GDF SUEZ Leeds Half Marathon 2011

(States Twitter)-Runners at the launch together with 96.3 Radio Aire presenters JK and; Joel (kneeling) with the Yorkshire Cancer Research clanger mascot and Leeds City Council executive member for Leisure Cllr John Procter standing behind

Leeds’ most famous shopping street was temporarily turned into a mini running track today for the official launch of this year’s GDF SUEZ Leeds Half-Marathon.

Shoppers heading for Briggate this morning were met by the unusual sight of a start and finish line and course complete with markers signifying each of the 13.1 miles which thousands of runners will take to in May for one of the biggest mass-participation events of the year in Leeds.

Organised by Leeds City Council and sponsored by utility company GDF SUEZ in association with media partner 96.3 Radio Aire and kit suppliers Up and Running, this year’s event takes place on Sunday 9th May.

Over 5,000 people of all ages are expected to take part in the GDF SUEZ Leeds Half-Marathon and corporate challenge which starts and finishes on Millennium Square. The fun run and junior run element of the event will be launched separately by organisers Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All later this month.

For  enquiries contact:
Roger Boyde, Learning and Leisure Media Relations Officer,
Tel 0113 247 5472, Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk

Sheffield Half Marathon and Sheffield's Great Fun Run,May 8th 2011

Race's starting and finish line area is the city's famous Don Valley Stadium, the home of both the Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Football Club and the Rotherham United Football Club. From there, runners head out on an out-and-back course that runs in a roughly southwest direction on the outward route, and a roughly northeast direction on the return route. Runners will encounter long straightaway stretches along Brightside Lane and Princess Street in the race's early going, followed by numerous twists and turns through the neighborhoods as the course winds its way toward and through Sheffield's city center.

The hilliest stretches of the race -- which unfolds entirely over paved surfaces throughout -- occur in the middle section of the race, between mile markers 4 and 9. The course reaches its peak elevation around the mile 8 marker (at Fitzwilliam Street) at a height of about 300 feet above sea level; the race's low point, which occurs in the first and last three miles or so of the race, is just under 150 feet above sea level.

Runners in the half marathon will have a three-hour limit in which to complete the race's 13.1 miles, after which time a race bus will come along to pick up any stragglers or those having trouble finishing in the time allotted. For runners who don't feel up to running the half, the race also offers a 3K "Great Fun Run," which is open to all ages, including wheelchair competitors and "fancy dress," which means it welcomes runners in costume.

2010 RACE RESULTS

The 2010 race this year was won by Andrew Pearson of Longwood Harriers in a time of 1hr 7m 4s

The women's race winner was Natalie Farrow of Lincoln and Wellington AC with a time of 1hr 23m 24s

Full Results

Yorkshire Men's results

Yorkshire Women's resuts 

South Yorkshire Men's resuts 

South Yorkshire Women's resuts 

Corporate Team Results

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Metro Group marathon 8th May 2011

Marathon season is already in full play and summer is almost there! On the 8th of May it is again “ready, steady go” also in Düsseldorf, when the thousands of enthusiastic runners start at the METRO GROUP marathon 2011. Party atmosphere, an extraordinary city setting and a diversified supporting programme make the marathon in Düsseldorf one of the most attractive running events in Germany.

The route leads along the Rhine, swipes the tree-lined “Königsallee” as well as several buildings known for their artistic and cultural background. This day will be a highlight not only participating runners but also for the visitors. Besides the two kilometre long Rhine riverside promenade the marathon trade show allures with its numerous exhibitors on the 6th and 7th of May. The newest trends and highlights on the running sports market will be presented by well-established brands as well as interesting newcomers with products and information from areas as sport articles and equipment, clothing, shows, medicine, nutrition, literature, travelling, events and tourism. In 2010 about 12.000 visitors already made use of the marathon market as optimal shopping opportunity. No matter if young, young at heart, active or just interested – the marathon Düsseldorf is an absolute must! You need more information? 

Participant information

START DOCUMENT ISSUE

Their race packets can be collected on the following days in the Rhine terrace.

Dusseldorf Rhine Terrace

Joseph-Beuys-Ufer 33

40 479 Dusseldorf

Opening times:

Friday 6 May 12:00 - 18:00 clock

Saturday 7 May 10:00 - 18:00 clock

Sunday 8 May 06:30 - 09:00 clock (no fair!)

LATE REGISTRATION MARATHON / Kids Cup

Friday 6 May 14:00 - 18:00 clock

Saturday 7 May 12:00 - 18:00 clock

Sunday is no longer possible to re-registration

Marathon: review including late entry fee 80.00 EUR

Kids: Late registration fee 5.00 EUR

START TIMES:

Clock 08:45 Stadtsparkasse Kids Cup MINI

Clock 09:00 Stadtsparkasse Kids Cup MAXI

09:15 Hanbiker clock / uni

09:30 clock marathon

09:50 clock Seasons

15:00 finish time clock

Visit the organizer’s online-presence.

