to life.

Rather than 'Twilight's' Edward, the people of Zorazje fear that Sava Savanovic is lurking in their forested mountains of western Serbia.

They believe that he is on the move because the home he occupied for so long, a former water mill, recently collapsed. Savanovic is believed to be looking for a new home.

"People are very worried. Everybody knows the legend of this vampire and the thought that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying people," Miodrag Vujetic, local municipal assembly member, told ABC News. "We are all frightened."

Vujetic said villagers "are all taking precautions by having holy crosses and icons placed above the entrance to the house, rubbing our hands with garlic, and having a hawthorn stake or thorn."

"I understand that people who live elsewhere in Serbia are laughing at our fears, but here most people have no doubt that vampires exist," he says.

According to legend, Savanovic would kill and drink the blood of the peasants who came to grind their grain at his watermill on the Rogacica River. Tour groups from around the Balkans would come to see the mill. But even tourism had its limits.

"We were welcoming tourists, but only during the day. Nobody ever overnighted there," said Slobodan Jagodic, whose family owned the mill for over 60 years.

"We were too scared to repair it, not to disturb Sava Savanovic," says Jagodic. "It's even worse now that it collapsed due to lack of repair."

Traditions die slowly in this part of the world. "In the dark forested mountains of Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, many people still believe in vampires and take them quite seriously," says Dr. James Lyon, Ph.D, a noted Balkan historian who has done extensive research on the folklore behind vampires.

"In local folklore, vampires are not potential boyfriends. Rather, they are hideous, blood thirsty creatures with red eyes and iron teeth that bloat when they feed, and are able to shift their shape," says Lyon, author of "Kiss of the Butterfly," a historical thriller about vampires in the Serbia.

Savanovic has maintained his notoriety in modern Serbia. He was featured in a 19th century book "Ninety Years Later" written by Milovan Glisic, whose book inspired a 1972 horror film "Leptirica" (Butterfly), widely watched throughout all of former Yugoslavia. More recently, Savanovic appeared in an award winning book "Fear and Its Servant" written by Mirjana Novakovic.

The Balkans have long established itself as Ground Zero for vampires when it comes to fanged folklore, and Serbia is a leader in this, according to Lyon.

"Vampires originated in Serbia, not Romania," says Lyon. "The word vampire entered western languages from Serbia in the late 1720s."

Austrian forces returning from conquests in Ottoman Serbia in the early 1700s brought back vampire stories, which circulated throughout Europe, later inspiring Byron, Keats and Coleridge, he claims.

"In 1730-31 the Austrian Army sent a military surgeon into Serbia to conduct autopsies on suspected vampires. He and other Austrian Army officers wrote of their experiences, and these records still exist today," Lyons said.

Documented reports of vampire-related activity continue to this day throughout the Balkans, the most recent having occurred in 2011 in Serbia.

Back in Zarozje, villagers will have to be on their guard for at least seven more months, because local legend holds that vampires are most active between Christmas and the Feast of the Ascension on June 7.

Thieves Steal 300 Pairs of Panties

Detectives are looking for two men who were caught on surveillance tape stealing about 300 pairs of panties from a Victoria’s Secret store in downtown San Diego.

The panty raid took place on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. at the Victoria’s Secret in the Horton Plaza shopping mall, police said.

While one thief walked around the store pretending to browse for merchandise, a second thief carrying a shopping bag walked over to an underwear display.

The man carrying the shopping bag held it open while the other man scooped about 300 pairs of panties into the bag, police said.

The one carrying the bag full of underwear then walked out of the store while the other lingered inside for another 15 seconds before walking out.

Store employees were unaware of the theft until they noticed the display had been ransacked, and about half of its merchandise had been removed, police said.


The display was located roughly 10 feet from the door of the lingerie store, police said.

Detectives described both men as Hispanic between 18 and 25 years old. They’re both between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9, with thin to medium builds.

One man was wearing a black sweater and jeans while the other wore a blue shirt and gray shorts. The burglary was caught on surveillance video, so police are using those images to investigate, identify and locate the suspects.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Play Batman in Justice League?

Hollywood.com contacted Gordon-Levitt's reps, who have refuted this report. Fair enough, but then again, they probably wouldn't confirm it at this stage of the game even if it was true. We'll find out soon enough, but for now… only Bat-Mite knows for sure!