Metro Group marathon

Volkswagen Prague Marathon (8 May 2011)

Come io running Volkswagen Prague Marathon (8 May 2011) is always exiting as it has been recognized as one of the most beautiful marathon tracks in the world. Get lost in the narrow streets of Prague and experience the town from a different angle. Have a doubt about your fitness level? You don’t have to! 7 hour time limit allows slower runners and beginners to participate as well. Each participant in the Volkwagen Prague Marathon gets a free start number to participate in the Volkswagen Family Minimarathon.

Start: 9.00 am,

Time Limit: 7 hours

Registration fees include: a quality adidas T-shirt, starting bag, start number, medal, race magazine, massage, free public transport on race day, discount vouchers to partner‘s shops, diploma and a great deal more!

Register now and take advantage of a discounted fee on www.praguemarathon.com

Contacts

Prague International Marathon, spol.s.r.o.

Záhořanského 3

120 00 Prague 2

Czech Republic

Tel: +420 - 224 919 209

Fax: +420 - 224 923 355

E-mail: info@praguemarathon.com

Monday-friday 09:00-17:00

Kalamazoo Marathon: Sunday, May 8, 2011

KALAMAZOO — The first-ever Kalamazoo Marathon will get started at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Nazareth , 1 mile east of Borgess Medical Center on Gull Road.

More than 1,300 runners are entered to participate.

The 26.2-mile route will wind through Kalamazoo, including downtown and the campus of Western Michigan University. The mid-point is on Waite Avenue in the Winchell neighborhood.

The marathon route concludes at the Nazareth campus, with its final miles going up Riverview Drive, through Parchment and past Spring Valley Park.

Also Sunday, more than 2,100 runners are signed up for the half-marathon, more than 1,700 have entered for the 5K run, and another 700 are signed up for the 5K walk, all of which also start and finish at Nazareth.

You can reach (Kalamazoo Marathon) by phone or email through this site. Call our Kalamazoo Marathon Special Events Line 269-345-1913 or 1-877-255-2447 or email at info@thekalamazoomarathon.com.

Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead'  Día de los Muertos). The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday. The celebration takes place on October 31st through November 3rd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration when eating and parties are common.This holiday is similar to All Saints Day.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

In popular culture

Literature

The novel Under the Volcano (1947) by Malcolm Lowry takes place on this day in a fictionalized Cuernavaca, Morelos.

The science fiction novel Necroville (aka Terminal Cafe (US)) by Ian McDonald is set on the day before and during a future Day of the Dead, in a time when the dead are reanimated by nanotechnology.

Ray Bradbury's novel The Halloween Tree (1972) includes an explanation of the holiday as part of a greater worldwide tradition and features a Mexican sugar skull as a plot device.

The character of Death in the novel Candy Skulls by McKenzie Maclaine refers to Day of the Dead being the only time when death is honored instead of feared.

Barbara Hambly's novel Days Of The Dead (2003) climaxes on this day in 1835.

Film

The film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, directed by Robert Rodriguez, takes place in the days leading up to the Day of the Dead, culminating in numerous acts of violence on the holiday itself.

The Tim Burton film Corpse Bride (2005) shows a scene where town people are surprised to discover their deceased loved ones among calaca-like characters and thus take the opportunity to reunite again and have a family moment with the departed. This is reminiscent to similar beliefs that are the basis for the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration.

The movie Assassins has a scene that takes place during a Day of the Dead procession crossing the streets of San Juan, but this is inaccurate since the procession is not celebrated in Puerto Rico.

The film The Crow: City of Angels takes place in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles during the Day of the Dead celebration. Sugar skulls and tribute altars are referenced, and the film's climax takes place during a large Day of the Dead street party.

In the movie Blood In Blood Out the members of the jail gang "La Onda" selects the Day of the Dead as the date to exterminate their rival racial jail gangs.

Games

The computer game Grim Fandango (1998) relies heavily on Day of the Dead imagery, with most characters resembling calaca-like figurines. The plot spans four consecutive years from one November 2 to another.

The computer game World of Warcraft added in 2009 an in-game event with the same name and similar unique items related to this celebration, only accessible between November 1 and 2.

In the video game LittleBigPlanet, one of the arcs of the main storyline has a Day of the Dead theme. Oddly, this arc is set in South America rather than in Mexico.

Social Media

A calavera with crossed crutches and a helmet is used as the logo for the Facebook page Derby Hurts, which is an on-line community for injured roller derby skaters. Furthermore, some Latina skaters use Día De Los Muertos imagery as their regalia.

Television

The first episode of the Adult Swim series The Venture Bros., "Dia de Los Dangerous!", takes place on this day. Hank and Dean Venture purchase sombreros and sugar skulls, and then Hank describes the events to their father, who has just given a lecture to a very small audience, due in part to the holiday.

The Nicktoons Network animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, has an episode dedicated to the Day of the Dead, "The Grave Escape," in which Manny and Frida, after ridiculing the celebration and eating Manny's ancestor's ofrendas, discover that Sartana of the Dead has summoned an army consisting of the dead that had been forgotten. During their fight with the enraged beings, the two are transported into the Land of the Dead, where they meet Manny's ancestors.

On the seventh episode of Community, Annie hosts a Day of the Dead party for extra credit in her Spanish class.

Beliefs

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas ("offerings"), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchitl (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").

In modern Mexico, this name is sometimes replaced with the term Flor de Muerto ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.

Origins

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.

The festival that became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the god known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern Catrina.

GM Shares Slip Despite Earnings Be

General Motors posted a $3.2-billion first-quarter profit today and said its global sales increased 15% from a year ago to $36.2 billion. Add GM’s results to those put on the board by Ford and Chrysler in recent days, and the combined net profit of the Detroit Three was $5.9 billion for the first three months of 2011, compared to $1.3 billion a year earlier.

Net earnings for the first quarter nearly tripled to $3.2 billion, or $1.77 cents a share, from $900 million, or 55 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier, driven by strong car sales in the U.S. and China.

While GM's adjusted earnings topped analysts' expectations of 91 cents a share, vehicle prices disappointed analysts.

Inventories of big trucks on GM dealer lots have been growing recently as gas prices spike, so GM concedes it may need to ease production of those high-profit-margin vehicles. All three companies warn of rising commodity costs, and all have gained some sales, or pricing power, or both, as the Japanese earthquake took a greater toll on major Japanese brand competitors.

Prices for GM's cars and trucks dropped in North America and were flat in Asia and Europe. The only region they improved in was South America.

Revenue came in at $36.2 billion during the first quarter, ahead of analysts' estimates of $35.6 billion. Worldwide sales rose 12%, including a 25% increase in the U.S. and and a 10% gain in China, which has become GM's largest market.

But the auto maker's shares were down 2.3% at $32.29 in midday trading as investors digested lower-than-expected profit in North America (see Stocks to Watch Today) and a larger-than-expected profit decline in South America.

Questions Over How Fake Bin Laden Photos: Obama NYC

(States Twitter)-President Obama punctuated his success in bringing to justice Osama bin Laden on Thursday with a visit to those on the front line of the 9/11 attack — families and colleagues of those killed at the site .

Obama administration said Wednesday it will not make public the images of the dead Al Qaeda chief, arguing the pictures could incite violence and be used as propaganda by terrorist leaders. White House officials also say DNA evidence confirming the body as Bin Laden’s provides sufficient proof of his death.

Under sunny skies, multiple construction cranes, and the unfinished bulk of the first tower to rise at Ground Zero, Obama laid a wreath at the emerging 9/11 memorial in a solemn ceremony. He placed the flowers in front of a tree that survived the attack and then turned to hug Payton Hall, 14, who was standing with her friend, Madison Robertson, 14.

The wreath laying site is between two reflecting pools that mark the footprints of the destroyed towers. The tree was found growing on the site after the collapse and is called the Survivor Tree. It was taken away from the site, nursed back to health and returned this year.

Obama invited Bush to join him Thursday, but the former president declined.

"The ceremony will provide some closure to a horrific event," said Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters, who was invited by the White House to attend Obama's Ground Zero event.

Obama visits NYC firehouse that lost 15 on 9/11

President Obama on Thursday visited the Manhattan firehouse that sustained the heaviest losses in the September. 11 terrorist attacks, and paid tribute to the "Extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago (September Eleven).

Before going inside for a private lunch, Obama paused to wave at people pressed against windows.

The lost firefighters had 28 children among them. Their pictures, along with messages from their families, line a wall at the firehouse.

The president pointed to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as proof of the fact that "when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

Our commitment to making sure that justice was done was something that transcended politics, transcended parties - it didn't matter which administration it was in, it didn't matter who was in charge, we were going to make sure that the perpetrators of that horrible act, that they received justice, he said.

Engine, Ladder, Battalion has responded to countless other emergencies since September Eleven. Responders from that firehouse were first on the scene after the attempted Times Square bombing last year.