The original story was he would play batman in the upcoming JLA movie. 

Milking is all the rage!!

Milking video seems to be doing the rounds!

Olympics 2012: Saina Nehwal’s medal huge for India, says Gopichand

Saina Nehwal’s victory was special in many ways for Indian badminton. The first ever shuttler from the country to have won a medal at the Olympics was an occasion to celebrate for the entire contingent. But Pullela Gopichand topped the celebrations with a generous flow of tears of happiness and thankfulness.

Gopichand used the big occasion to recall all the hard work that his pupil Saina has put in and the strict regimen that she had gone through in the last few years. He said that Saina’s victory will be an inspiration and will attract many more girls to the sport.

“It is a great victory and this is huge for Indian badminton. This was something that we all worked towards for so many years and I am happy that Saina won the medal here,” said the former All England champion minutes after Saina’s historic feat at the Wembley Arena.

Gopichand was completely convinced that Saina was surely going to pull off this match, had it continued further in spite of her losing the first game to world No 2 Xin Wang. “It was unfortunate that Wang had to retire. I feel that Saina would have won anyway if the match would have gone on. Saina was shocked when she lost the first game. Nevertheless a win is a win,” added the national coach.

Gopichand, too, suffered a knee injury during his playing days but then made a remarkable comeback to win the All England Open thereafter. He sympathised with Wang’s injury but then felt that the way Saina fought back from 6-14 down to make it 18-20 at one stage was remarkable and had looked like she is going to pull it off in the next two.

“Wang was a little tired and I think she pushed herself a little too much,” observed Gopichand, adding: “The Chinese shuttler was getting a little weary as the match progressed.”

Gopichand was not just thrilled by Saina’s bronze here but has also been thrilled by Parupalli Kashyap’s achievements here. He, too, like Saina, became the first ever male Indian shuttler to reach the quarterfinal stage before losing to top seed and eventual runners-up Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.

“This is really huge for Indian badminton. It has been my dream for many years,” Gopichand said in a choked voice before moving on for more media interviews lined up after this historic feat.

Apple loses court fight with HTC over iPhone patents

Apple has suffered a high court defeat in its claim that Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC infringed its inventions, as the industry's bitter international patent wars came to British shores.Three claims over iPhone features - that the US manufacturer alleged were original inventions - were struck out by the court as invalid, and HTC was found not to have infringed a fourth, valid patent.

Apple's defeat covered its prized iPhone and iPad 'slide-to-unlock' patent, which is at the centre of the international battles between the rivals, so the judgment of the English courts is also likely to have an impact on ongoing disputes in Germany and the US.Along with the slide-to-unlock mechanism, HTC challenged Apple's patents on the iPhone's "multi-touch" system. Both are prize features in the American company's portfolio, according to intellectual property experts. The other patents in the case related to the way the iPhone manages photographs, and the use of different character sets in text messaging.

A HTC spokesman welcomed the London court's ruling, which said parts of the slide-to-unlock patented were too "obvious" or foreshadowed by earlier patents.The multi-touch patent was also found to be partly invalid because it was too obvious, while Mr Justice Floyd said HTC's smartphones did not infringe what remained.

"One of the invalidated patents is Apple's flagship 'slide to unlock' patent. Apple's photo management patent was found not to be infringed," an HTC spokesman said. "We remain disappointed that Apple continues to favour competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace," the spokesman said.

Apple declined to comment on details of the case but a spokesman said: "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Peter Bell, an intellectual property specialist at the law firm Stevens & Bolton, said the case was likely to have "significant ramifications" across Europe.

"As well as suing HTC in the UK, Apple has also asserted all of these patents against Samsung in the UK and it has asserted the foreign equivalents of some of these patents against HTC, Samsung and Motorola in Germany and the Netherlands," he said. "Apple has even succeeded in getting injunctions against some of Samsung and Motorola's products in the Netherlands and Germany on the basis of some of these patents.

"A highly respected venue for patent litigation, [the High Court's] findings could well influence the German and Dutch courts." Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, has described the smartphone patent wars as a "pain in the a--", but there seems little prospect of a truce. Under Steve Jobs, who believed Android was a rip-off of Apple's iOS operating system, the company launched lawsuits against Google's manufacturing partners around the world, prompting many counter-suits.