Obama's Titanic Budget

US Senate Committee on Appropriations recently approved a new federal budget for the Department of Education that includes the single largest source of grant aid for postsecondary education, the Pell Grant program. The program has financially assisted more than 10,000 full- and part-time undergraduate students who attend Temple this year.

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, established a presidential exploratory committee and announced he would participate in Thursday's debate in South Carolina. Huntsman, a former governor of Utah who last week stepped down as the U.S. ambassador to China, filed paperwork that lets him start building a national profile as he weighs a presidential campaign.

Approximately 8 million U.S. college students rely on Pell Grants each year to help pay for college, according to the U.S. Committee on Education and Labor. While the Pell Grant program was preserved in the bill, cuts to the two Pells program saved the federal government $8 billion.

Meanwhile, two of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's advisers left her side. Foreign policy hands Randy Scheunemann and Michael Goldfarb — who both worked with Palin when she was Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick — stepped aside over the weekend. Peter Schweizer, a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, is set to advise Palin on foreign policy.

Lot of students are struggling with financial aid right now,” Schreiner said. “I don’t really know much about the situation that’s happening right now, but I definitely know that there are students who are my friends and my peers who are definitely struggling with it. It needs to be more available and more readily accessible because it’s such a process.

2012 United States federal budget

(States Twitter)-2012 United States federal budget is the United States federal budget to fund government operations for the fiscal year 2012, which is October 2011–September 2012. The budget is the subject of a spending request by President Barack Obama, while the Republican-held House of Representatives and the Congressional Progressive Caucus have announced competing plans for the 2012 budget. The budget plans are intended to focus on deficit reduction, but differ in their changes to taxation, entitlement programs, defense spending, and research funding. The actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012 must be authorized by the full Congress before it can take effect, according to the United States budget process.

Total spending

The Obama administration's spending request contains $2.627 trillion in receipts and $3.729 trillion in outlays for 2012. The Republican plan contains $2.533 trillion in revenues and $3.529 trillion in outlays.

Overview

In February 2010, President Barack Obama formed a bipartisian commission, called the Bowles–Simpson Commission, to recommend steps that could be taken to reduce future budget deficits. The commission released its report on November 10, 2010, which recommended deep domestic and military spending cuts, reforming the tax system by eliminating many tax breaks in return for lower overall rates, and reducing benefits for Social Security and Medicare. The plan did not receive the supermajority vote within the commission which it needed to be directly sent to Congress, and portions of the plan were rejected by both parties.

The Obama administration proposed his 2012 budget on February 14, 2011. Obama's budget proposal aimed to reduce annual deficits to more sustainable levels by making selective cuts in spending, while increasing support in specific areas such as education and clean energy to foster long-term economic growth. The plan did not contain specific proposals to rein in spending on entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which are expected to make up much of the increase in the deficit in future years. The budget represented a shift from the Obama administration's strategy in previous years of using increased government spending, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to combat the late 2000s recession. The 2012 budget plan was instead projected to reduce deficits by $1.1 trillion over the next ten years. Republicans criticized the plan for not going far enough to reduce future deficits.

A competing plan, called The Path to Prosperity, was announced by House Republicans, led by Representative Paul Ryan, on April 5, 2011. This plan would reportedly cut $5.8 trillion in spending over ten years, but would also reduce tax income by $4.2 trillion below current projections. The plan would make no further reduction in defense spending beyond the Obama administration's plan, but would make major changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security which would pass much of the cost of these programs onto individuals. It would also cut energy research and other applied research and development. This plan was criticized for disproportionately cutting programs which benefit the disadvantaged and stifling innovation, while not cutting defense spending further and containing deep tax cuts.

In response to the Republican plan and a recent deal on the 2011 budget, President Obama on April 13, 2011 presented an alternative plan in a major policy speech. This new plan would cut deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years through a combination of broad spending cuts and tax increases, including the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for incomes over $200,000 and proposed a cap on increases in Medicare and Medicaid spending. Obama criticized the Republican plan for enriching the wealthy through tax cuts while placing a greater economic burden on the elderly through Medicare cuts. Obama's plan was criticized by Republicans for its large cuts in defense spending and for its lack of specific detail.

Kendra Wilkinson

Kendra Leigh Baskett(née Kendra Leigh Wilkinson; born June 12, 1985), professionally known by her maiden name, is an American television personality and glamour model. She is widely known for being one of Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends and for her role on the E! reality television series The Girls Next Door, on which her life in the Playboy Mansion was documented.

Although not a Playboy Playmate, she has appeared in three nude pictorials with her Girls Next Door costars and fellow Hefner girlfriends Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. Her own reality series, Kendra, debuted in June 2009.

Personal life

On August 13, 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that Wilkinson was Olive Garden's "Biggest Celebrity Fan." Wilkinson has described Olive Garden's cuisine as "my soul food." The newspaper emphasized that her repeated enthusiastic public endorsements of the family restaurant were genuine, personal and were not tied to any payment from Olive Garden. In fact, the company was reported as viewing Wilkinson's endorsements with "mixed feelings," and something on which it was reluctant to comment since the restaurant emphasizes its family-friendly nature.

On March 17, 2010, Wilkinson's E! True Hollywood Story premiered on E! Entertainment Television. During the hour-long episode, she discussed her rocky road to stardom.

On September 22, 2008, the International Business Times reported that Wilkinson was engaged to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett. Wilkinson initially denied this, but she later admitted she was in a relationship with Baskett on October 7, 2008 in an interview with Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately. On November 6, 2008, E! Online announced Wilkinson and Baskett were engaged, after he proposed the previous Saturday at the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.

Early life

Kendra Wilkinson is of Irish, Ukrainian, and English descent. She is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Colin. Her mother, Patti, was originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and had been a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. Her father, Eric, was raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and Ocean City, New Jersey, before moving to San Diego, California at age 15. He received a degree in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and went on to found several biotechnology companies before retiring at the age of 48. Patti and Eric married on November 5, 1983. They divorced on March 25, 1994, when Kendra was eight. Her grandmother Gloria Wilkinson died in December 2004.

Career

2004-2009: Playboy and The Girls Next Door

Wilkinson met Hugh Hefner at his 78th birthday party in April 2004, where she was hired to be one of the "painted girls" (women who are nude except for painted-on accessories). Hefner had apparently seen her picture, shot by photographer Kim Riley, on a fax machine at the Playboy Mansion and wanted to know who she was. Shortly after they met, Hefner asked Wilkinson to be one of his girlfriends, and he moved her into the Playboy Mansion along with her dogs Rascal (a Pembroke Welsh Corgi) and Martini (a Jack Russell Terrier)

2009-present: Kendra and current endeavors

Wilkinson stars in a spinoff of Girls Next Door, titled Kendra, which focuses on her life after leaving the Playboy Mansion and getting engaged to then Philadelphia Eagles receiver Hank Baskett. The Girls Next Door executive producer Kevin Burns serves in the same capacity on the series. Kendra is produced by Prometheus Entertainment, Fox TV Studios, and Alta Loma Entertainment. Kendra premiered on June 7, 2009, and had record breaking numbers for E! with 2.6 million viewers, and was the highest-rated reality debut for the network since 2002's premiere of The Anna Nicole Show. The show's third season finale, and 33rd episode, on E! debuted on January 9, 2011. In 2010 she published a memoir, Sliding Into Home.

Kate Middleton:New Role Army Wife

Kate Middleton has gone from commoner to royalty with her marriage to Prince William. But marrying a prince does not, apparently, get you out of doing the dishes. Or making the bed. Or scrubbing the floors.

The 29-year-old doesn't plan to launch her royal career for another two years -- once William's military service is completed. For those enjoying a healthy overdose of wedding fever, the future may hold severe withdrawal symptoms as Kate disappears from public life.

Perhaps Kate’s greatest virtue is that she sees her role very clearly as being a support to William. This is already apparent from her dutiful demeanour and her studied determination not to upstage him. It’s no surprise to learn that she likes to run a bath for William to hop into when he comes home from his RAF shift.

She has no desire, it seems, for any independent role: she has told friends she wants to be an old-fashioned housewife for at least two years, before accepting the full mantle of royal duties.

Pippa's ivory satin cowl-necked dress, which she wore as Kate's maid of honor, got worldwide attention. Several Facebook websites were set up to pay homage to her bottom, which was showcased in the form-fitting dress designed by Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, the same designer who did Kate's wedding gown.

While everyone one was taking note of Kate Middleton and her style as she tied the knot with Prince William of UK recently, it was her younger sister, Philippa Middleton, 27, who managed to emerge as a new icon for simplistic style with her girl-next-door dresses and effortless charm.

Middleton's role model for army wife: None other than Queen Elizabeth II, who followed Prince Philip to Malta for his two-year stint with the navy, and has said it was one of the happiest times of her life.

Tere Bin Laden

Tere Bin Laden, तेरे बिन लादेन, تیرے بن لادن, Without You, Laden / Your Bin Laden, is a 2010 Bollywood comedy film produced by Walkwater Media and written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film stars Pakistani pop singer Ali Zafar in the lead role as an ambitious young reporter, who, in his desperation to migrate to the U.S., makes a fake Osama Bin Laden video using a look-alike, and sells it to TV channels. The film is a spoof on Osama Bin Laden, as well as a comic satire on America's war against terror and the realities of the post-9/11 world. The film was released worldwide on 16 July 2010.