I’m Too Sexy For This Vest

What's left to say?

I'm Sexy and I know it..

 

Sexiest song of all time

Olivia Newton-John's playful 1982 hit Physical has topped a new poll to find the Sexiest Song of All Time.

Billboard.com bosses compiled the new countdown based on the performance of songs about sex on America's Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Physical beat Rod Stewart'sTonight's The Night to the top spot, while Boyz II Men's I'll Make Love To You came in third.

Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and the late Donna Summer's Hot Stuff also made the top 10.

Stewart was the only artist with more than one entry - his Do Ya Think I'm Sexy was at No. 10.

Billboard's Top 10 Sexiest Songs:

1. Olivia Newton-John - Physical
2. Rod Stewart - Tonight's The Night
3. Boyz II Men - I'll Make Love To You
4. Next - Too Close
5. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
6. Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
7. Captain and Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time
8. Madonna - Like A Virgin
9. Exile - Kiss You All Over
10. Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

Want the World’s Best Restaurants? Look to Asia

According to Restaurant Magazine, they assembled 800 international restaurant experts and asked them to make a list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. A challenge any foodie would love to take up.

However...it's hard to quantify as  “What constitutes ‘best,’” they coyly concede, “is left to the judgement of these trusted and well-traveled gourmets.” The magazine then proceeds to reassure us the list can never be definitive, but nevertheless “we believe it is an honorable survey of current tastes and a credible indicator of the best places to eat around the globe.”

Read the whole article here

Amazing Race's Rachel and Dave Win!

Dave and Rachel Brown made history on The Amazing Race 20, claiming the $1 million for a franchise record eighth victory on Sunday's finale - but not before making some other dubious history. The married Army couple accidentally skipped a second Roadblock and arrived at the finish line, where they became the first team ever to be turned back by Phil Keoghan for not completing the final course. They managed to recover and officially win the Race.

There's a whole interview for you here to gobble up!

 

IPL Funny Moments

With the latest edition of IPL ready to kick off, here are some funny moments compiled from the previous editions!

Resurgence of the Sexy Pin-up

Two Tampa, Fla., photographers are bringing sexy back -- back from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Richard Strawn and April Catalano publish a magazine called "Pin-Up America" and shoot photos of professional and amateur models.

The Google+ Cheatsheet is here!

Here's a handy quick reference with common things you should know about Google+, like how to prevent a post from being shared and hotkeys for more quickly navigating conversation streams.

Shortcuts and cheatsheets are always useful and we love them. Since I've started using google plus recently; this was very useful. Credit goes to Simon Laustsen. You can click on the image below for a larger view and then save it.

1/3rd Of iPhone Owners Think Their Phone Is 4G

According to a survey found that 34% of iPhone owners think the “4″ in iPhone 4 stands for 4G. LOL!

It looks like, they could have been fooled by the previous 3G moniker, but still…

Twenty-four percent of Blackberry owners think their phone is 4G (which is also impossible). 61% of iPhone owners don’t actually care about 4G and will buy a next-gen iPhone with or without the service. Blackberry and Android users are also interested in the new iPhone, regardless of 4G speeds.

What's the ultimate conclusion? That 4G is confusing and not many consumers quite understand it, want it, or believe they can afford it. Sadly, given the prevalence of marketing around the 4G concept I wonder if it isn’t too soon to be flogging this technology to a world that has just gotten comfortable with Wi-Fi.

In case you still didn't quite get what 4G stands for...it's represents the 4th generation of iPhones. It doesn't mean the iPhone 5 will be called 5G. but who knows :)

In$ide The World'$ Fir$t Billion-Dollar Home

While visiting New York in 2005, Nita Ambani was in the spa at the Mandarin Oriental New York, overlooking Central Park. The contemporary Asian interiors struck her just so, and prompted her to inquire about the designer.

Nita Ambani was no ordinary tourist. She is married to Mukesh Ambani, head of Mumbai, India-based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries, and the fifth richest man in the world. ( Lakshmi Mittal, ranked fourth, is an Indian citizen, but a resident of the U.K.)