Production

The film crew have attempted to get the locations, costume design and language as similar as possible to that in Pakistan; and have recreated the scene of Karachi to do this. Pradhuman Singh, who plays an Osama lookalike in the film, was given a Osama Bin Laden tape to watch, and later learned Arabic for eight months to get the diction.

Release

Tere Bin Laden was released on July 16, 2010, and grossed over 5 crore (US$1.11 million) in its opening weekend, internationally it grossed $150,000 from Britain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia, during the period, before its US release , which was delayed because the producers first wanted to gauge the film's response in other countries and also considering the sensitivity of the topic in the US. Pakistan's censor board renamed the title of the movie as Tere Bin and Middle East countries banned the release of the film.

Box office

In India, the film opened on 350 screens and collected 5 crore in its opening weekend. Friday morning shows opened with 20-25% in key areas like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and evening settled down to 35-40% with average occupancy cultivating first day gross box office of 1.11 crore, with glowing reviews ranging from 3-4 star ratings and strong word of mouth from audience Saturday showed an impressive jump of 80-85% and settle down to 1.75 crore, Sunday showed further jump of 66% compared to Saturday, and garnered further 2.15 crore cultivating to cumulative an astounding opening weekend collection of more than 5 crore gross. The film collected 8.25 crore (US$1.83 million) at the end of its theatrical run. It was declared an average grosser at the box office.

Cast

Ali Zafar as Ali Hassan

Pradhuman Singh as Noora / Osama Bin Laden

Sugandha Garg as Zoya

Nikhil Ratnaparkhi as Gul

Piyush Mishra as Majeed

Rahul Singh as Qureishi

Seema Bhargav as Shabbo

Barry John as Ted

Chirag Vohra as Lateef

Chinmay Mandlekar as Usmaan

Rajendra Sethi as Jamal Bhai (Travel agent)

Harry Josh as a Security guard

Masood Akhtar as Rahim Yaar Khan

Plot

Ali Hassan (Ali Zafar) is a reporter with Danka TV, a downmarket local TV channel in Karachi. He is keen to migrate to the US for a better life. He gets a chance to fly to USA, but ruins it on board while taking his own audition. He recites the words "Hijack" and "Bomb" too many times; thus scaring his fellow on board passengers and flight crew members. As soon as he reaches the USA, he is deported immediately. Furthermore, because of this incident his Visa application is refused six times in seven years. While covering a local event for his channel, he comes across an Osama Bin Laden look-alike, Noora, and hits upon an idea to make a fake Osama tape. He manages to convince his assistant Gul about the merits of his plan. With help from his travel agent's assistant Zoya and a local radio jockey Quereshi, he is able to make the tape by tricking Noora into unknowingly posing as Bin Laden. He then sells the tape to the owner of his channel, hoping to raise money for a new false identity, a new passport and a renewed attempt at getting the elusive US Visa. However, the gravity of their action strikes them when the US Government takes the tape seriously and gets involved, as do the Pakistani intelligence agencies. A series of comic situations follow as they attempt to elude the authorities on their trail.

Dame's Delight

Dame's Delight was a place for women to bathe in the nude on the bank of the River Cherwell in the meadows near the Oxford University Parks opposite Mesopotamia Walk in Oxford, England. It was started in 1934, but closed in 1970 due to maintenance difficulties because of flooding.

A similar bathing area Parson's Pleasure for nude male bathing, also existed nearby until 1991. It had been established at a much earlier date; both sites are now part of the folklore of Oxford University.

Dame's Delight inspired the title of a 1964 novel by Margaret Forster.

Mark Storey

Mark Storey is a board member of the Naturist Action Committee and has testified at anti-nudity legislation hearings all over the United States.

As editor for Nude & Natural, The Naturist Society's magazine, he has written interesting and informative narratives of the naturist events he has participated in or helped organize, as well as places he has traveled to. He did a great piece on the nude beaches of Long Island on the east coast and participated in the Fremont Fresh Air Festival along with two other intrepid clothesfree activists as nude bicyclers to much media attention.

He is a founding member of the Body Freedom Collaborative in Seattle whose goal is to bring attention for the need for legal clothing-optional beaches through "guerilla pranksterism", among other approaches.

In 1999 he led the effort to defeat Washington Senate Bill 5351, a measure that would have placed skinny-dippers on the state's list of sex offenders.

Mark is also author of a book, Cinema Au Naturel: A History of Nudist Film, and editor of another, Theatre au Naturel: A Collection of Naturist Plays. In 2003, he was instrumental in getting several of the plays later published in this book performed at the Seattle Fringe Festival.