Forbes Magazine estimated Ambani's net worth at $43 billion in March. Reliance Industries was founded by Mukesh's father, Dhirubhai Ambani, in 1966, and is India's most valuable firm by market capitalization. The couple, who have three children, currently live in a 22-story Mumbai tower that the family has spent years remodeling to meet its needs.

Like many families with the means to do so, the Ambanis wanted to build a custom home. They consulted with architecture firms Perkins + Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates, the designers behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Dallas and Los Angeles, respectively. Plans were then drawn up for what will be the world's largest and most expensive home: a 27-story skyscraper in downtown Mumbai with a cost nearing $2 billion, says Thomas Johnson, director of marketing at Hirsch Bedner Associates. The architects and designers are creating as they go, altering floor plans, design elements and concepts as the building is constructed.

The only remotely comparable high-rise property currently on the market is the $70 million triplex penthouse at the Pierre Hotel in New York, designed to resemble a French chateau, and climbing 525 feet in the air. When the Ambani residence is finished in January, completing a four-year process, it will be 550 feet high with 400,000 square feet of interior space.

The home will cost more than a hotel or high-rise of similar size because of its custom measurements and fittings: A hotel or condominium has a common layout, replicated on every floor, and uses the same materials throughout the building (such as door handles, floors, lamps and window treatments).

The Ambani home, called Antilla, differs in that no two floors are alike in either plans or materials used. At the request of Nita Ambani, say the designers, if a metal, wood or crystal is part of the ninth-floor design, it shouldn't be used on the eleventh floor, for example. The idea is to blend styles and architectural elements sospaces give the feel of consistency, but without repetition.

Antilla's shape is based on Vaastu, an Indian tradition much like Feng Shui that is said to move energy beneficially through the buildingby strategically placing materials, rooms and objects.

Pricey Pad
Atop six stories of parking lots, Antilla's living quarters begin at a lobby with nine elevators, as well as several storage rooms and lounges. Down dual stairways with silver-covered railings is a large ballroom with 80% of its ceiling covered in crystal chandeliers. It features a retractable showcase for pieces of art, a mount of LCD monitors and embedded speakers, as well as stages for entertainment. The hall opens to an indoor/outdoor bar, green rooms, powder rooms and allows access to a nearby "entourage room" for security guards and assistants to relax.

Ambani plans to occasionally use the residence for corporate entertainment, and the family wants the look and feel of the home's interior to be distinctly Indian; 85% of the materials and labor will come from outside the U.S., most of it from India.

Where possible, the designers say, whether it's for the silver railings, crystal chandeliers, woven area rugs or steel support beams, the Ambanis are using Indian companies, contractors, craftsmen and materials firms. Elements of Indian culture juxtapose newer designs. For example, the sinks in a lounge extending off the entertainment level, which features a movie theater and wine room, are shaped like ginkgo leaves (native to India) with the stem extending to the faucet to guide the water into the basin.

On the health level, local plants decorate the outdoor patio near the swimming pool and yoga studio. The floor also features an ice room where residents and guests can escape the Mumbai heat to a small, cooled chamber dusted by man-made snow flurries.

For more temperate days, the family will enjoy a four-story open garden. In profile, the rebar-enforced beams form a "W" shape that supports the upper two-thirds of the building while creating an open-air atrium of gardens, flowers and lawns. Gardens, whether hanging hydroponic plants, or fixed trees, are a critical part of the building's exterior adornment but also serve a purpose: The plants act as an energy-saving device by absorbing sunlight, thus deflecting it from the living spaces and making it easier to keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. An internal core space on the garden level contains entertaining rooms and balconies that clear the tree line and offer views of downtown Mumbai.

The top floors of entertaining space, where Ambani plans to host business guests (or just relax) offer panoramic views of the Arabian Sea.

What do you think of Ambani's home? Weigh in. Add your Comments below.

Wrong Turn - Lost Tribe Revealed in Brazil

Dramatic images of an isolated Brazilian tribe believed never to have had contact with the outside world were published by officials Friday to draw attention to threats posed to their way of life.

The pictures, released by the Brazilian government's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), showed alarmed natives pointing bows and arrows at the aircraft carrying photographers.

Apparently the foundation had known of the existence of the tribe for years -- located in thick rainforest near the Peruvian border -- and many photos had been taken. This time, they decided to reveal the material to prove that there are Indians living in complete isolation, and to call attention to a serious problem that exists, which is the threat of interlopers from the Peruvian side.