Press coverage

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Exposed and stark naked -- on purpose: But not all nudists support 'guerrilla' plans for prominent public exposure, by P-I reporter Kathy George, April 7, 2003 [1].

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Trio behind the arts: Three activists put on an eye-opening display yesterday by taking most of their clothes off at the Fremont Fresh Art Festival, by P-I reporter Kathy George, 16 June 2003 Front page of local section, with color picture

Articles authored

Nude & Natural Social Nudity, Sexual Attraction, and Respect by Mark Storey, 24.3 Spring 2005.

Nude & Natural Children, Social Nudity and Academic Research by Mark Storey, 23.4 Summer 2004.

Nude & Natural Takin' It to the Streets: The Cutting Edge of Naturism by Mark Storey, 23.4: 73, Summer 2004. Mark claims "The future of naturism is on public lands. To gain naturist freedoms on public lands will require getting naked in public".

Nude & Natural The Offense of Public Nudity by Mark Storey

Nude & Natural Naturism and Civil Disobedience by Mark Storey

Nude & Natural The Bethell Approach: A Protest Colloquy/The Bethell Approach: Is the Time for Mass Nude Protests Upon Us? 21.2 Winter 2002. Includes statements by Vincent Bethell, Mark Nisbet, Cec Cinder, Paul Rapoport, Les Rootsey, Morley Schloss, T.A. Wyner, and Mark Storey.

Nude & Natural (N), Guerilla Nudity/Wave Makers: Introducing the Body Freedom Collaborative by Mark Storey. Issue 23.1, Autumn 2003.

Parsons table

Parsons table was designed by Jean-Michel Frank whilst he was working at Parsons Paris School of Art and Design, then known as the Paris Atelier. While the form is generally credited to Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, according to an article in The New York Times that referred to archives at the Parsons School, the table was developed out of a course taught at the Paris Atelier by the French designer Jean-Michel Frank in the 1930s.

As the article states, "Frank challenged students to design a table so basic that it would retain its integrity whether sheathed in gold leaf, mica, parchment, split straw or painted burlap, or even left robustly unvarnished. What grew out of Frank's sketches and the students' participation was initially called the T-square table ... " The first example, as recalled by Parsons instructor Stanley Barrows, was constructed by the school's janitor and displayed at a student show.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition in 2009-2010 presented the "Bauhaus 1919 to 1933", the entire course of the Bauhaus. A "Parson's" table, noted as a Children's table and chairs by Marcel Breuer, is documented in a photograph dating the table to 1923.

Parsons tables are often intended for use as modern or contemporary furniture, and their striking design has made them popular as coffee tables, dining tables, side tables, and occasional tables. Less-expensive versions are also available that can be easily stacked or disassembled and reassembled. Most are typically made of wood, metal, or plastic, and they are frequently employed in interior furnishings as well as patio or even lawn furniture.

Nude photography

Nude photography is a style of art photography which depicts the nude human body as a study. Nude photography should be distinguished from glamour photography, which places more emphasis on the model and her/his sexuality, and treats the model as the primary subject. Nude photography should also be distinguished from erotic photography, which has a sexually suggestive component. Nude photography is also distinguished from pornographic photography, which is of a sexually explicit nature.

Many photographers consider an art nude photograph to be a one that studies the human body, rather than the person. A photograph of a person that is meant to be recognized is called a portrait, and nude photographs often do not show a face at all. Nude photography is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. As an art form, nude photography is a stylized depiction of the nude body with the line and form of the human figure as the primary objective. Photographers sometimes use extremes of light and shadow, oiled skin, and shadows falling across the body to show texture and structure of the body.

Early photographers often depicted the nudity of women like the one we see here by Félix-Jacques Moulin. Many, like Edward Weston, Ruth Bernhard and Jerry Avenaim, preferred to depict the lines of a body as a piece of art. They imported from the terminology of painting the terms art nude and figurenude to avoid suggestions that their works were erotica or pornography.

Nude recreation

Nude recreation refer to recreational activities which some people engage in in the nude. Such activities can take place in private spaces, such as in a person's own property or in a naturist context, but also in public areas. Activities in which people engage in the nude include hiking, running (in some contexts this is referred to as streaking), swimming, cycling and yoga. More passive activities include sauna, hot springs, and sunbathing, such as at a nude beach.

When such activities take place in a public context, they are subject to laws and social attitudes to public nudity. Most nude recreational activities take place in private places, such as naturist resorts, and when on public lands participants try to be discreet to minimize any potential discomfort it might bring to an accidental passerby. Some public places have been set aside for the use of those who wish to engage in recreational activities in the nude, such as nude beaches.