The pictures were taken from several flights over the apparently sedentary tribe's thatched-roof village in the remote Brazilian state of Acre.

Survival International, a British group lobbying on behalf of indigenous people around the world, said on its Web site there were fears illegal logging in Peru could endanger the Brazilian tribe's habitat, by forcing displaced Peruvian tribes into contact with it.

It said there were an estimated 500 isolated Indians living on the Brazilian side of the border.

"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.

His group said there were more than 100 uncontacted indigenous tribes worldwide.

Earthquake hits Philippines

A magnitude-6.4 earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean off the northern Philippines Sunday morning and was felt as far as southeastern Taiwan.

The epicenter was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Basco, the capital of the Batan Islands in the Philippines and about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Taipei, Taiwan.

No injuries, deaths or damage were immediately reported (thank the Lord) by the National Disaster Coordinating Center in Manila, Philippines. The center put the earthquake at a 6.3 magnitude.

"Indiana Jones" unearths more gold at the box office

The massively hyped "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" movie whipped up an impressive $56 million in its first two days of release across North America but will struggle to break industry records during the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth film in the adventure series to hit the big screen (after 19 years), earned an estimated $31 million on Friday, according to Paramount Pictures.

"Indiana Jones" reuniting actor Harrison Ford as the eponymous archeologist, director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas, also opened in 61 foreign countries on the heels of its glitzy world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last Sunday.

In North America, industry observers expect "Indiana Jones" to earn more than $150 million in its first five days.

Comparisons with the record-holder for the Memorial Day weekend, last year's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, are a little difficult. The third film in the swashbuckler franchise also opened on a Thursday -- but in the evening, whereas "Indiana Jones" screened for a full day. Ticket prices have also risen since then. Still, "Pirates" also managed to earn $56 million for the two-day period, on its way to $153 million for the five days through Monday. The five-day record is held by Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, which opened to $173 million in 2005, a week before the Memorial Day holiday in 2005.

"Indiana Jones" siphoned off some of the audience from last week's leader, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which opened to a disappointing $55 million last weekend.

The superhero smash Iron Man, which kicked off the summer in fine style three weeks ago, was No. 3 on Friday with $5.3 million, off about 39 percent. The total for the Marvel Entertainment Inc production, also distributed by Paramount, rose to $237 million.

Well, regardless of paradigm reviews & box office collections, I'm eagerly awaiting it's release here in India this Fri, May 30. I've got the champagne & a pair of Gold Class tickets, now all I need to find me is a "pair of Double Ds" with a taste in Crystal Skulls ;-)

Oh! & here's a look at the official trailer (I'm guessin' you haven't seen this version).

Indiana Jones 4 - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Official Trailer

Playing GOD !?!

This week, 400 of around 600 kangaroos on the outskirts of the city of Canberra, Australia are being killed by lethal injection. Their crime? Living and thriving.

According to officials, this part of Australia has (or had) three times as many kangaroos as human inhabitants. They say the iconic down-under animals have overgrazed grasslands and put other species in jeopardy. These include the Golden Sun Moth and the Grassland Earless Dragon, one of the world's rarest lizards.

Grassland Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla)

Resettlement had been considered for the kangaroos, but that was deemed too expensive and too risky, since the marsupials could multiply elsewhere, they said.

Come to think about it, kangaroos aren't the only ones to blame. Studies indicate the worst drought to hit Australia in a century has changed the region, leaving grasslands dry, bare and scarred. Australian Aborigines also used to inhabit the land and were sensitive to ecosystem sustainability issues. Now urbanization and intensive agricultural practices have fragmented the landscape and changed natural water distribution patterns.

Kangaroos are smart and fairly adaptable in their native environment. Like pigeons, they can coexist in areas of high development, taking advantage of human-made food and water sources, such as those set out for farm animals.

Kangaroos grazing at a military site in Canberra.

I honestly wish city officials in Oz would put more effort into developing an effective birth control method for the kangaroos. Someone there apparently had that bright idea but it needs further development, in my opinion. While even that option is risky and rather invasive, I think it beats cutting the lives short of so many innocent creatures. It looks like most researchers support the kangaroo killing, however, to save the other threatened species.