European nudist culture

In the Nordic countries, with their sauna culture, nude swimming in rivers or lakes was a very popular tradition. In the summer, there would be wooden bathhouses, often of considerable size accommodating numerous swimmers, built partly over the water; hoardings prevented the bathers from being seen from outside. Originally the bathhouses were for men only; today there are usually separate sections for men and women.

Motivation

People participate in activities in the nude for various reasons. Many consider nude out-of-door activities to have health benefits. They point to health benefits of sunlight for some skin conditions and the body's production of vitamin D. Some nude proponents argue that those who take part in nude activities are often more relaxed about their nudity and body image.

Away from their private property, many people have the first experience of a clothes-free recreation activity at a nude beach, at a friend's place in the woods, or a party on the shore or skinny dipping.

Recreational nudity is generally associated with the naturist movement, though some people participate in activities without membership of naturist clubs or adherence to the naturist philosophy.

Swimming and sunbathing

Nude swimming and sunbathing are the most common nude recreational activities. These can take place in the privacy of a person's backyard or pool or that of a friend, at a naturist facility or at a clothes-optional beach. It is not uncommon for private clubs to have nude swimming on a male-only or a female-only basis. Other water activities in which some people engage in the nude include snorkeling, diving, canoeing or kayaking (sometimes called canuding).

World Naked Bike Ride

Since 2004, World Naked Bike Rides have taken place all over the world involving thousands of people. These take place in mostly western cities, where cyclists ride either partially or totally nude in a light-hearted attempt to draw attention to the danger of depending on fossil fuels.

Naked bungee jumping

The performer Billy Connolly is reported to have done the 134m Nevis Bungee Jump naked, during his 2010 World Tour. Nevis, near Queenstown, New Zealand and other jumps in the area appear to waive the change for nude participants.

Quotes

Body Acceptance is the idea, Nude Recreation is the way. -Lee Baxandall. Popular motto of The Naturist Society

Every civilized nation has nude beaches. That's a mark of a civilized nation. -Lee Baxandall from video: The Beginner's Guide to Skinny Dipping. The Naturist Society. Fast Forward Images, Inc. 1991.

Nudity in American television

Nudity in American television has always been a controversial topic. Aside from a few exceptions, nudity has traditionally not been shown on terrestrial television. On the other hand, cable television is much less restrictive as far as nudity is concerned.

After Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast during a live performance at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, a moral panic occurred, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tightened its indecency rules due to public pressure. As an instant result of the scandal, major networks edited some of their shows. CBS removed a shot of a naked man from Without a Trace, while NBC deleted a two-second shot of an elderly woman's breast from ER . Subsequently, prime time television networks became more reluctant to show even non-explicit nudity in their TV shows. In the current climate, nudity is almost unknown on any broadcast television show - with the exception being animated series such as The Simpsons and Family Guy (which spoofed the conservative phase of American television in the episode "PTV").

Cable television, on the other hand, is not bound by FCC rules and can show whatever material their executives consider suitable. While cable channels that rely on advertising still do not show nudity during primetime hours, nudity is often shown on premium cable channels such as Showtime and HBO. FX is one of the few commercially dependent cable channels that features nudity in its programming (notably the controversial Nip/Tuck). Discovery and other documentary-related channels may show nudity in a journalistic context, such as that of indigenous peoples.

Public Broadcasting Service, which features nudity in anthropological documentaries as well as some films, was the first network to display national programming that featured frontal female nudity on television.

Throughout the United States, many metropolitan areas had independent television stations that were not affiliated with any of the national networks and showed programming only to people within their limited broadcast range. During the 1980s, many of these stations experimented with showing frontal female nudity in movies during the prime time hour.

KTLA in Los Angeles, for example, showed an unedited version of Academy Award-winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which features fully exposed female breasts, between 7:30 and 11 p.m. The channel began the time slot with a video of director Milos Forman stating that the film was too controversial to be allowed a faithful television broadcast (NBC's earlier broadcast had cut the film to fit the two hours format with commercials), but that KTLA believed that the culture had changed such that a complete broadcast would be tolerated and appreciated. Then, it was followed by a disclaimer that was repeated after each commercial break.

KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area regularly showed uncensored films that contained nudity, such as Magnum Force (Suzanne Somers), Big Bad Mama (Angie Dickinson and William Shatner), and Walkabout, which features full frontal nudity in a scene with teenage actress Jenny Agutter skinny dipping.

A number of stations in this era even went so far as to run promotions during which they would show a series of movies known for nudity in an attempt to get higher ratings for the week. In almost all cases, the nudity was restricted to showing exposed buttocks and female breasts.

By the end of the 1980s, most of these stations had started to receive complaints about such nudity and these broadcasts eventually stopped. In addition, some of these stations became Fox affiliates and were no longer able to make independent programming decisions during prime time.